InsideLine is showing their love again for the BMW M3. Being part of their long-term fleet, the M3 Sedan is going through some extensive test driving and each mark in their report comes to emphasize the M3 icon status.
After 16,000 miles driven, to come with a bold statement that the “the M3 isn’t an overpriced 3 Series; it’s a discounted supercar” takes a lot of courage and might draw some anti-fanboyism, but we admire their courage and without a doubt, we agree with this adventurous statement.
The M3 is indeed a driver’s car, a unique combination between sportiness, dynamics and why not, premium design. It is clearly a car built for THE driver and every little component, element, technology within comes to reinforce that.
Sure, we might go down the fanboy route here, but those of you that drove the M3 certainly agree with us, those that haven’t yet, our advice is to go down to your local dealership and spend at least 30 min behind the wheel.
Please do so and come back and tell us if we suffer of “fanboyism”.
So, let’s see what InsideLine has to say:
Most people wouldn’t drop $60k on an M3 even if they could, and I get that. Crunch the numbers and it doesn’t make sense. The N54 and N55 turbo sixes nip at the mighty M-Power V8’s heels, and the cars they come in are far cheaper. Surely a 335i or a 135i — or hell, a Camaro SS — will get the job done.
But the M3 is a connoisseur’s car, and connoisseurs aren’t into crunching numbers. Try telling an oenophile that she could save 70 bucks and get the same buzz from a $5 Trader Joe’s special. That argument won’t fly. If you really care about something, you sweat the details more than the bottom line. The M3’s for people who think like that about cars. Every element of the driving experience, from the steering, suspension and brakes to the shifter and the throttle response, has been fine-tuned to please drivers who really care. It’s clearly built by connoisseurs as well as for them.
. In an age when raw automotive excellence is disappearing from showrooms faster than manual transmissions, this Bimmer stands apart.
Still not convinced? Well, remember, InsideLine is not a BMW-centric site….but still, the M3 appeals even to the brand’s strongest opponents…..
Even Jeremy Clarkson loved it: “M3 is one of the most perfectly balanced machines ever created by man. It makes an F-16 fighter jet look ungainly and lumpen! “
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/02/11/2009- ... -supercar/