Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: £50,725 to £50,725
Performance, handling, quality, styling, practicality, value retention
Pricey, not quite as much fun as the original 1986 M3, slightly too vulgar for some. CSL very expensive; SMG transmission flawed; Convertible has less rear room and smaller boot
One of the great performance cars, and so easy to live with
The BMW M3 is a legend among enthusiast drivers, renowned for blending near supercar performance with the practicality and civility of BMW's sharp-looking 3-Series coupe. A 343bhp 3.2-litre straight-six is enough to launch the M3 to 60mph in just 4.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 155mph, figures which do much to explain the appeal of this car with petrolheads. Exquisite quality and a set of visual modifications that lend the M3 a subtle muscularity only heighten its appeal, as does four-seat accommodation. By 3-Series standards the M3 is far from cheap, but its distinctive virtues have won it a strong following in the UK, where it is one of the cars to be seen in, at least among younger males. Also available as a four-seater Cabriolet - essentially the same car but with a powered fabric roof - and a limited edition CSL version, this specialised, lightweight limited edition costing significantly more money. The CSL weighs 110kg less (partly through the deletion of air conditioning, which can be reinstated) and has 16bhp more. The M3 can also be had with a sequential, paddle shift-triggered gearbox called SMG.
Latest Readers' Drives About the BMW 3-Series Coupe
wrote on 21 09 2007