2015 BMW M3 Manual

We”d like to publicly thank Kim Kardashian for attempting to break the internet in advance of us announcing our 2015 10Best Cars list. Prior to her Lexus-like stress test, we had concerns about what might happen when we dropped the BMW 3-series from our roster. Thankfully, it appears that the internet cannot be broken so easily as our hearts.

While we are collectively saddened that BMW no longer builds the car so many of us believed to be nearly perfect, we”ve written that story already, once or twice. We”re over it now. BMW, on the other hand, still has romantic aspirations. (Not to mention cars to sell and an enthusiast reputation to maintain.) So the newest addition to our long-term fleet is an M3 in Yas Marina Blue ($550) over Silverstone leather (no cost). It is a gorgeous color combination, one familiar to our editorial staff because an identical car showed up at 10Best this year, where it did garner many admirers. Just not enough of them.

If this $81,425 sports sedan cannot win over the holdouts, it won”t be for lack of equipment. You can load up an M3 with few additional features beyond those fitted to our tester. The Executive package ($4300) bundles some things‘satellite radio, passive entry, and parking sensors‘that by all rights should be standard and other amenities that define the term “optional,“ like a head-up display and a heated steering wheel. That box was begrudgingly ticked. Fortunately the LED lighting package ($1900) stands alone, allowing us to choose it without also including Driver Assistance Plus ($1900) and its TV studio”s worth of side- and top-view cameras. Our car, however, does have more kit: carbon-ceramic brakes ($8150), an adjustable suspension ($1000), 19-inch wheels ($1200), a Harman/Kardon surround-sound audio system ($875), and enhanced Bluetooth integration ($500). In the interest of purity, or what passes for it these days, we left off the sunroof (no cost), dual-clutch automatic transmission ($2900), and self-parking feature ($500).

Foregoing the automatic means foregoing some performance, but the enjoyment we”ll get out of shifting for ourselves should more than make up for it over the long haul. Our M3 was delivered under its own power, driven here rather than trucked. So with more than 1000 miles on the odometer, it was well broken-in before we took it to the track, where its 0-to-60-mph run ended at four seconds flat, three-tenths behind the dual-clutch M4 we recently tested. That deficit was maintained after our long-termer”s 12.3-second quarter-mile. Stopping from 70 mph in the M3 took 157 feet, which is good, but not as great as the 1.01 g”s the car pulled on the skidpad.

Initial logbook commentary on the M3 includes praise for its well-bolstered seats, although many have expressed concern about the upholstery. The off-white leather is pretty, but our staff is not known for exercising particularly meticulous care of anything and we fully expect that this interior will be far more off than white after 40,000 miles. We”re less sure what might happen to the consensus formed during our 10Best evaluation. As unanimously pleased as we were with the M3”s quickness and tenacity, we were also disappointed by the clinical nature of its thrills. The car is overbearing on a first encounter, and it remains to be seen if an extended stay will temper that impression.

Months in Fleet: 1 month Current Mileage: 3432 miles Average Fuel Economy: 20 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 15.8 gal Fuel Range: 315 milesService: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0

07.12.2014
ID:1285

More news from this source:

1. 2016 Nissan Titan XD
2. 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
3. 2016 BMW 650i Coupe
4. 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD
5. 2017 Mercedes-Benz C-class Coupe