Review of the new BMW M3 Coupe

BMW's M3 has long campaigned on offering the pace and poise of a Porsche 911 at two-thirds of the price. Now BMW has really gone to town, with a 420bhp V8 engine that's not only lighter than its six-cylinder predecessor but which punts the current M3 into a new performance realm.

The V8 engine plumbed beneath the bulging bonnet of the M3 had a lot of commentators a little worried at first. The balance of the six-cylinder E46 model was so exquisite that the prospect of a big four-litre 'bent-eight' shoehorned into the svelte 3 Series shell smacked of an almost Mercedes-like obsession for power at any cost. Seems we needn't have worried. BMW assures us that the weight of the V8 is, at 202kg, a full 15kg lighter than the old 'six'.

The aural signature from this engine is like no other road car powerplant. To sit beside Germany's Nurburgring race track and hear development cars screaming past was otherworldly. Every single time the engine note came bouncing off the Eschbach trees, it sounded as if a sawmill had just cranked into operation somewhere in the valley. The cause is the induction system which features an oscillating tube fed by eight lightweight intake funnels. Add a fruity exhaust blare and you have a car that will swivel heads from a long way out.

BMW quotes a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds and an electronically limited top end of 155mph although it is said to nudge 180mph with the software nanny shackled. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard with a seven-speed SMG sequential box available as an option. With a stiffer body, carbon-fibre reinforced plastic roof and an even more aggressive version of the legendary M-diff hydraulic centre differential, the M3 isn't just all about that astonishing engine.

"The aural signature from this engine is like no other road car powerplant..."

The E92 M3 is packed with intriguing design features but the most important one for many is that it looks the part. There was barely a dissenting word uttered after its unveiling and most observers judged that BMW had got it spot on, providing a canny balance between sophistication and testosterone-fuelled aggression. The blistered wheel arches house 18-inch rims as standard although many owners will doubtless upgrade to 19-inch CSL style rims. The front bumper is punctuated by a gaping honeycomb centre grille, flanked on either side by intakes that help cool the engine bay and front brakes. A power dome on the bonnet hints at what lies beneath. Move around the car and there are intricately formed side sills, while at the back, there's ventilation to draw hot air away from the differential. Four chrome-tipped exhaust pipes leave others in no doubt as to what's just blown by. The current, facelifted M3 features an LED light cluster and changes in the profile of the boot lid. Inside you can expect a light redesign of the centre console and the introduction of pearlescent chrome switchgear.

In profile, the M3 features 18-inch double-spoke light-alloy wheels as standard, with a striking 19-inch wheel available as an option. Another BMW M trait, a side gill in the front wing, also includes the side direction indicator and the M3 logo. Such is the performance of this car that even the exterior door mirrors enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of the car and provide a degree of downforce.

Weight has crept up slightly compared to its predecessor but a 77bhp increase in power more than makes up for this. The fact that the power output is now identical to the Audi RS4 is significant as BMW will be keen to demonstrate that it makes better use of its available horsepower than the upstarts up the road in Ingolstadt.

Like the larger BMW M5 and M6 models, this M3 also features an MDrive button that brings together numerous personalised functions of the car. The settings for the optional Electronic Damper Control (Normal, Comfort and Sport), three DSC+ traction control settings and three specific engine control maps, plus the response rate of the Servotronic power steering can be controlled with one button on the steering wheel. Once the desired settings are created in the iDrive menu, part of the standard Professional navigation system, one push of the MDrive button transforms the M3 from a car to drive to the shops to a track day special.

Although BMW has fleshed out the M3 range with a folding hardtop convertible and a saloon, most buyers will content themselves with the coupe we look at here. BMW expects 60 per cent of orders to be for the SMG sequential gearbox-equipped car. Whether you choose two or four-door versions, six airbags are standard, along with leather trim, 18-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, a full-colour DVD-based sat-nav system, electric seats and mirrors, plus rear parking sensors and automatic air-conditioning.

Start Stop technology has helped with fuel economy and CO2 figures (quoted at 25.2mpg on the combined cycle and 263g/km) but you can still expect to average not much more than 20mpg in normal motoring. Plus you'll be hit hard in the wallet by your insurance broker (expect a group 20 classification). Some compensation however, should come with low depreciation, particularly in this model's first couple of years of life when it's likely to be a 'must have' upwardly middle class life accessory.

Some rather questionable convertible choices aside, BMW has yet to build a bad M3. Even the E36 generation, derided at the time for having gone soft, appears with the benefit of hindsight to have been a cracker. There were no disappointments with the successive E46 model and that set the bar extremely high. Few doubt that this E92 model M3 will be up to the challenge.

Packing 420bhp and developed by a team of enthusiast drivers, the M3 looks the sort of performance coupe most petrolheads would design given a blank sheet of paper. Sophisticated, capable, savagely quick and with a soundtrack to die for, it promises much.

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