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2008 BMW M3 - Driving Impressions

M3s at Laguna Seca Raceway – that’s all we needed to read before anxiously accepting BMW’s invitation to evaluate one of Germany’s most famous nameplates, a venture that also afforded seat time in the 2008 BMW 1 Series and the new Mini Cooper Clubman. Noteworthy cars, yes, yet these pages are dedicated to the M3, the rear-drive, V-8 powered sports car capable of hitting 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, tapping out at 155 mph, and returning an EPA-estimated 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Not bad, but what kind of automotive journalists would we be if we didn’t take advantage of Laguna Seca’s many twists and straights to challenge the validity of these claims? Hammering an M3 for a few hours on one of the country’s best tracks – the lengths we’ll go to for you people.

In our haste to get the fun started, we failed to notice that the M Dynamic Mode had not been selected, and as a result wasted a few laps suffering from an intrusive stability control system that obliterated all enjoyment on entry and robbed the V-8’s thunder on exit. We quickly realized this just couldn’t be right, clicked our M3 sedan into M Dynamic Mode, and hit Laguna’s corkscrew with all the Bimmer had to offer. Needless to say, the dumbfounded head scratch was replaced by a devilish grin thanks to invisible stability control policing and a tail that, with some prodding from 414 horses, was open to the possibility of stepping out. With M Dynamic Mode deactivated, the M3 has a tendency to push; turn it on and that understeer disappears, allowing for big speed heading into tight corners as the suspension enforces a strict no-body-roll policy. Steering feel and response was excellent, and after several abusive laps at the hands of both skilled and unskilled journalists, the cross-drilled and ventilated brakes grabbed with unwavering tenacity, though clicked loudly while resting in pit lane awaiting yet another punishing run.

Clearly, the 2008 BMW M3 is a capable track car, but with its four-passenger status and varied body styles, it’s also expected to be at least tolerable on public roads. Simply put, this high-powered 3 Series is easy to enjoy regardless of whether you’re planning a snail’s pace daily commute or a high-speed run through the canyons. Despite changing the setup from normal/comfort mode to sport/sport plus we didn’t find the ride to be anything other than stiff, but not to the point of being harsh.

And then there’s that new V-8 engine. With a rating of 295 lb.-ft., torque is relatively light, yet all that muscle rolls out early so there’s no lack of take-off power. The clutch is light enough to prevent calf cramps but can be a bit jerky in slow city traffic; a short-throw, slick manual shifter is a blast to row on and off the track. Throttle response can be set to normal, sport and sport plus modes with a button on the center console, and the tachometer features a variable redline that rises to a max of 8,400 as the engine oil comes to temperature. If a complaint could be had about the M3’s engine, aside from that unimpressive torque rating which makes the M3 feel a touch less eager than the Lexus IS F, we’d point to the exhaust note. Sure, it sounds good enough yet it lacks the guttural growl emanating from performance rides produced by Jaguar, Cadillac, Lexus, and others.