BMW M3 really does live up to the hype
M3 is available as a 4-door sedan and a convertible as well as the coupe shown here
Photo © Aaron GoldSo how does the M3 stack up against the Audi RS4 of which I am so fond? Quite well, I'm afraid. One could argue that the RS4's all-wheel-drive makes for superior grip -- but it's not as if the M3 does a worse job clinging to the road. The M3 offers an automatic transmission, while the RS4 is manual-only. The RS4 does ride better than the M3, but other than that, I'm hard pressed to find any advantage. And then there's the fact that the M3 is about $13,000 cheaper than the RS4. Even a Bimmer-hater like myself can't ignore a number like that. So when you compare the M3 to the RS4 on price, performance, and convenience, the BMW is... Oh, darn it, I just can't bring myself to write out the sentence, so I'll supply the words, and you can put them in order: M3, better, the, is.
The M3's other major rival is the Lexus IS-F. Again, I'd love to be able to say that the Lexus does everything the M3 does for comparable money. But sadly, it doesn't. The IS-F is a tremendous car, but it just doesn't string it all together as well as the M3. The IS-F feels like a machine; the M3 feels like a living organism.
Bottom line: The BMW M3 is an amazing automobile -- without question, it's one of the best cars I've ever driven. It looks great, it sounds great, and it drives great. It's electrifying in the curves yet quiet and comfortable enough for day-to-day driving. It's everything those boorish BMW snobs are bound to spend the next twenty years saying it is.
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03-26-2009, 11:49 PM
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