First Drive of a Future Icon: The E46 BMW M3

From the December 2001 subject of Car and Driver.

In the previous 25 years, America has had solely two Olympic gold-medal decathletes, Bruce Jenner and Dan O’Brien. Most folks contemplate the winner of the Olympic decathlon to be the world’s greatest athlete, as a result of it includes competing in 10 broadly differing occasions, from pole vaulting to operating to leaping. When Jenner gained in ’76, America fell in love with him, and he appeared in commercials, made appearances in dangerous sitcoms, and smiled at us from Wheaties bins.

In an analogous method, BMW’s M3—the motorsports model of the 3-series—has been universally coveted since 1994 when the second-generation M3 appeared with a easy, broad-shouldered 240-hp in-line six. Like a decathlete, the M3 did all of it: It might carry 4 adults and their baggage in consolation, and within the course of the automobile might whip by way of turns with an agility and crispness normally reserved for hard-core sports activities automobiles. Until lately, the M3 was undefeated in our comparability assessments—the five-year-old M3 did place second (C/D, September 1999) to the brand-new Audi S4 Quattro. The M3 earned a spot on our annual 10Best record 5 years in a row—1995 by way of ’99. In 1997, it defeated eight automobiles, together with the Acura NSX-T and Ferrari F355, to win our best-handling-car shootout.

Still, we had been pissed off to know that BMW bought a greater, extra highly effective M3 elsewhere on this planet. BMW mentioned this supreme M3, with 77 extra horsepower, was too expensive for the U.S. market.

Perhaps BMW had a degree, for the reason that M3 bought right here accounted for greater than half of all M3s produced from 1995 by way of 1999. In one significantly good yr, 1998, 4 of 5 M3s bought had been the 240-hp U.S. model priced at roughly $40,000. The extra highly effective M3 value about $55,000 in Germany.

For the brand new M3, based mostly on the present 3-series two-door, BMW selected two issues: (1) Americans had been most likely keen to spend just a little extra for the opposite engine, and (2) making all M3s with the identical engine would most likely decrease the price sufficient to make everybody completely satisfied. We lately drove the brand new automobile in Jerez, Spain, and even received an opportunity to show some laps on the Jerez circuit.

The engine is an absolute gem. This ferocious, screaming motor hurtles the M3 down the street with an urgency that now rivals the world’s greatest sports activities automobiles from Porsche and Chevrolet. BMW estimates the M3 will hit 60 mph in simply 4.8 seconds and can eat up a quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds—on a par with the 911 Carrera and Corvette—and we expect these numbers are correct.

More than the engine distinguishes the M3 from the 3-series automobiles. For one, the M3 rides by itself distinctive suspension. The primary design and format are shared with the 323 and 330, however practically each part—together with the hubs and spindles—was modified, modified, or strengthened for crisper dealing with and extra driver suggestions. The entrance monitor was elevated 1.5 inches and the rear by 1.8 inches to accommodate large 225/45ZR-18 entrance tires and 255/40ZR-18 rears. In addition, a 0.1-inch-thick aluminum stiffening plate is bolted to the underside of the entrance body rails, and the steering rack makes use of a turning ratio that’s seven p.c faster than the bottom automobile’s.

The new M3 retains its knife-edged turn-in and flat cornering perspective, however it has picked up a few dangerous habits. The first is a experience that is extra punishing than the final mannequin’s, which managed to really feel each agency and compliant. It is not uncomfortable, however we sense that the brand new automobile bounds round greater than the earlier mannequin. Second, the brand new automobile retains the rear finish so properly planted that solely the entrance tires slide within the turns. Yep, it understeers—badly. Considering how a lot we beloved the outdated automobile’s impartial dealing with—you can name up under- or oversteer at will—the belief of this trait virtually introduced tears to our eyes, however the reality stays that with out some main driver heroics, the M3’s rear finish stays emphatically put. Our check automobile was a European mannequin with 19-inch tires that won’t be accessible stateside, so maybe the U.S. mannequin with 18-inch tires will really feel completely different. Understeer is a secure, if unexciting dealing with trait, and the brand new automobile masks its velocity in addition to the outdated.

On the street, the place comers are taken at considerably slower speeds than on a race­monitor, the story is markedly completely different. The M3 feels heroic as soon as once more. From the motive force’s seat, you’d by no means know you had been piloting a passenger automobile; the texture i pure sports activities automobile, with an agility and crispness that belies its sensible talents.

BMW says the brand new automobile will value about $46,000, roughly $5000 greater than the final M3 bought right here, the 1999 mannequin. (A Ferrari Fl-style guide gearbox with automated shifting i due in 2002.) Considering the quantity of additional suds within the engine bay, we expect that worth is a discount. And not like Bruce Jenner, who gained the gold at just one Olympic competitors, we wager the brand new M3 will proceed the outdated automobile’s profitable methods.

A Closer Look at BMW’s Torquey 333-hp Engine

There are solely two naturally aspirated engines on the market within the land that may prime the 103-horsepower-per-liter efficiency of BMWs new six: a tremendous 120-horsepower-per-liter-four-cylinder Honda discovered within the S2000 roadster and the outstanding 110-horse­power-per-liter V-8 of the Ferrari 360 Modena. Like the Honda and Ferrari, the BMW powerplant which has 333 horsepower, doesn’t arrive with any earth­ shattering new expertise. Rather, the engines obtain their excellent outputs by way of a cautious, methodical method of lightening the engine internals and enhancing the respiratory.

To lighten the valvetrain, BMW used hole camshafts (with VANOS infinitely vari­in a position timing techniques on the consumption and exhaust cams) and finger followers to function the valves. BMW says finger followers provide two essential benefits over typical valve tappets: Friction is 30 p.c decrease with the followers, and valvetrain mass is 30 p.c much less.

With the engine internals able to spinning at 8000 rpm, BMW subsequent ensured that the engine might breathe at that velocity. On the consumption facet, six particular person tubes home electronically managed butterfly valves. BMW says the person throttle valves, that are positioned a lot nearer to the consumption ports than in a traditional single throttle physique, enhance throttle response. On the exhaust attractive equal-length header tubes expel the spent air.

Despite the M3’s new aluminum hood and its middle bulge, the engine nonetheless needed to be mounted at a 30-degree record to suit. Tilting the engine required modifying the oil pan to clear the entrance crossmember. This created oil-scavenging issues, particularly throughout lengthy comers, which BMW solved through the use of one massive sump on the rear of the engine and a smaller sump up entrance. There are two oil pumps, one to pump oil from the entrance sump to the rear and one other to pump oil from the rear sump by way of the engine.

One distinctive characteristic of the M3’s engine is the driver-selected, dual-mode throttle-­response swap, which adjustments the best way the consumption butterfly valve responds to the fuel pedal. When the engine’s not within the sport mode, the butterflies open slowly at first to make sure easy driving; in sport mode, the valves open rather more shortly, lessening response time.

Although BMW was third to Honda and Ferrari on this horsepower-per-liter con­check, the Simmer engine does boast extra torque per liter (81 pound-feet per liter vs. 77 for the Honda and Ferrari). The result’s an engine that is remarkably sturdy each­the place within the rev vary and pulls like mad proper as much as its 8000-rpm redline. —Larry Webster