Face to Face With BMW's Four Door M3
By Alexander
October 6, 2007 8:19 PM
Filed Under: BMW, German
It's official. BMW is back with a four-door version of its legendary top of the range 3-series - the mighty ///M3! When production of the four-door E36 M3 ended in 1999, many BMW enthusiasts were left cold when the next-generation E46 M3 appeared only in Coupe format, and even the fastest four-door 330i proved no match to the M3. This time, however, BMW has prepared its warrior in the medium-sized premium car segment for full-scale warfare against the Audi RS4 and the Mercedes C63 AMG.
Following yesterday's official 'look-alike' brochure, today BMW unveiled the official specifications of the four-door E90 M3 model. We've seen the four-door model lapping Nurburgring numerous times during the summer, and the Coupe-styled front bumper and headlights, M-style side gills, 19-inch M-wheels, quad-exhausts and a rear spoiler are the biggest optical changes over the standard four-door saloon.
The specifications sheet of the M3 Sedan offers no real surprises. The four-door sedan will expectedly be powered by the same high-revving 4.0-litre 420 hp V8 engine as its Coupe sibling, making it capable of a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds, a mere 0.1 seconds slower than the Coupe, although you'd be pressed to notice the difference. At 1680 kg the four-door version is also roughly 30 kg heavier than the Coupe. With the addition of two doors, you loose the the carbon-fibre roof, which supposedly strips 5 kg of the Coupe's weight.
At launch, the M3 will be offered only with BMW's six-speed manual gearbox, but expect BMW to throw in its version of a double clutch gearbox in the model range in the next few years.
Source: BMW
Press Release (Click to expand)
New BMW M3 Sedan
The first official images and details of a second body version of the new BMW M3 have been released. The high-performance four-door sedan, from BMW M GmbH, is based on the E90 3 Series Sedan featuring unique design and technology. The four-door body variant adds the functionality of five seats, two extra doors and comfortable access to the rear, to the supreme driving dynamics, stand-out design and everyday driving qualities of the BMW M3 Coupé.
BMW previously offered a four-door sedan version of the second-generation (E36) M3 during the 1990s. BMW Group Australia Managing Director, Guenther Seemann, said the new BMW M3 Sedan combines the high-performance character of the Coupé whilst offering grand touring comfort for up to five occupants.
“Thirteen years after the first BMW M3 Sedan, the Coupé is now once again being joined by a four-door brother – a version which will appeal to fans of high-performance cars who also attach great importance to every day driving qualities and practicality. The M3 Sedan is a high-performance car which thanks to its design and functionality sets new standards while remaining first and foremost a BMW M3 in its character. BMW is currently evaluating the local sales potential of the M3 Sedan and if customer demand warrants we will bring the car to Australia. That said, it would be at least 12 months before this could be realised,” said Seemann.
The front-end design of the BMW M3 Sedan matches the specific look and high-performance character of its Coupé sibling; however the side-sills, front side panel “gills” and rear air dam are uniquely tailored for the sedan. The M3 Sedan is powered by BMW’s all-new 4.0-litre V8 developing maximum output of 309 kW and maximum torque of 400 Nm at 3,900 rpm. The four-door M3 accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and records average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of 12.4 litres/100 kilometres.
The BMW M3 Sedan features an all-new chassis and suspension with specific, weight-optimised components as well as BMW M axle kinematics for a highly dynamic driving experience, use of forged aluminium track control arms, compound high-performance brake system, and EDC Electronic Damper Control with three selectable control maps.
The body structure of the BMW M3 Sedan has extremely high torsional strength and resistance, all-round occupant protection reflecting the very demanding safety standards of the BMW Group, six airbags, three-point inertia-reel seat belts on all seats, belt latch tensioners, belt force limiters and central safety electronics for appropriate control and management of the car’s restraint systems.
As with the BMW M3 Coupé, power is transmitted to the rear wheels by a manual six-speed gearbox with integrated, temperature-controlled oil cooling and mass inertia optimised two-disc clutch.
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mako001
October 7, 2007 2:52 AM
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