BMW M3 saloon: UK pricing revealed

The BMW M3 saloon, having skipped a generation, is now snarling at your nearest UK dealership, ready to be accosted for small sums starting at £49,415 for the sedan manual and £52,005 for the M-DCT version. Its entire allocated consignment of about 400 is expected to be on roads by the end of 2008.

Apart from the most obvious; two extra doors, coupe and sedan are virtually mechanically identical, both using the same 4.0-litre V8 premium unleaded petrol engine that’s 15kg lighter than its multi-award-winning 3.2-litre straight 6 predecessor. Performance numbers are still 420 bhp/ 309kW, 0 – 100km/h dash times of 4.9 (manual) and a lower 4.7 seconds for the M-DCT, with both topping off at a limited 250km/h. No doubt these double clutch gearboxes are making a major impact in straight-line performance, at the same time proving ideal for start-stop heavy traffic situations.

M3 saloon will be one of nine M derivatives on sale in the UK by the end of 2008. These are Z4 M Roadster, Z4 M Coupe, M6 Coupe, M6 Convertible, M5 sedan, M5 Touring, M3 Coupe, M3 sedan and M3 Convertible.

Press Release

The letter M offers something truly emotive to the motoring connoisseur. Since 1978 BMW GmbH has produced purist performance cars that tap into the demands and aspirations of customers’ ultimate driving experiences. The M division takes BMW’s ingredients for dynamic production cars, listens to the market and challenges its in-house designers and engineers to produce an intoxicating recipe that satisfies a growing niche of enthusiasts. Using award-winning engines and lightweight materials in construction, an M car is both challenging and relevant to both hearts and minds.

BMW M’s first car was also its only ever bespoke car. The M1 mid-engine sports car used a tubular spaceframe chassis and plastic composite body to save weight - steps that were ahead of their time compared to other road cars. Fast forward three decades and there have been 23 different models of M cars in the UK*. From the M1 to the Z3 M Coupé and the M5 Touring, they are all unique cars, but each with the M DNA running through them; a pure engineering philosophy enveloped in a sporting design to make for the ultimate driving machine.

Model / Price OTR / Power Hp / Torque Nm / 0 – 62mph Seconds / Top Speed Mph / Combined Mpg / CO2 g/km

BMW M3 Saloon (manual) / £49,415* / 420 / 400 / 4.9 / 155** / 22.8 / 295
BMW M3 Saloon (with M DCT) / £52,005* / 420 / 400 / 4.7 / 155** / 23.7 / 285

* Expected price from 1 April taking account of anticipated Vehicle Excise Duty rate adjustment
**Electronically-limited

The M3 Saloon is true to its roots. Its dynamic statistics are impressive and the M3 is the only performance car on the market that incorporates award-winning specialist fuel-saving and emissions-reducing systems under the banner of EfficientDynamics. For example, Brake Energy Regeneration utilises the previously lost energy of an engine on overrun to re-charge the battery. This feature alone helps the M3 Saloon become one of the cleanest and fuel-efficient performance cars ever.

The way an M3 Saloon’s power can be transferred to the road is also unique for a BMW. Customers can specify an all-new seven-speed double-clutch manual gearbox. This not only speeds up gear changes but also cuts the zero to 62mph time, improves fuel consumption figures whilst lowering emissions.

*Note: E26 M1, E30 M3 Coupé and Convertible, E36 M3 Saloon, Coupé and Convertible, E46 M3 Coupé and Convertible, E90 M3 Saloon, E92 M3 Coupé , E93 M3 Convertible (launched April, 2008), E28 M5 Saloon, E34 M5 Saloon, E39 M5 Saloon, E60 M5 Saloon, E61 M5 Touring, E24 M635CSi, E63 M6 Coupé, E64 M6 Convertible, E36/7 Z3 M Roadster and Z3 M Coupé, E85 Z4 M Roadster and E86 Z4 M Coupé.

All of the M3 Saloon’s technology is shrouded in an aerodynamically efficient body. BMW M encapsulates the mantra ‘form follows function’ and the M3 Saloon is a lesson in efficiency. Whilst still offering the practicality to transport a family and their luggage in comfort, every aperture or crease of the bodywork is designed to either channel air to the engine or provide downforce. Even the wing mirrors are designed to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics. At the rear a venturi smoothes exiting air flow from underneath the car, while a lip spoiler on the boot provides an additional degree of rear downforce.

The M3 Saloon comes to the UK at a time when customers are increasingly keen to marry high performance with practicality. The four-door M3 is powered by an award-winning engine with a supercar power output, yet it is also the most practical M3 the marque has ever produced.

The BMW M3 Saloon went on sale in the UK on 8 March, 2008, priced from £49,415 OTR and BMW expects to sell approximately 400 in a full sales year.
Tim Abbott, Sales Director of BMW (UK) Ltd, said: “The arrival of the M3 Saloon and the M3 Convertible this spring underlines the strengths of both the 3 Series and M brands. Our heartland car, with its EfficientDynamics technologies, continues to be benchmark compact executive car and the M version displays the all round versatility of the model.

“The portfolio of M has never been as diverse as it is now; by the end of 2008 there will be three M3 models on sale, two M5s, two M6s and two Z4Ms. BMW is proud to be in a market-leading position of producing cars powered by award-winning engines that are at the pinnacle of performance yet are as clean and frugal as possible. The new M3 Saloon is proof that you can have your cake and eat.”

Key facts
• First production M3 Saloon to be powered by a V8-engine.
• The engine, cast in BMW’s Landshut light alloy foundry alongside the BMW Sauber F1 team’s powerplants, has 753cc more capacity, two more cylinders yet is 15kgs lighter than the previous M3 model’s six-cylinder engine.
• The M3 features the most advanced production car engine ECU in the world capable of 200 million calculations a second.
• BMW’s M3 range are the only performance cars on the market to incorporate specialist environmental fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technology.
• New M Double Clutch Transmission debuts in M3 Convertible and from July for M3 Saloon and M3 Coupé.
• The M3 Saloon is the most practical M3 ever offering 450-litres of boot space.
• First road-going BMW M3 Saloon to be offered with an optional adjustable suspension.