http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-drives/first-drive-2015-m3-m4
http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/m3/2015/road-test.html
"Compared to the two-door M4, the sedan body is actually narrower, though they share the same track widths. That means the M3's wheel arches stick out more outrageously so the two cars can share their forged aluminum suspension pieces, ultra-rigid rear end subframe, brakes and 18-inch forged alloy wheels. It also means you'll have to be more careful parking it next to a curb.
The narrower sedan body translates to slightly less shoulder room than the M4, though the M3's rear-seat passengers have significantly more head- and shoulder room. It's also heavier than the M4 coupe, with a curb weight of 3,351 pounds, versus 3,301 for the two-door. The dual-clutch transmission will add an extra 44 pounds as well."
"Despite the twin-power name, that N55 makes do with a single blower, but this S55B30 gets a pair, each operating a trio of cylinders. While power climbs only slightly over the old V8, from 414 hp to 424 hp, the torque curve is on another planet. Instead of 295 lb-ft at 3900 rpm, you get 406 lb-ft all the way from 1800-5500 rpm, and that comprehensively transforms the way this car drives—and how much more mischief you can now get up to. "
" Curves that required second gear before can now be dispatched in third. Cheeky on-ramp powerslides that used to last 100 ft now feel like they’d last all the way onto the highway and onto the off-ramp a junction down. Roll onto the gas hard in second gear in moving traffic, and the bespoke Michelin Pilot sports will actually spin up. Go for the seven-speed DCT dual-clutch transmission, and besides the expected launch control, which will scoot you from 0-62 mph in 4.1 seconds (down 0.7 seconds), there’s a smoky-burnout mode. Instead of building power against the brake to be a holeshot hero, you simply mash the right pedal from idle, the revs swing up to 3500 rpm, the clutch engages with a bang, and you’re left sawing at the wheel as the car slews up the road. Not the fastest way to get off the line, but a whole lot of fun.
Opt for the six-speed manual and those two features are down to your own clutch control (and total lack of mechanical sympathy). But there are good reasons to go for the stick. Price is one. The DCT will set you back $2900. Weight is another. This manual ’box comes from the old 1 M and weighs 26.5 lbs less than the old one, 88 lbs less than the DCT. And it’s a really sweet change. First gear is longer than on the double-clutch, but from there on, the gearing is pretty close through sixth, the key difference being that the DCT has the benefit of a long seventh ratio for cruising. tle or exit in plumes of smoke is up to you, but the traction is actually really strong, and there’s virtually no understeer. The default DSC-on setting has been tuned to be uber-safe so as not to freak out drivers used to unflappable Audi RS AWD traction, but the middle-setting MDM (M Dynamic Mode) is properly fun, allowing some serious angles before cutting in, and then doing so as smoothly as a lounge lizard at a 1950s dance.
Equally smooth is the change in rack gearing as you move the steering from the straight ahead to the lockstops. It’s way more subtle than in something like a 3 Series sedan with optional sport steering, which just feels plain odd on the track. This is actually the first time BMW has fitted an electric rack to an M3, but you’d never know it, so convincing are the sensations. We enjoyed it best in Sport rather than over-weighty Sport Plus, or one-finger Comfort, and mated to the sharpest of the three engine maps. As with the M5, you can save your favorite settings and call them up by pressing one of two buttons on the steering wheel.
http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/m3/2015/road-test.html
"Compared to the two-door M4, the sedan body is actually narrower, though they share the same track widths. That means the M3's wheel arches stick out more outrageously so the two cars can share their forged aluminum suspension pieces, ultra-rigid rear end subframe, brakes and 18-inch forged alloy wheels. It also means you'll have to be more careful parking it next to a curb.
The narrower sedan body translates to slightly less shoulder room than the M4, though the M3's rear-seat passengers have significantly more head- and shoulder room. It's also heavier than the M4 coupe, with a curb weight of 3,351 pounds, versus 3,301 for the two-door. The dual-clutch transmission will add an extra 44 pounds as well."
"Despite the twin-power name, that N55 makes do with a single blower, but this S55B30 gets a pair, each operating a trio of cylinders. While power climbs only slightly over the old V8, from 414 hp to 424 hp, the torque curve is on another planet. Instead of 295 lb-ft at 3900 rpm, you get 406 lb-ft all the way from 1800-5500 rpm, and that comprehensively transforms the way this car drives—and how much more mischief you can now get up to. "
" Curves that required second gear before can now be dispatched in third. Cheeky on-ramp powerslides that used to last 100 ft now feel like they’d last all the way onto the highway and onto the off-ramp a junction down. Roll onto the gas hard in second gear in moving traffic, and the bespoke Michelin Pilot sports will actually spin up. Go for the seven-speed DCT dual-clutch transmission, and besides the expected launch control, which will scoot you from 0-62 mph in 4.1 seconds (down 0.7 seconds), there’s a smoky-burnout mode. Instead of building power against the brake to be a holeshot hero, you simply mash the right pedal from idle, the revs swing up to 3500 rpm, the clutch engages with a bang, and you’re left sawing at the wheel as the car slews up the road. Not the fastest way to get off the line, but a whole lot of fun.
Opt for the six-speed manual and those two features are down to your own clutch control (and total lack of mechanical sympathy). But there are good reasons to go for the stick. Price is one. The DCT will set you back $2900. Weight is another. This manual ’box comes from the old 1 M and weighs 26.5 lbs less than the old one, 88 lbs less than the DCT. And it’s a really sweet change. First gear is longer than on the double-clutch, but from there on, the gearing is pretty close through sixth, the key difference being that the DCT has the benefit of a long seventh ratio for cruising. tle or exit in plumes of smoke is up to you, but the traction is actually really strong, and there’s virtually no understeer. The default DSC-on setting has been tuned to be uber-safe so as not to freak out drivers used to unflappable Audi RS AWD traction, but the middle-setting MDM (M Dynamic Mode) is properly fun, allowing some serious angles before cutting in, and then doing so as smoothly as a lounge lizard at a 1950s dance.
Equally smooth is the change in rack gearing as you move the steering from the straight ahead to the lockstops. It’s way more subtle than in something like a 3 Series sedan with optional sport steering, which just feels plain odd on the track. This is actually the first time BMW has fitted an electric rack to an M3, but you’d never know it, so convincing are the sensations. We enjoyed it best in Sport rather than over-weighty Sport Plus, or one-finger Comfort, and mated to the sharpest of the three engine maps. As with the M5, you can save your favorite settings and call them up by pressing one of two buttons on the steering wheel.
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