After enjoying a Mini Cooper S for a few months (see my review in http://www.epinions.com/content_147032084100), I decided that I wanted a sports car with a lot more power. Since I needed a four-seater, I test drove a 2004 Audi S4 and a 2004 BMW M3 coupe. The S4 was a highly competent and powerful performer and it would have cost me almost $7,500 less than the M3. But the M3 was pure magic and it was love at first test drive for me. I am now a proud owner of a 2004 Laguna Seca Blue BMW M3. My car is equipped with the six-speed manual, premium package, xenon lights, navigation system, 19" M wheels and aluminum trim. The MSRP for this car is $56,245 (including a $1,000 gas guzzler tax) and Edmunds' TMV is $58,041. I bought my car for $53,500 plus sales tax, governmental fees and the cost of LoJack theft recovery system. My other car is a 2003 Mercedes-Benz C230 sedan (see my review in http://www.epinions.com/content_121556078212). I will make comparisons to the S4 where appropriate. By the way, you MUST invest in wheel locks and an upgraded alarm system that goes off if the car is lifted. Within one week of buying the car, thieves stole all four of the wheels and during the theft, caused almost $6,000 of damage.

Safety: Safety was very important to me. M3 offers most but not all of the safety features that I required: front airbags, chest airbags for front passengers, head protection side curtain airbags for front passengers, ABS brakes, traction control, vehicle skid control, daytime running lights, telematics assistance packages and top crash-test rating results. However, unlike my C230, it does not have chest airbags for rear passengers (although this is an option) or head protection side airbags for rear passengers (this is not offered at all). Also, unlike C230 and most other cars, the BMW side-impact air bags are tubular air bags instead of side curtain airbags, which would offer more protection (particularly against shattered glasses, etc). Front seatbelt anchors can be adjusted for fit and comfort and rear outboard seats also have three-point belts. However, the center rear seat only comes with a lap belt, which is disappointing (but I note that the M3 is really a 4-person car and trying to haul three people in the back will prove to be very discomforting for the rear passengers). IIHS gave the 3-series sedan its highest ("best pick") rating on its tough 40mph frontal offset crash test and Euro NCAP gave the 3-series sedan four out of five stars (you can get this European car crash testing results at http://www.euroncap.com/). However, neither IIHS nor Euro NCAP tested a 3-series coupe or M3 coupe and since 2-door cars are generally not as strong as 4-door cars, it is possible that the M3 would not fare as well as the 3-series sedan. The 19" M wheels look great and perform very well in dry and wet conditions but will probably provide very poor traction on snow or icy surfaces. If I want to drive this car on snow or ice, I will need snow/winter tires. The Premium Package that I got also includes the BMW Assist telematics system which functions like the Mercedes Teleaid system or the GM/Audi Onstar system. The S4 has better safety features such as front and rear side curtain-style head protection airbags, quattro AWD system and four-door sedan structure. But the S4's safety features were not enough to overcome my attraction to the M3's performance.

Engine and power: This car is basically a race car with seating for four adults. The naturally aspired inline six engine offers 333 horses at 7900 RPM and 262 ft-lbs. at 4900 rpm. The acceleration is explosive (0-to-60 mph in 4.4 to 4.8 seconds) and you can zoom past 100 mph in third gear. The last three gears are not required on US roads unless you want to cruise at low RPMs to save fuel or you want to move at speeds that will land you in jail without possibility of parole. This engine will rev up to 8000 rpm before you hit the redline, which is comparable to most sport motorcycles. But unlike some other high-rev engines (like the four-banger in Honda S2000), the M3 engine offers torque at almost any RPM and behaves like a race-bred V-8. Lane changes are laughably easy. As long as the car in the next lane is not already in your blind spot, you can just step on the throttle and you are gone in the blink of an eye. Your only worry is to keep your distance from the car ahead of you because you will close the distance with that car almost instantaneously. By comparison, the S4's V8 engine has plenty of power and torque but it doesn't quite provide the explosive, instantaneous acceleration that the M3 engine provides.

Transmission: My M3 has a six-speed manual. Although I heard that the new SMG transmission is just as capable as the manual and more convenient, I think that a true manual matches the character of this car better. The manual transmission shifts easily and precisely but the clutch pedal does take some effort and most people will need some time to adjust to the touchy clutch engagement. Until you get used to it, the clutch engagement can be abrupt. After you get used to it, you will find that this is one of the best transmission set ups out there. The S4's manual is easier to operate in the beginning than the M3's manual and it definitely feels a lot closer to the Mazda/Honda short-throw shifter than the M3's manual. But again, after a brief acclimation period, you will agree that the shifter throws are exactly the right length and that the the M3 transmission system is a marvelously engineered system that offers precision and predictability by the boatload.

Ride and Handling: There is no way to describe the ride of an M3 as anything other than "sports-car stiff". However, it is no worse than the ride of a Mini Cooper S and is only marginally harder than that of the new Audi S4. You will feel every pothole that you go over in this car but the ride is not punishing like that of a Mitsubishi Evo or Subaru WRX STi that I test-drove. The handling is pure magic. I thought that the Mini Cooper S was the best-handling car that I have ever driven but the M3 blows it away. This car corners fast and flat and almost demands that you challenge sharp corners with gusto. M3's agility and lack of body lean in tight corners are simply extraordinary. Some car magazine reviewers have suggested that M3's steering is slow and lacks feedback at low speeds but that, as the speed increases, steering becomes precise and gives proper amount of feedback. I personally feel that the M3's steering is precise and communicative at all speeds and it is simply one of the most balanced steering systems I have ever experienced (small turn radius, precise with little understeer and communicative). Grip is tenacious and you always feel that you are in control no matter how challenging the road may be.

Noise and vibration: This is not a quiet six-cylinder like the one in a Lexus IS300, Infiniti G35, MB C320, Audi A4 3.0 or even a BMW 330i. Generally, engine and tire noise and vibration are more pronounced than in most cars. At idle, the engine burbles and vibrates like a muscular V8 and loudly demands that you to engage the clutch and get it going. Once it gets going, the sounds emanating from the engine are as close to those made by a race car as I have ever heard, especially at high revs. I wish I could bottle up the sounds made by this engine and use it on my C230. If you prefer a more relaxed ride, you can maintain low RPMs to mute the engine sounds and when cruising in sixth gear at the speed limit, this car sounds as quiet as a BMW 330i with sports package.

Exterior: My M3 is Laguna Seca Blue with gray leather, 19" M wheels, tinted glasses and xenon lights. This is a strikingly beautiful car that turns heads everywhere. If you don't care for the extra attention, you may want to get a lower-profile color like black, silver or white. There is just no mistaking an M3 for the average BMW 3-series cars. The modifications are subtle but effective in conveying a message of performance and aggressiveness. The S4, on the other hand, is easily mistaken for a typical A4 and you really need to look at the badge to determine which is which. There is nothing wrong with the styling of an average A4. In fact, I used to own a 2002 Audi A4 (see the review in http://www.epinions.com/content_63843503748) and I think that the A4 is still one of the best looking sedans out there. However, for the amount of extra money paid for an S4 over an A4, I want some significant styling differences that set these two cars apart and found none. In my view, an S4 looks like an A4 tuned with better engine, transmission and sportier suspension whereas an M3 looks like a 3-series that not only got performance enhancement but aesthetic enhancements as well. In this price range, where "want" is just as important as "need", looks matter.

Interior: The M3 interior is not quiet as good-looking as the S4's interior (then again, nobody does better interiors than Audi) and the leather does not smell quite as nice as the S4's leather. However, the fit and the quality of the materials in the M3 are top notch, just like the S4. The seats are very supportive and comfortable. These seats and the tilt/telescopic steering wheel should allow any driver should easily be able to find a comfortable driving position. The position of the steering wheel, shifter, audio and climate controls are all easily readable and laid out logically and in a driver-friendly manner. The DVD-based navigation system generally works well but it is controlled by a knob rather than touch-screen inputs and this makes the system less intuitive and harder to operate than the touch-screen systems offered by Lexus. Cabin storage is merely adequate and although there are two cup holders for front passengers, there are none for the rear passengers. The 60/40-split rear seats are helpful because you can fold them to increase cargo space.

Roominess: There is a fair amount of room for front seat occupants and the shoulder room is just as good as the S4 or C230. Rear leg room and shoulder room in the M3 are slightly inferior than the S4 and C230, superior to those in the Lexus IS300 and significantly inferior to those in Acura TL and Infiniti G35. Although the M3 is supposed to be a five person car, the middle seat in the rear is strictly for a very short, thin person and even then, three people of any size will be a tight squeeze. The trunk space is average for this class and is only slightly smaller than the S4's.

Reliability: So far, I have had no major problems but I need to get a replacement spare key because it is not working. This is somewhat disappointing given how much this car costs but I would rather have an M3 with a few electronic gremlins than a no-defect Lexus any day.

Fuel Consumption: I am averaging 19 mpg overall, which is about the same as what I was averaging in my Mini Cooper S (19.4 mpg) before I sold that car. I observed a range of 21 to 24 miles per gallon during leisurely highway driving, 20 to 22 miles per gallon during aggressive highway driving and 15 miles per gallon on average during city driving. These numbers are based on real-life usage (air conditioning and stereo were on) with a lot of stop and go in cities.

Xenon Lights: The xenon lights seem to be stronger than those in the S4 and just as strong as those in my C230. As with the C230, I noticed a significant improvement in the quality of lighting and overall visibility and, just as important, other cars and pedestrians will be able to detect your car a bit better at night.

Overall ownership experience: I think that the only sub-$60,000 cars that can come close to the M3's balanced mix of performance, safety and luxury are the Audi S4 and Mercedes C32 AMG and in my opinion, neither of them has the cachet of an M3 or offer the race-car experience offered by an M3.

Dealer experience: I bought my car at Westchester BMW at 525 Tarrytown Road, White Plains, NY. The salesperson was Michael Rutledge. Michael was extremely helpful and worked very hard to get me the best deal. I feel I got a pretty good deal (sub-MSRP price) for a car that is in high demand. But most of all, Michael and everyone at Westchester BMW with whom I dealt are polite and professional and deliver top-notch service. This dealership experience should be a pre-requisite for all car purchases but I know that, unfortunately, this is the exception rather than the rule. If you live in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut and want to consider a BMW, you really should give Michael Rutledge at Westchester BMW a call.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 55645
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: Six-speed manual