2016 BMW M3

BMW has always been the “Ultimate Driving Machine” thanks to a few amazing performance oriented cars that they produce. In my opinion the BMW M3 is at the epitome of those performance oriented BMW’s. This car is a legend & has an amazing list of predecessors which have itched the term “M3” in the hearts of car enthusiasts across the globe over decades.

The last generation M3 had a big growly V8 engine under its hood which churned out a monstrous 420 BHP & 329 LB/FT of torque. This means that even though this car was very capable & fast, it wasn’t exactly very efficient. What BMW has done to the new M3 is that they have gotten rid of the V8 & gone for a smaller V6. But they haven’t stopped there. They have also thrown in a couple of turbo charges which results in this engine churning out 430 BHP & an eye popping 410 LB/FT of torque, yet attaining a respectable 26 MPG gas average. Now I know that M3 fans & owners will be smirking at me right now as who thinks about gas mileage when they are buying an M3, but hey this still is a huge plus!! The new M3 is bigger yet lighter than the outgoing model & lighter as you know is always better. This car turns better, handles better & ofcource…accelerates better. 0-60 MPH is achieved in a mind boggling 3.9 seconds. The V8 sounded throaty & mean, but this V6 hasn’t lost too much of the snarl the V8 had as far as exhaust note is concerned. This year BMW has also introduced the coupe version of the M3, which they call the M4 which is quiet a looker, yet maintaining all the traits of an M3.

At a base price of $60,000, expect a decently equipped M3 to touch the mid 70’s before taxes. If you end up clicking all the check boxes on the options list, then you are looking at car close to $90,000. That in my opinion is a lot of money for a car that starts life out as a 3 series BMW. The carbon ceramic brakes for instance will cost you $7000, the double clutch transmission will be another $3000 & the list goes on & on. If it were my money, I would get the 6 speed Manual transmission, the navigation package, leather package & settle for a car within the $70,000 mark.

There are other options in the market. The Mercedes C63 AMG & Audi RS5 for instance, will offer more power or a capable all-wheel drive, but the BMW is still a better car to drive which handles better than its German counterparts. If you want to settle for something more civilized, consider the less powerful & way cheaper Audi S4. There is no doubt in my mind that the BMW M3 is one of the best 4 door performance cars this world has ever seen. This will be a fairly comfortable daily driver that you can use to get grocery in or take your kids out to the amusement park. But at the flick of a few buttons, it transforms itself into a road hugging, tarmac chewing, tire smoking monster of a car!! That in my opinion is the true USP of this car.