2008 BMW M3 - Long-Term Road Test - Car and Driver (blog)
______________________________________. A car has got to be pretty spectacular to win over the curmudgeons here at 1585 Eisenhower Place, especially when familiarity sets in over the course of 40,000 miles. For less than $70,000, the M3 bolts from a standstill to 60 mph in 4. 3 seconds and turns the quarter-mile in 12. 7 seconds at 113 mph. It pulls an exceptional 0. 96 g on the skidpad, stops in 147 feet from 70 mph, and reaches a governor-restricted 161 mph. A bonus is that regular service doesn’t cost a cent, thanks to BMW’s full-maintenance program, which lasts for four years or 50,000 miles. (The gas bill, however, wasn’t cause to rejoice, given this BMW’s 17-mpg thirst. When it came to ordering the car, we went with the so-called M double-clutch transmission ( M DCT ), a $2700 option that replaces the standard six-speed manual with a seven-speed dual-clutch unit, BMW’s first. We were eager to try this setup because dual-clutch transmissions promise the smoothness of an automatic when the driver can’t be bothered to change gears, as well as superfast paddle shifts in manual mode. In the previous M3 (E46), BMW offered a single-clutch, automated manual gearbox that was notable for its harshness in manual mode and its clunkiness as an automatic. Source: www.caranddriver.com
