New Models - BMW 3 Series

$145K M3 sedan a week away

Practical performance: M3 sedan offers two more doors than the M3 coupe, plus an extra seat - but costs $18,000 less.

BMW Oz lowers M3 entry price and undercuts Benz's C63 AMG with its first M3 sedan

16 November 2008

By MARTON PETTENDY

BMW Australia has cut straight to the chase - between its first M3 sedan and the first high-performance Lexus sedan in the IS F, as well as the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan – by revealing a $145,000 pricetag for its four-door M3 a week before it officially goes on sale next Saturday (November 22).

Precisely as predicted, the M3 sedan’s price sets a new entry-level mark for what is now a formidable M3 model range, by being almost $18,000 more affordable than the E92-series M3 coupe ($162,901), around 500 of which have been delivered in its 12 months on sale – and more than $36,000 cheaper than the recently released M3 convertible ($176,142).

Mercedes-Benz raised eyebrows in January this year, when Audi’s now discontinued RS4 cost $164,500 and it announced a bargain $139,500 sticker price for the 336kW/600Nm 6.2-litre V8-powered C63 AMG, which went on sale in March but now costs $146,271 following the July 1 luxury car tax increase.

However, Lexus set a new low water mark for the rarefied premium compact performance sedan class when the 311kW/505Nm 5.0-litre V8-equipped IS F went on sale this week priced at a surprising $129,000, or just $126,500 without a sunroof.

Of course, the first M3 sedan produced since the E36 3 Series comes with the same 309kW/400Nm 4.0-litre V8 – which redlines at an unrivalled 8400rpm - as its two-door M3 siblings, but weighs in somewhere between the (E92) fixed-roof coupe and the (E93) folding hard-top convertible.

Naturally then, the V8 E90 sedan is not quite as quick as the V8 coupe, but with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 4.7 seconds, the five-seater four-door is only one-tenth slower than the four-seater two-door M3, which it self is one-tenth off the C63’s 0-100 pace.

The M3 Convertible is relatively slow but still rapid at 5.1 seconds, as well as thirsty at 12.3 litres per 100km on average, while the M3 sedan’s official fuel consumption is 11.9L/100km – the same as the M3 coupe.

All figures quoted here are for M3s fitted with Getrag’s seven-speed M double-clutch transmission (M-DCT) with Drivelogic, but the M3 is the only car in this class to offer a conventional manual transmission option, which in this case is both 0.2 seconds slower to 100km/h and 0.5L/100km less efficient.

Like its fellow M3 stablemates, the sedan comes with unique features like an adjustable electronic suspension damping system, the MDrive ‘loud button’ and special M 18-inch alloy wheels with 245/40 front and 265/40 ZR18 tyres (19s are optional).

Similarly, standard equipment includes Professional Navigation with an 8.8-inch colour monitor, TV, Voice Recognition, Bluetooth connectivity, the Logic HiFi system, adaptive bi-Xenon headlights, Novillo Leather upholstery and metallic paint, plus powered and heated M Sport seats with memory functions and backrest width and lumbar adjustment.

Specific to the M3 and now available in Australia on the sedan is BMW’s Brake Energy Regeneration system, which redirects energy on engine overrun or under braking to recharge the car’s battery.

“The arrival of the BMW M3 Sedan in Australia is a win for drivers who have longed for the practicality of a four-door/five seat sedan that delivers the punch and excitement of the M3 Coupé,” said BMW Australia marketing chief Tom Noble.

“The M3 Sedan is truly the car that answers the call of the heart and the considerations of the head. With its mighty engine and drivetrain package borrowed from the award-winning M3 Coupé we are certain the BMW M3 Sedan is a classic in the making.”