Anyone who drives this car and yearns for more straight-line performance clearly has power issues. This is an exceptional motor with a breadth of performance that would have been unheard of even a few years ago.
For now the car is available only with a six-speed manual gearbox. Just like the last M3, the shift feels unhelpful at first and the clutch too abrupt, but again, familiarity breeds smoothness. The figures are impressive: 0-60mph in 4.7sec, 0-100mph in 10.2sec (a second faster than the old car). This is a four-seater that is quicker than a Porsche 997 Carrera S.
It is not possible for the new M3 to possess the dynamic reflexes of that first-generation car; so much we must accept. In concept, the new M3 is much closer to the old M635 CSi, an extremely sporting everyday coupé.
Two aspects of the car will have tongues wagging. The first is the Servotronic steering. In ‘light’ mode, the wheel moves more easily but there is little sense that it is connected to the front wheels. In fact, the same can be said about the heavier sports mode. So there is little or no feel, but it is accurate and pleasantly quick-geared.
Our test car was fitted with the optional electronic damper control (EDC), which gives three stages of adjustment: ‘comfort’, ‘normal’ and ‘sport’. In ‘comfort’ it is supple over large impacts and yet still sharp enough to keep the body mass under control. ‘Normal’ brings the expected tighter damping and ‘sport’ releases more of the car’s potential on a circuit.
But this is a road car. It grips as well as can be expected of something that weighs so much, and yet its bespoke Michelin tyres also contribute greatly to the ride comfort.
The M differential is carried over from the E46, but it feels subtly different. The lock-up is less severe, meaning the car understeers less on the road. Bar some steering feel, as a combination of cruiser and sports coupé, it’s hard to see how you’d improve it.