When this red devil arrived in our test fleet, we knew we’d be in for a good week. Having recently tested an M3 Sedan, we were eager to spend more time with BMW’s 414-horsepower V-8 bomber, and boy, did we enjoy it.
Click through the jump to read our impressions and click the images below to open a gallery.
Nate Luzod
Art Director
Every now and then we’ll get a car in that’s absolutely perfect, just the way it is. Thank you, BMW.
Steven J. Ewing
Production Assistant
A friend of mine asked me a very interesting question: Audi S5 or BMW M3 Coupe? I thought about it for a while, weighing the pros and cons, but in the end it came down to the M3 being the winner.
The S5 is a bit larger and owning one means having to deal with Audi’s MMI interface. Granted, I prefer MMI to the likes of iDrive or COMAND, but it’s still something I’d rather do without. Yes, the S5 is one of the most brilliant vehicles I’ve driven in a long time, but the M3 just feels a bit rawer and has a sweeter exhaust note. Our test car did not have iDrive, which makes me happy, and the Melbourne Red paint looks fabulous. During the winter months, I know I would appreciate the S5’s Quattro system, but if I outfitted an M3 with proper snow tires, I would be able to handle it.
Within the M3 range, though, I think I prefer the sedan. It’s more practical, it’s cheaper, and it only weighs twenty-two pounds more. The sedan is a bit more of a sleeper, too. Still, the M3 is so good, I would take either variant.
Laura K. Cowan
Chief Copy Editor
Gorgeous, gorgeous car. The engine in this M3 is remarkably smooth at idle, and there is always plenty of power ready to go as soon as you need it. My favorite thing about the M3 Coupe (so far; I’ll discover more, I’m sure) is the clutch, because it doesn’t get in your way. Drive this car about a half-mile and you’ve already got the hang of it. Beautiful, smooth, powerful, comfortable. Brilliant, and no iDrive to frustrate me, thank God.
Kimberly A. Ewing
Business/Fleet Manager
I love coupes and I love the M3. What a pleasure to drive a vehicle that is perfect. Fun, fast, nimble, stops on a dime, accelerates and is gone in seconds, and it looks damn good. It’s always nice having the valet guy say “Sweet car!” when he pulls up and hands over the keys. It’s even better when everyone else is drooling while they are waiting for their cars.
2008 BMW M3 COUPE
Engine: V-8, 4.0 liters, 32v
Output: 414 hp/295 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed manual
0-60 MPH: 4.7 sec
Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)
Weight: 3704 lb
Fuel Economy, city/hwy: 14/20 mpg
Base price: $56,500
Melbourne Red Metallic: $475
Cold weather package: $750
Nineteen-inch wheels with performance tires: $1200
Blue-gray brushed aluminum: $500
Destination: $775
Gas guzzler: $1300
Price as tested: $61,500
Looking for someone to wash and fill it up for you, I’d do it free of charge, just let me borrow it a few weekends a year.
SSWWEEEETT Car!!
I got to play with a ‘97 M3 for a couple weeks, and it was a blast. I can only dream what the new one is like.
It’s a great car — too bad it’s heavier than a 7-series of yesteryear. What ever happened to the ethos of the 2002? Sure, I’d enjoy the car, but there’s no hiding mass and a “small sedan” weighing 3700lbs. is not a small sedan. I’d give up the V8 in a heartbeat if the car lost 900lbs.
Glad to see it is possible to get one without the iDrive garbage.
It’s a great car but I bet a few of you at Winding Road would swap it for an AMG C63 in a heartbeat!
No offense intended, but when when are bimmerphiles going to get over the 2002? It was a great car, but certainly its legend is far greater than it ever really was.
Don’t take me the wrong way, I love BMW’s. All the way from the 2800, 2002, 3.0CSi, 325es, 635, 840, M3s, & M5s, but I am just tired of every time BMW trots out a new coupe, every one cries ‘foul’, & ‘what about the 2002?’
Oh yeah, and the Z3 Coupe (my former car), as well as the Z4 coupe!
[…] recently tested BMW’s new M3 Coupe and M3 Sedan, we were excited to get some more time in BMW’s M-series of cars. This time around, […]
I drive the M3 CS 2006. I don’t think I am just convincing myself (so that I don’t have to spend the money on the upgrade) when I say that it is lighter, and provides more “pure” driving experience than the new m3. The V8 was awesome…but only incrementally better than the bulletproof six. Hate to say it but the new M3 just isn’t a better car.
When I shared my experience with the senior BMW salesman, he simply agreed.
BMW: Keep the V8, put it on a diet, create a CS package…with better brakes, etc…and I am all yours 
–keep the rubber on the road. t
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