After A Decade Of Coupé-only M3s The 2008 BMW M3 Saloon Has Broken Cover
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Oct 08, 2007
BMW
Let’s turn back the clock to the late ‘90s… Although later maligned by some for making the M3 badge “too available” to ordinary men (and women), the four-door E36 M3 featured uprated double Vanos, advanced engine management and solid state ignition with individual coils, the four-door M featured an 18 kW power hike and torque boost of 30 N.m over the Coupé. Because of the obvious weight disadvantage that came with the saloon bodyshell, the power-to-weight ratio was only improved by 0,74 per cent. The engineers at Munich made up for it by introducing a six-speed transmission, adding revised spring and damper settings, and upgraded brakes with improved ABS. So, yes there were improvements on the four-door M3 (come on, that 3,2-litre six-cylinder M engine was named World Engine of the Year six consecutive times)…
Now that BMW has announced the arrival of the M3 Saloon, I think that the stats should speak for themselves. The M3 saloon’s engine bay houses the same 4,0-litre V8 found in the coupe. Produced with motorsport know-how that delivers 309 kW and 400 N.m of torque, with all of 8 400 r/min to play with, this engine isn’t a toy.
But what really sets this newcomer apart as a M3 Saloon? Starting with the styling – it’s not a huge departure from the coupé’s, with an aluminium bonnet featuring the now infamous “power bulge”, the gaping air intakes slots in the front, bi-xenon headlamps, M gills behind the front fenders, and an M-typical 4-tailpipe layout. The discreet spoiler lip and the split diffuser reduce aerodynamic lift, with the latter taking up the shape of the air intakes up front. The Coupé’s carbon-fibre reinforced plastic roof is not fitted, however.
