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2009 BMW M3 coupe and convertible
- A near-supercar for everyday use
- Usable backseat
- Comfortable cabin
- Retractable hardtop (convertible)
- Lags behind true supercars on the track
- Simplified iDrive isn't really simple
- Poor fuel economy
Motor Trend calls it "perhaps the word's greatest all-around car." Car and Driver says it may be the "best car in the world." So what's holding the BMW M3 back? Only speed -- it can't quite keep up with true supercars on the track. But if you're looking for a near-supercar you can live with every day, experts say the M3 is your machine.
Critics find very little to criticize about the BMW M3. It's a back-roads athlete -- sticky in corners, with terrific steering and excellent speed and power in tests. Car and Driver likes it better than any competitor, including the 2010 Porsche 911 (*Est. $77,800 to $143,800) and 2010 Nissan GT-R (*Est. $80,790 to $83,040). The BMW M3 even has nice-sized trunk and a "commodious" backseat, Car and Driver says -- unlike the 2009 Porsche Cayman (*Est. $50,300 to $60,200) and 2009 Porsche Boxster (*Est. $46,600 to $56,700), the entertaining two-seat coupe/convertible twins that experts recommend most often in this price range.
The M3 comes as a carbon-fiber-roofed coupe, a retractable-hardtop convertible or a four-door sedan (covered in our report on sports sedans). It comes loaded with heated, power leather seats with driver memory, automatic climate control and more. If you add the optional voice-activated navigation system you'll also get iDrive, the single-knob graphical user-interface controller that critics once loved to hate. IDrive has been simplified this year, but it's still a bit too complicated, according to testers.
The rear-wheel-drive BMW M3 gets 414 horsepower from its 4.0-liter V-8 engine. A six-speed manual transmission is standard. The optional DCT, seven-speed, dual-clutch automated manual gets mixed reviews. Motor Trend likes it, and Car and Driver finds it easier to use than Porsche's highly-regarded PDK twin-clutch setup, but Edmunds.com calls it "good but not great" because it oddly doesn't rev-match downshifts in all settings. Either way, fuel economy is pretty poor, according to reviews. Expect 16 mpg in combined driving with any M3 coupe or convertible (14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway, with the manual-transmission convertible dropping to 13 mpg city). The BMW M3 comes with a four-year, 50,000-mile warranty.
The BMW M3 was redesigned for 2008 and carries through largely unchanged for 2009, so expert reviews from that time are still among the best. Thorough reviews of the entire M3 line at Edmunds.com and Cars.com are based on 2008 tests, as are M3 convertible reviews at Motor Trend and CNET, along with a coupe review at TheTruthAboutCars.com. Car and Driver and Road & Track include the 2009 coupe in head-to-head tests, and FuelEconomy.gov provides fuel-economy estimates for all years and models of the M3.
Our Sources
1. Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com calls the BMW M3 a near-supercar that you can drive everyday. The usually critical editors comb every inch of the M3 in this review, but they can't find much to criticize.
Review: 2009 BMW M3 Review, Editors of Edmunds.com
2. Car and DriverDetails/Subscribe
The BMW M3 is one of Car and Driver's 10Best cars, and it wins this test against the Porsche 911. Both coupes are outfitted with dual-clutch automatic transmissions, but the tester finds the BMW's easier to use. The review alludes to other worthy opponents the M3 has beaten in Car and Driver tests, including the Nissan GT-R.
Review: 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera vs. 2009 BMW M3 -- Comparison Tests, Aaron Robinson, Feb. 2009
3. Road & TrackDetails/Subscribe
This test by Road & Track judges 10 high-performance sports cars solely on closed tracks, and the BMW M3 coupe finishes near the bottom. However, editors note that it's still better on the track than most cars, and it excels on real-life roads.
Review: The Ultimate Track Test, Road & Track Staff, Sept. 2008
4. Cars.com
Cars.com's David Thomas says the BMW M3 "was extremely well-composed on the track" and "almost eerily capable." The seats earn praise, but one significant drawback is the "tall, rickety manual shifter."
Review: 2008 BMW M3, David Thomas, May 14, 2008
Jay Shoemaker calls the 2008 BMW M3 a "track day weapon and an everyday supercar." Still, several points of criticism are highlighted, including "meager fuel economy and commonplace design," light steering and a lack of smoothness with the new dual-clutch, automated manual gearbox.
Review: 2008 BMW M3 Review, Jay Shoemaker, May 12, 2008
6. Motor TrendDetails/Subscribe
Motor Trend drives the BMW M3 hardtop convertible in Europe and praises the DCT dual-clutch, seven-speed, automated manual transmission. Ultimately, Motor Trend recommends the M3 coupe or sedan over the heavier convertible.
Review: First Drive: 2008 BMW M3 Convertible, Paul Horrell, April 1, 2008
7. CNET
The BMW M3 convertible is a CNET Editors' Choice, with an outstanding 4.5-star rating (out of five). Writer Wayne Cunningham likes the M3's "ferocious" performance and great cabin tech.
Review: 2008 BMW M3 Convertible DCT, Wayne Cunningham, Sept. 11, 2008
The BMW M3's gas mileage puts it in the bottom third of coupes according to this sortable chart from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. You'll find estimates for the convertible in the Convertibles chart.
Review: 2009 Coupes, Editors of FuelEconomy.gov
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