BMW finds target with M3 sedan
There's barely $600 difference between the four-door M3 and its arch nemesis, the C 63 AMG BenzBMW's fire-breathing M3 is going on sale as a sedan -- and dealers will be asking buyers to stump up $145,000 for the high-performance car.
If you're thinking that price sounds close to what Mercedes-Benz charges for the C 63 AMG, you'd be right. There's just $635 in it, with the BMW priced above the Merc.
Could there be a chance for BMW -- with Benz unable to meet local demand for the AMG-fettled C-Class -- to sell the 'tin-top' M3 to Benz buyers not prepared to wait that long?
Until now, BMW has had no answer to the C 63 AMG. With the advent of the M3 sedan, BMW can now point to a vehicle with the same number of seats, the same number of doors and similar performance potential for those buyers unable to wait for the Benz.
"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 Coupe," says Tom Noble, the General Manager for Marketing at BMW Group Australia.
BMW also makes the point that the M3, for the money, offers such things as a keyless entry system and a limited-slip differential as standard -- both extra-cost features in the Mercedes.
Then again, if you want an automatic transmission, it's standard in the C 63 AMG, but the surrogate self-shifting box in the M3 is the M double-clutch transmission, which will set buyers back an extra $7300.
Developing 309kW of power and 400Nm of torque, the M3's 4.0-litre V8 will run to 8400rpm -- which is actually its principal claim to fame -- and can propel the M3 sedan with six-speed manual transmission to 100km/h from a standing start in 4.9 seconds. Fitted with the seven-speed 'M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic', the M3 sedan accelerates even faster -- 4.7 seconds. Fuel consumption figures are 12.4L/100km for the manual variant or 11.9L/100km for the 'M clutch' variant.
Standard 18-inch alloy wheels are shod with tyres measuring 245/40 ZR18 for the fronts and 265/40 ZR18 for the rears. BMW specifies all M3 variants with 'Brake Energy Regeneration' -- a system that recharges the battery from braking energy on the overrun.
At $145,000, the M3 sedan is nearly $18,000 less than the M3 coupe ($162,901) and over $31,000 less than the M3 convertible ($176,142).
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