click above image to both pics of the BMW M3 sedan
God bless forums, you have to love them. The occasional flame war aside (who are we to talk?), they're often the repository of choice material like this, what appears to be the first official images of the BMW M3 sedan scanned from a brochure. The main shot is large enough to appreciate how well the M3 style plays with the proportions of the 3-Series sedan, while the tiny pic gives us a profile comparison between the M3 coupe and sedan. What do you need to know about the M3 sedan that's different from the M3 coupe. Well, it's got two extra doors, but aside from that the same 420 HP V8 will be powering the rear wheels, which is all that's important to us. Any more details will have to wait until BMW officially takes the wraps off of its super sedan, which is expected to happen at an upcoming auto show, hopefully the L.A. Auto Show in mid-November.
Thanks for the tip, Mark!
[Source: M3post.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tommy @ Oct 5th 2007 1:51PM
this is hot...so much better than the sedan IMO
Tommy @ Oct 5th 2007 1:52PM
....i meant to say better than the coupe
Anonymust @ Oct 5th 2007 1:59PM
How many 'leaks' is BMW taking.
Alex @ Oct 5th 2007 2:03PM
...
Looks a lot better, sharper than the coupe, IMHO!
...
Preston M @ Oct 5th 2007 2:06PM
Nice, but i really dont like the back end on the BMW sedans.
zamafir @ Oct 5th 2007 2:13PM
Nice, I can't wait to see a proper saloon shoot out on topgear or fifth between this and the RS4.
SPG @ Oct 5th 2007 2:20PM
I love this car like I loved the last M3 Sedan.
A great deal.
Maestro1 @ Oct 5th 2007 2:37PM
Man, I so want one right now...
Coupe of Sedan, I think both look awesome. Although I don't know how this is going to match up against the RS4. They both have wonderful V8's and superb handling, but the fact that the BMW is RWD makes it harder for it to put down all the power (IMO). I wonder if they'll ever make an AWD M3?...
Either way, RS4 or M3 i'd love either one.
zamafir @ Oct 5th 2007 2:50PM
It's not just your humble opinion (re: power delivery), most reviews have indicated it's noticeably harder on the M3 vs the RS4 (RWD, sufficient amounts of torque, duh).
Given, though, that the M3 without the heft of awd weighs MORE then the RS4, I doubt we'll see an awd derivative... well that and BMW's averse to it for performance cars and VAG embraces the ideology of awd... so it would be a bit of a ding in their pride to adopt awd for the M3.
Maestro1 @ Oct 5th 2007 3:33PM
Indeed it is a fact that RWD would have more trouble putting down power than AWD. However, due to electronic assists such as traction control it does make it somewhat easier, and considering it hasn't been tested yet concerning how well it puts down power, that's why its my opinion (at the moment).
I know it would be a dent to their pride, but considering they already have AWD systems under the xi badge it would be nice if they made the M3 available in AWD or RWD so you can choose yourself.
ello @ Oct 5th 2007 4:43PM
zamafir, where did you get that RS4 with AWD weights less than 2008 M3 with RWD? As far as I know RS4 weights about 3950lbs, M3 coupe weights about 3650 lbs (and regular 3 series coupe is just a few pounds lighter than the sedan version so the sedan M3 should weight around 3700lbs).
naggs @ Oct 6th 2007 2:38PM
awd puts down power better in a straight line but when it comes to putting down the power coming out of a corner at speed, rwd>>awd>fwd
its a pretty safe bet that the m3 sedan will lap a track faster than the rs4
Maestro1 @ Oct 5th 2007 2:37PM
or*
Joe K. @ Oct 5th 2007 3:12PM
One of my favorite cars i have ever driven was a purple M3 sedan from around 96-97, can't remember the year, but the fact that it cornered like it was on rails and have 4 doors was just awesome to me. So glad to see it making its way back...
stefan @ Oct 5th 2007 3:17PM
I don't like it i rather have the IS-F or C63.
HC @ Oct 5th 2007 3:34PM
still a heavy car.
HC @ Oct 5th 2007 3:37PM
front looks good though.
Todd @ Oct 5th 2007 4:01PM
Ugly duckling. It just doesn't look right, and I thought the prior M3 sedan was very handsome. The current 3-series sedan is ugly to me.
wushu @ Oct 5th 2007 5:05PM
I'd rather have an M3 than a Porsche, where the headlights don't turn off automatically, don't swivel around corners, don't have remote keyless entry and ignition, don't have Bluetooth, and don't have iPod integration. The M3 has all the handling and power I need, plus all the things that Porshe doesn't have.
Robert Aitchison @ Oct 5th 2007 5:23PM
M3 sedans make baby Jesus cry.
If they wanted a non-coupe why didn't they just go for the wagon? 4 door sports saloons are ridiculously common, now an estate would be something exciting.