Autos: The BMW M3 represents a rich automotive legacy

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If you don't like making decisions, forget about the BMW M3 Convertible.
This high-performance sports car gives its driver so many choices that only true aficionados will take full advantage of the menu.
For most of us, simply turning the ignition, latching the belt, shifting into "D," and powering up the AC and sound system will suffice.
People who love gadgetry and high-technology will never make it out of the driveway when they first meet the M3.
The fourth-generation of this legendary performer offers driver-adjustable settings for engine response, steering, damping and stability, with an optional steering-wheel-mounted "MDrive" button to store the preferences. There are a series of options for entertainment and navigation system settings via the iDrive controller on the center console.
The new double-clutch, seven-speed automatic transmission with Drivelogic takes some study before activating. Drivelogic offers 11 different shift programs, with five for automatic and six for manual shifts. Drivers can use the nubby shift lever or steering wheel paddles. You pull the right-hand paddle to shift up and the left to shift down.
And then, there's the ultimate question: Top up or down? The power retractable hardtop makes it easy to enjoy the open air, seamlessly raising and storing the roof in the trunk with no need for driver intervention. The top is so well integrated into the body, that there is no clear sign that this coupe is actually a convertible with the roof in place.
Bearing a base price of $66,500, the review car cruised to $80,320 with options. One of the idiosyncrasies of the German brands is a tendency to skimp on features that are standard on domestic luxury models. Cadillac, for instance, would probably not charge $400 for an iPod and USB adapter or $595 for a year of satellite radio on a CTS.
While most drivers would find all the technology excessive, the kind who shop BMW and Mercedes-Benz will be properly enthralled. The two German luxury brands are in a state of perpetual competition for cutting-edge credentials.
Some automotive scribes hate the i-Drive, a rotary dial within easy reach on the center console. The dial controls multiple systems, allowing you to choose one by pushing down on the dial. While it takes some getting used to, the system becomes quite intuitive with greater familiarity. The choices are displayed on an LCD screen on the center dash with large, visible lettering.
Meeting the new transmission may produce an inward groan about how these automeisters can't seem to leave "ultimate" alone. Frankly, I needed more than a week to get really comfortable with this system, which seems to prefer a manual mode over automatic. You flick the lever to the right once and you're in first gear; flick it again and you're in "Drive." And the gear selections on the instrument panel and the LCD screen seem to disagree: one shows you're in "Park" and the other shows your in "Reverse."
But the transmission is well matched to the first V8 in an M3, a lightweight engine that cranks 414 horses breathing through 32 valves.
Weighing only 445 pounds, the 4-liter engine is 7 percent or 33 pounds lighter than the previous model's Inline-6. The crankcase is made of a special aluminum-silicon alloy, eliminating the need for cylinder liners.
Fuel economy is bad enough at 14 city and 20 highway miles per gallon to earn a $1,700 gas guzzler tax.
The M3 represents a rich automotive legacy linked to motorsports. BMW introduced the first generation in 1986 to enter the motorsports version in the German Touring Car Championship. Amid growing demand, the sports coupe evolved into a better performer and more inviting road car in tandem with its 3-Series platform mate.
The first M3 in North America arrived in 1988 bearing a naturally aspirated 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine that produced192 horsepower. The next generation arrived in 1995 with a 3-liter (and later, 3.2-liter) 240-horsepower inline-six powerplant. The first M3 Sedan joined the family in 1997, and the first M3 Convertible followed shortly thereafter.
The fourth-generation is the first with a V8 and the first with the steering wheel mounted MDrive button that debuted in the M5. Included in the $3,250 Technology Package, MDrive allows the driver to personalize the convertible's driving characteristics, including the amount of wheel slippage allowed. The tech package also includes Electronic Damping Control, the BMW Navigation System with Real Time Traffic Data and the Comfort Access system that allows keyless operation of the vehicle.

WHAT'S NEW: Convertible version, first V8-powered M3.
PLUSES: Performance, styling, safety, collector value.
MINUSES: Fuel economy, complexity.
BOTTOM LINE: Technically marvelous.

(E-mail Richard Williamson at motorfriend(at)sbcglobal.net)
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