Over 6 months ago, Philipp Von Sahr, President, BMW Group India, told NDTV Auto about the company's plans to bring in a couple of cars from the M family this year, and they are sticking to their word. After the M6 Gran Coupe, BMW is now getting ready to launch two more 'Ultimate Driving Machines' i.e. the M3 saloon and the M4 coupe, in the country on November 26, 2014.
Being the M fans that we are, we'll take this as our cue to reminisce about the iconic status the M3 has enjoyed over all these years. The first-generation M3, i.e. E30 M3, was offered only as a coupe and it wasn't till the arrival of its second-generation that the M3 range added convertible and saloon models to the list. Sitting pretty on the E36 platform, the M3 offered 240bhp and was touted as one of the quickest and best-handling saloons by pretty much every one. The Audi S4 and Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG had nothing on the E36 M3, such was its appeal.
Fast forward to 2014, the year that marked the arrival of the latest-generation of the M3 saloon (F80). The new M3 is an intimidating challenger in the world of sports cars despite the huge competition it faces from the likes of Audi RS5 and the recently unveiled Mercedes C63 AMG. Why, you ask. Well, here's why:
Engine: 3-litre M TwinPower Turbo Inline 6-cylinder petrol
Power: 431bhp
Torque: 550Nm
Transmission: 7-Speed DCT
Drivetrain: Rear-Wheel Drive
0 - 100Km/h: 4.1 seconds
Top-Speed: 250Km/h
In the words of Spiderman's uncle, with great power comes great responsibility and BMW happens to be a firm believer of that philosophy. The Bavarian manufacturer has loaded the latest M3 with a wide array of safety-enhancing features like Driving Assistant, Speed Limit Info, and Head-Up Display with M-specific display among others.
Anyway, have you noticed the latest trend that every manufacturer seems to be besotted with? I mean the one where everyone is either diving into or creating new niches. Closer home, some say that Maruti is contemplating a micro compact SUV in the Alto/Eon segment. Can you believe that? There's hardly any breathing space between the two segments now. Newer body styles based on the platforms of the existing products are coming up and just confusing the wits out of the consumer. As a matter of fact, even the products themselves are confused in their identity. Which brings me to the other M, the M4 coupe - the mechanical twin of the M3 saloon.
The M3 saloon and M4 coupe not only share identical underpinnings, but also state of tune. Both the Ms are almost identical in terms of dimensions too, but the M3 is slightly taller and heavier than the M4. For the uninitiated, there's hardly any difference between the two except for the additional passenger capacity on the saloon.
That said, I suppose it is not just India that seems to have taken to the trend that I mentioned earlier. The BMW M3 and BMW M4 are equals in terms of powertrain, suspension and equipment, which leaves the potential M customer with only one question: will it be a saloon or a coupe?
