2009 BMW M3 Long-Term Road Tests Archives

Another one bites the dust. That's right, our 2009 BMW M3 sedan is gone. We didn't quite make 20,000 miles, but the 19,000 we did manage were good ones.

Read the Wrap-Up, and then come back to read our Parting Shots and provide your own.  

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Categories: 2009 BMW M3

About a week ago I posted my annoyance at the GMC Terrain for not allowing navigation inputs while driving (there is voice control for it, but that's another blog. Hint: it's not great.).  1487 hit the nail on the head, "apparently GM is taking notes from Toyota with regards to using nav while moving. Thats a shame." While others went a different direction, wondering why I'd ever bother with built-in nav in the first place. Something about maps and motor clubs and other things I don't understand.

Here's why I like navigation: I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Vegas (really, I was forced into it, "Surprise, Magrath, get to Vegas. Your assistance is needed.") and in Henderson I checked the oil via the little computer which said, roughly, "Hey, you're low on oil. Still OK, not great, though." To which I replied, "Hey, iDrive, can you point me to the closest BMW dealership? Yes? Great." I didn't have a map. I don't think I'll ever own a map.

Sure, I could've used my blackberry to similar results, but this map is bigger and faster and has better resolution. It's a cool, handy toy that, in the M3 at least is in a very attractive $3,250 bundle that comes with comfort access -- along with not owning a map, I hope never to own another key to a car-- M-drive button (!), and the electronic dampers. All of those things are awesome on this car and I figure if you're buying an M3, get this package instead of the $2,900 waste-of-a-great-car automatic.

As for that dipstick thing in the title...well, jump for some raning.

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Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Another Inside Line BMW M3, another flamboyant red interior.

Every time I drive our 2009 M3 sedan, I'm reminded of a James May column (read it) in Top Gear. He wrote it a few years back when Jeremy Clarkson was shopping for a Gallardo. May's point, made convincingly I thought, was that it made no sense to buy a Lambo and do it up with understated black or dark green paint. There's no racing heritage in a Lamborghini; rather, these cars are all about flamboyance bordering on vulgarity. So you have to choose one of the wild and crazy paint codes, or else people will think you're delusional about the marque's history.

For different reasons, I feel BMW M3 buyers are obligated to get the Fox Red Novillo leather.

BMW builds some entertaining cars, but they take themselves so darn seriously. How else to explain their conservative designs (the company is doing its best to eradicate all traces of the Chris Bangle era) and dour, no-tolerance-for-nonsense interiors?

As capable as it is, our M3 sedan has no business taking itself seriously. Yep, this is a car a businessperson might drive, but it makes all sorts of nasty, vicious sounds at startup, and as you drive around town, you hear all sorts of noises and vibrations that you wouldn't hear in an ordinary 3 Series sedan. This is the soundtrack of a car, or a warship, with so much power and weaponry, it's trying to tear itself apart. Sold under a different brand by less prosperous dealerships, this car might be called "Lancer Evolution."

Of course, the M3 has evolved into a pretty luxurious car over the years. But there's still a streak of rawness in it and there's no sense hiding that under beige or black leather. So it's up to you to encourage BMW to be a little less serious. It's up to you to order the red hide.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 18,595 miles

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Another week, another BMW tire repair. This time it was the left rear on our M3. No TPMS warning, just caught it at the gas station when checking tread wear.

Stokes fixed this one for $25.

Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

This is the question I posed to myself this weekend. Sure, I essentially wrote it a love letter on Friday, and another canyon drive (this time a wee bit faster) reinforced my appreciation for this brilliant machine. However, on a day-to-day basis, I fear that its frenetic nature would grow tiresome, like being friends with Jim Carrey. Sure, great fun on the weekends, but sometimes you just want to relax and watch some TV.

Usually, the "should I drive a sports car every day?" debate centers around ride quality and space issues. Well, those aren't the M3's problems. The ride is actually quite comfortable and the thing is a sedan, after all. My issue is that it takes due diligence to drive it smoothly at normal speeds around town. The M3 is a performance machine and it wants to be treated as such, yet sometimes you just can't or don't want to blast away up to 7,500. Getting the clutch and throttle application just right to prevent herking and jerking takes a lot more concentration than in the S5 or in the easiest car to drive smoothly ever, our new GTI. There's also a fair bit of road noise. These are problems, they are inherent sports car compromises.

As such, I think for the M3's price tag of $67,370, I'd opt for something a little more neutral in character. Something a little more civil for those times away from a canyon and/or in the presence of a girlfriend who'd quietly prefer her travels not to feel like a roller coaster. The E550 Coupe would probably have the exact opposite problem (like being friends with Jim Cameron), so perhaps the answer is an S5, or perhaps a 335i and a boat load of cash.

Either way, I probably wouldn't buy an M3 ... but I'm certainly thrilled to drive it whenever I can.

James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 18,021 miles

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

I had an appointment last night up in Calabasas on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains. I also had the M3. 1 + 1 = Weeeeee!

However, as it was rush hour, I not surprisingly got stuck behind the typical Toyota Prius or Toyota Sienna or Toyota Avalon that chugs along through Topanga Canyon at between 5 to 10 mph below the speed limit. I don't write this as a set-up to an unintended acceleration joke (though you're encouraged to make them), it's just a fact.

As such, any sort of glorious canyoning was kept to brief bursts. They were enjoyable bursts, but most of the time I was caged into a 2/10ths driving experience. Yet, like slowly savouring a sip of fine wine or a bite of molten chocolate cake, I found I could still appreciate the M3 while traveling slowly through a canyon. With Dave Matthews' Before these Crowded Streets providing a chill soundtrack, it was almost therapeutic.

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Categories: 2009 BMW M3

It's no surprise that our 2009 BMW M3 was voted as the No. 2 long-term favorite of our editors. I know I love it. The only thing is that I also realized that if this were my car I'd be such an a-hole. I'm not saying that every M3 owner is an a-hole, just that I know I would be.

It seems like when I get behind the wheel of this car, suddenly everyone in the world doesn't know how to drive. Why so slow, people? The M3 aggravates my impatience.

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 17,861 miles

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

By the slimmest of margins, our 2009 BMW M3 sedan overtook the GT-R for second place. Its one-year test is not quite done, but it's obvious that the M3 has long-lasting appeal due to its combination of exemplary performance and everyday practicality.

Interestingly, there seems to be two camps within our editorial group; of all our 20-plus editors, only one voted for both the GT-R and the M3. Everybody else, if they voted at all for one of these two cars, made their choice an exclusive pick. Blue state versus Red. GT-R versus M3.

And with that, Editors' Favorites Five, Four, Three and Two are done. Tomorrow we conclude with Number One (hint: it's not the Veracruz). Following that on Monday, we'll also have the runners-up and the winner (?) of our Biggest Long-Term Loser vote.

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

I didn't come to work yesterday, and one thing I did with my free time was to take a real drive in our 2009 BMW M3. I've made far too many laps on the freeway in our sedan not to get it on a proper back road.

Well, my first choice for a back road (the northwestern-most section of Mulholland Highway) was strewn with rocks that had fallen from the cliff-faces during the weekend storms. After gingerly picking my way around those, I decided to check out Yerba Buena. This little road is rougher, tighter and narrower -- but has fewer canyon walls looming over it.

Well, I have to eat a slice of humble pie now. The M3 was not as much fun on this road as our departed 2008 BMW 135i, a car I often said was boring. Partly it was an issue of size. The M3 sedan is significantly longer (180.4 in. vs. 171.7 in.), wider (71.5 vs. 68.8) and heavier (+ 300 pounds), and just did not fit as well on the road. I felt less comfortable diving into blind corners.

The other factor was suspension tuning. Our 135i had a soft setup for a BMW, and this allowed it to smooth out a lot of the roughness on Yerba Buena. Our M3's ride felt brittle by comparison. I didn't touch the EDC button, so the adaptive dampers remained in their default, least sporty setting, but the damping was still too aggressive for this road and the car felt nervous.

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Categories: 2009 BMW M3

I usually have little patience for keyless access/ignition systems -- I don't like it when they're slow to recognize I'm carrying the keyless remote and I don't like feeling around for little rubber buttons on door handles to unlock the rear doors or lock the car after I park it.

But after a weekend with the M3, even I have to admit its keyless setup is useful. When I approach on the driver or passenger side with the key in my pocket or bag, the system immediately detects it and unlocks all the doors as soon as my hand brushes the door handle to open it. This is particularly nice in bad weather, because I don't have to worry about family members getting rained on for any longer than necessary.

After I park the M3, I just touch the texturized section of the door handle and then it's all locked. Easy.

Still, would I pay for this feature if I bought an M3? Ah, well, there's not really much choice is there? BMW lumps keyless access in with navigation and the programmable M button in the Technology package. If you want that M button in your M3, you're taking it.

By the way, it rained torrentially over the weekend, and I heartily agree with Jay -- the tires on this car are excellent on wet roads.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 17,701 miles

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

First off, please excuse the photo, I know it's crap but I wasn't about to put off my Saturday morning bagel and coffee for a better angle. Anyway, it just so happens that an identical white BMW M3 parked next to our long-termer. It had the red interior and everything, but as you can sort of see, the owner chose to go with the larger wheel and tire combination.

We liked the look and ride quality of the slightly smaller 18s, but it's rare to see one so equipped. What look would you choose?

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Crank the volume on your speakers, as this was not shot with the best camera or by the best videographer (also, the sun suddenly went nova while the video was being shot... go figure). So listen and then decide if you're yay, nay or meh.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 17,748 miles

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Below are the fuel economy numbers for February 2010. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.

As usual, a couple of cars are out on the road or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.

After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.

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Categories: 2004 Toyota Prius,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS,2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid,2010 GMC Terrain,2010 Honda Accord Crosstour,2010 Honda Insight EX,2010 Mazdaspeed 3

Perspective is a good thing. You'll probably roll your eyes at what I have to say here, but I do get spoiled with the cars we have available from time to time to drive. I can take things for granted and don't always appreciate a beautiful machine when I drive it.

I own a Mazda 3. It's a solid car. Does nothing great, but does a pretty good job at most everything to make it a well rounded car. For the better part of two weeks I've been in that, and no long term/test cars. I thought my 3 was peppy and fun. It wasn't until I got into our BMW M3 over the weekend did I realize my car is a dog.

I know, "No sh**, Sherlock. It's an M3 with a V8." It's not fair to compare the two, I grant you that. But the perspective of Mazda 3 ownership just makes you realize how awesome the M3 is.

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Categories: 2009 BMW M3

See that tread pattern on the rear tire of our 2009 BMW M3? Huge tread blocks, shallow grooves, narrow sipes -- this looks like an out and out performance tire, right? Throw in some tire wear for good measure and they probably suck in anything but bone-dry conditions, right?

Wrong.

A couple weeks ago, the Los Angeles region experienced ususual amounts of rain. Really, any amount is unusual, so maybe that's not saying much. But we did get pretty much deluged.

I was driving the M3 back from Burbank when the skies opened up yet again, adding to the already-flooded roads. But what's this? Oh, it's hail mixed in with the rain. Great. This ought to bring the region's irrationally terrified motorists to their knees.

It did, but the M3 was unfazed by the conditions. I mean completely and utterly care-free. Not even a hint of hydroplaning in any of the countless standing water patches it tore through. It was nearly as though the road was dry for the M3 and wet for everyone else, such was the car's unflappable nature and, uh, large speed differential.

This M3 is a hell of a car, and its wet-weather composure simply reinforces that notion.

Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

As you can see, our BMW M3 has rake. I'm referring to that slight tilt forward that makes it looks like it's ready to take off even though it's just sitting there. The look is a combination of its actual tilt and the rising waistline of the car.

This used to be a common design theme that you would see if everything from sportscars to station wagons. Now you see all too many cars that are cursed with slab-sided lines and a perfectly flat stance. Some cars can pull it off e.g. Chrysler 300, but most can't. On the M3, it's actually a pretty subtle design cue, but it makes a big difference when you see the car on the road. Those big meats on the back help too.

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line @ 17,181 miles
  

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Our service visit to Long Beach BMW was quick and cheap. Free scheduled maintenance covered the cost of the oil, oil filter, air filter and the typical moving parts inspections.

We had scheduled the appointment for our 2009 BMW M3 by phone. At the time we were warned, "Be sure you are on time. If you are more than 10 minutes late we will not take your vehicle and you will have to reschedule." We couldn't tell you if the threat was legitimate or not because it worked on us. We showed up on time.

A couple of hours later we received email notification that the service was complete. That was a welcome change to the usual phone call. Welcome until it was followed by multiple spam advertising messages from the dealership. Three before the day was up. We unsubscribed and the barrage stopped. Our phone rang the next day, "This is Long Beach BMW. We see you missed your appointment yesterday. When can we reschedule?" After explaining that we had in fact shown up, and on time, the call ended.

We were satisfied with the pre-service experience. But post-service communication can use some work.

Total Cost: None

Days out of Service: None

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 16,895 miles

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Know what I liked most about our BMW M3 was last night? It wasn't its sweet, purring V8 -- nope. It wasn't its unparalleled handling, nor its heated seats that do a back good after a long day spent chained to the computer screen.

What I liked most about the M3 last night as I waited behind a line of cars, halfway up the steep incline that leads out of our underground parking dungeon, was its hill-start assist. Works like a charm and makes starting on a slope nothing more than business as usual.

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Thanks to bobjonesesq for this week's favorite caption. You guys are the best. There were so many good ones to choose from.

Here are the others that made us giggle:

M3 vs Prius: Which one generates the most SMUG? (lowmilelude)
Green with envy! (ergsum)
Autobahn vs Autoblah! (ergsum)
I'm here, offsettin' ur greenhouse gas emissions. (cx7lover)
Smokey Burnout and the Green Bandits (e90_m3)
Give me a brake! (adavis2493)
The Green Hell (e90_m3)
Made contact with locals today relationships already strained. (hybris)
Prius Envy (ergsum)
The Fast and the Priuses (ergsum)
Didn't you get that memo? (mrdang)
Bimmer vs. Bummer (aleclance)
Oh sorry guys, didn't notice you were in the middle of a bored meeting. (sherief)
Did you guys see that Top Gear episode, where I beat you in a mileage test? (sherief)
Assaultin' batteries. (misterfusion)
I'm dating Triplets (bluepunk82)
The M3 suffers an outbreak of Priusis. (ergsum)
All your carbon footprints are belong to me. (ahightower)

I made a special category for Star Wars references:

Look sir, droids! (sherief)
It's a trap! (71vetteboy)
Help me, Bei-Emm Duhbiou; you're my only hope. (ergsum)
Mos Eisley shopping center: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.  (ergsum)
Uncle Owen, this M3 unit is a badass motivator, look! (ergsum)
I have a very bad feeling about this. (ergsum)
These are not the droids you're looking for. (sherief)
There is a great disturbance in the Green Force. (ergsum)

What was your favorite?

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

P.S. Click here for video confirmation of the happy dance.

Categories: 2009 BMW M3,Caption Contest

Another 16 hour day. Meetings. Politics. Email. Conference calls. Conference rooms. Skype. More meetings. More email. More politics. Fewer people. More effort. More hours. Less satisfaction. It's another day in the cubicle. Another day dealing with the boss. Another day working for the man. Another day in the Matrix.

And then you walk out to your M3.

Life is good.

Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief

Categories: 2009 BMW M3