Overview: The M3 convertible is arguably the best deriver’s car in its class and it does all the things that you might expect of it and it sounds unbelievably beautiful at high revs. It has its heritage in a race car and although through the years the road car has been continually refined, it still maintains much of that early thrill.
Engines: Up to 2007 the engine was a 3.2 litre straight six with quite phenomenal performance. The latest model, released in 2007, has an even larger unit. This is a 4 litre V8 which delivers maximum power at 8,300 rpm – a huge 420 bhp. Although this more powerful engine is more economical than the smaller unit that it replaced, it does not sound quite as good. The acceleration time from 0 to 62mph is 5.3 seconds, which is slower than the coupe which will do it in 4.8 seconds. The reason for this is the larger mass of the convertible due to chassis reinforcement members.
Driving: Driving the M3 on the road and on the track is a thrilling experience. There is an absence of body roll even in tight corners and the steering is very responsive. Put the adjustable suspension dampers in sports mode and away you go; its heritage as a race car shows through.
Inside: The comfort level is surprisingly good for such a high performance car. Although the suspension is very still the seating compensates for it. In the cockpit instrumentation and layout is standard 3 series, which is a tad disappointing. Boot space on the convertible is quite limited and provides only 210 litres when the roof is down.
Economy: Average fuel consumption is 22 mpg, but don’t expect to get anything like that. You don’t buy an M3 convertible is economical motoring is your aim. This is a car which will happily rev at well over 8,000 rpm and that is what you will be doing even if it does mean that you will be getting around 15 mpg.