I’m a looker. I know it sounds pretentious when I say it like that, but it’s the only logical explanation I can think of. It’s the only thing that can explain the dozens of admiring glances thrown my way while cruising down the road, wind whipping through my hair, behind the wheel of the BMW M3 Cabriolet.
And the fact that it’s not the first time I’ve attracted such looks proves it. It also happened when I drove the Audi R8, the Nissan GT-R and a few other models. No doubt about it, I’m a looker.
I’m even willing to share some of my glory with the car. After all, the BMW M3 is not exactly hideous either, and its performance capabilities are compliment-inducing as well. But this time, I put the cabrio version through its paces.
Teutonic down to the bone
The M3’s profile, with or without roof, is pure aristocratic German. Like the standard sedan version, the convertible features an aerodynamic stance that will delight (or not) fans of the BMW. Add to that a small ridged hood covering an überpotent engine, and you’ve got a very assertive little number on your hands.
As for the term “convertible”, it describes in this case a power retractable hardtop that, once in place, can only be called discrete. It folds back easily and fairly quickly, and its design ensures enough structural rigidity that the car’s performance isn’t overly impaired. Because don’t forget, with or without a roof, a BMW M3 is still a purebred machine that’s more comfortable screaming down the highway than cruising through town.
A tad more civilized
The similarities with the standard M3 don’t end there, however, as the same 414-hp V8 engine slumbers under the hood, ready to turn out some explosive accelerations. It’s coupled with, what sacrilege, BMW’s automatic double-clutch transmission, the quality of which is nevertheless nothing short of exceptional.
In fact, where it not for the slightly increased weight of the cabrio variant, the 0-100 dash would be accomplished in exactly the same time. But there’s a tiny difference between the two figures, two tenths of a second to be exact.
It’s still fascinating to see the joy with which the transmission reacts in sport mode to the slightest touch when both up- and downshifting. But miraculously, as the M3 convertible is also a city version, the transmission still behaves courteously in completely automatic mode, without the jerkiness of the sport variants.
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| The M3’s profile, with or without roof, is pure aristocratic German. |
And the fact that it’s not the first time I’ve attracted such looks proves it. It also happened when I drove the Audi R8, the Nissan GT-R and a few other models. No doubt about it, I’m a looker.
I’m even willing to share some of my glory with the car. After all, the BMW M3 is not exactly hideous either, and its performance capabilities are compliment-inducing as well. But this time, I put the cabrio version through its paces.
Teutonic down to the bone
The M3’s profile, with or without roof, is pure aristocratic German. Like the standard sedan version, the convertible features an aerodynamic stance that will delight (or not) fans of the BMW. Add to that a small ridged hood covering an überpotent engine, and you’ve got a very assertive little number on your hands.
As for the term “convertible”, it describes in this case a power retractable hardtop that, once in place, can only be called discrete. It folds back easily and fairly quickly, and its design ensures enough structural rigidity that the car’s performance isn’t overly impaired. Because don’t forget, with or without a roof, a BMW M3 is still a purebred machine that’s more comfortable screaming down the highway than cruising through town.
A tad more civilized
The similarities with the standard M3 don’t end there, however, as the same 414-hp V8 engine slumbers under the hood, ready to turn out some explosive accelerations. It’s coupled with, what sacrilege, BMW’s automatic double-clutch transmission, the quality of which is nevertheless nothing short of exceptional.
In fact, where it not for the slightly increased weight of the cabrio variant, the 0-100 dash would be accomplished in exactly the same time. But there’s a tiny difference between the two figures, two tenths of a second to be exact.
It’s still fascinating to see the joy with which the transmission reacts in sport mode to the slightest touch when both up- and downshifting. But miraculously, as the M3 convertible is also a city version, the transmission still behaves courteously in completely automatic mode, without the jerkiness of the sport variants.
 |
| The same 414-hp V8 engine slumbers under the hood, ready to turn out some explosive accelerations. |