• The BMW M3 Competition passes the moose test in Sweden with flying colours.
• To pass the test, a vehicle must negotiate a series of cones at 72 km/h.
• The only “weakness” of the car was a slight understeer at mid-course.
If there's one automotive test that's making a name for itself these days, it's the so-called moose test conducted in Sweden by the Teknikens Värld Group. It's an obstacle avoidance exercise, but the manoeuvres required are abrupt and the minimum speed that needs to be maintained to get a passing grade has been set high: 72 km/h.
This gives an excellent idea of which vehicles are safer than others in this type of situation.
We’ve seen several SUV models struggle in this test. The Toyota RAV4 is one example, and in fact its maker made adjustments to its safety software to improve its handling.
Here’s one that didn’t struggle: the BMW M3 Competition, a pure sports car designed to stick to the road.
The M3 Competition passed the test at 76 km/h. The test drivers described it as easy to handle when pushed to the limit. There was only a little understeer in the middle of the exercise, but it was nothing major.
This car, remember, is powered by a 3.0L turbocharged 6-cylinder engine good for 503 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. Beyond the brute power, it's the chassis settings that make this car so exhilarating to drive, and so able to stick to the road in corners without losing control.
The video showing it in action during the moose test gives a good idea of its capabilities, which no SUV can hope to match in terms of balance.
