Earlier in this road test, before getting your blood pumped and endorphins flowing, I alluded to seeking-out zigzags so the
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| The M3 has razor-sharp handling and a stiffened ride quality compared to its tamer 3-Series sibling. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
M3 could strut its "stuff." Well, it's now time to talk handling, the inspiration behind my straight-razor analogy. The BMW 3-Series chassis, on which the M3 is based, is world renowned for its lively balance and spirited blend of tenacious handling and decent ride comfort. In M3 form, the handling thresholds are pushed substantially further, resulting in razor-sharp handling and a stiffened ride quality. Some have decried the compromised ride-comfort as excessively punishing to the human condition; I on the other hand find the '04 M3 to be remarkably compliant given its Gillette-like handling characteristics. The M3's magical blend of compliance and slot car handling is attributable to a very rigid roof-less body structure. With the roof down, body-flex and cowl shake is negligible. Such stiffness is remarkable for a convertible, especially for one sizeable enough to house four adults.
On to the cement-like unibody structure of the M3 Cabriolet, BMW has hung some pretty sophisticated suspension components and specially tuned them for M purposes. The fully independent coil-spring setup also includes front and rear anti-roll bars to further weld the M3 to the pavement during forceful cornering. BMW should be proud of the work its engineers and chassis tuners have done. The M3 sets benchmarks when it comes to the 3-p's of steering - precise, predictable and progressive. The little voice that occasionally whispers in your ear, "You're going too fast to make this corner" is wasting his or her breath. The M3 eats up anything that has a radius and is far more forgiving of over-exuberance than many other high performance machines. Now it's rather cavalier and perhaps a tad irresponsible for me to say that, but I do so in an effort to emphasize the outstanding handling properties, and therefore
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| The little voice that occasionally whispers in your ear, "You're going too fast to make this corner" is wasting his or her breath. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
safety of the Bavarian born soft-top. There are of course, speeds too great for any car, and most often too great for the driver's ability, so common sense and sound judgment apply when at the wheel. But when the opportunity safely presents itself, or if an emergency maneuver is undertaken, the M3 will inspire confidence by immediately and competently responding to driver inputs, while transmitting back exactly what is going on down where the rubber meets the road. Road feel and steering feedback is so tangible that it melds man and machine into a single entity. When cornering forces become wildly elevated, it's always very clear to the driver just how near the M3 is to breaching the sticky contract between the rubber and the road.
