Review BMW M3 saloon

"The M3 saloon is the cheapest BMW M3 available, offering the same 4.0-litre V8 engine with four doors and a larger boot" Featuring the awesome 414bhp 4.0-litre V8 engine, the latest BMW M3 saloon offers an almost identical driving experience to the M3 coupe. Capable of 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, the M3 saloon is equally as rapid. The major external difference is the additional rear doors, providing owners with an added dose of practicality. The boot is larger and the saloon does away the coupe's carbon-firbe roof. Priced below both the convertible and coupe, the saloon is also the cheapest M3 available. Drive4.8 /5 You'll never tire of the V8 soundtrack The BMW M3's 4.0-litre V8 engine is fantastic. Providing Porsche 911-rivalling performance and a hair-raising soundtrack, maximum power is produced at a heady 8300rpm. The rear-wheel drive chassis provides excellent handling offering a near-perfect balance of ride quality and cornering ability. The M3 saloon is highly competent as a back-road entertainer or long distance cruiser. Comfort4.0 /5 The optional electronic dampers transform the ride quality The M3 saloon is fitted with sports suspension that offers a firm ride at slow speeds and without the optional electronic dampers is only completely happy on newly surfaced roads. Whilst the interior is based on lesser models BMW have included highly-supportive sports seats. Interior space is the same as the rest of the BMW 3 Series range offering average levels of head and leg room. Reliability4.8 /5 The BMW M3 is beautifully made Stunning build quality and an impressive reliability record back up the five star Euro NCAP crash test score achieved by the standard BMW 3 Series saloon. Strict service intervals must be adhered to during BMW M3 ownership in order to maintain the high levels of performance on offer. Practicality4.3 /5 Four doors and a larger boot make the M3 saloon a very practical performance car Whilst not as practical as a five door Volkswagen Golf R hatchback the M3 saloon is easier to live than the coupe version. The rear doors provide much easier access to the rear seats and due to a boot that is 20 litres larger, luggage carrying capacity is increased to 450 litres. The rest of the cabin is almost identical to the standard BMW 3 Series M Sport models, featuring leather sports seats and M Sport steering wheel and gear stick. Using the iDrive computer controller can take some getting used to. Value for money4.2 /5 The saloon is the cheapest M3 available The M3 saloon is the cheapest M3 available undercutting the coupe and convertible models by £1,500 and £5,000 respectively. Nevertheless, the M3 saloon is far from cheap and is out of reach for most buyers. The interior is probabaly the biggest let-down at this price as it shares much with 3 Series saloons costing half the price. Standard equipment levels are much higher however, featuring dual-zone air conditioning, cruise control, sat-nav, 18-inch alloy wheels and rear parking sensors. We would highly recommend adding the brilliant Electronic Damper Control (EDC) for £1,325 from the BMW options list. Running costs2.7 /5 You need a healthy bank balance to run an M3 Emissions fall into the highest Road Tax category and although the M3 features stop/start the performance flagship can only manage 25.2mpg when fitted with the automatic transmission. Servicing, tyres and replacement parts are also far more expensive than the average family saloon.