Review: Chris Harris drives the new BMW M3 | Top Gear By Top Gear

So now an awful lot has been said about this new g series m3 and the way that it's styled, particularly that front end beaver's teeth, rabbits teeth, bum face all the usual insults, but I want to draw your attention to the wing mirror for me. You can summarize the difference between this and the fantastic looking f series m3 by looking at the wingman the shape of this, the three complicated lines: the fact that the top bit comes out further than the bottom bit look at the wing mirror on that car. It's perfection! It has a cohesion to it in a simplicity that actually is a metaphor for the styling differences between the two cars. I've spent a lot of time in this over the last three days and I have to say the grill, the obvious controversial bit, I'm finding easier and easier. It's actually the rest of the car that I'm finding more problematic how long the front door is compared to the rest of the car. This weird drop in height here the front wing is so bulbous that the front tire and wheel are just completely lost in it and there's no sense of camber.

The f series car looks like they just got four wheels and just shrink-wrapped a body right over the top of it. Admittedly, this one is a bit lower than a standard car, but this car has none and I repeat, none of that tension. It's really, really strange. It's not a bad looking car on the road people do respond to it pretty well, but it's fussy in its details- and it just doesn't have for me that kind of hunkered down good-looking but subtle, m car stance. First up sorry about the hat, I haven't cut my hair, and it's cold today.

So here it is, then the new m3, I don't care who you are. I don't care how grizzled and bored with the new car world you are a new m3 is a big event, and before I start telling you about this car, I want to tell you something: anecdotally. That's really apt, I'm at castle comb today, and there are several people that have turned up just to see this car um we're all distance, everything's, fine, they're part of the crew, but people turn out to see a m3, because it's new, because it's special- and we forget that in all the controversy of this new styling exercise, which I have to say, isn't really working for me. The more time I spend with the car put simply the longer I spend with the car, the more I get used to the front grille and the less accustomed. I am to the rest of it.

The shapes the angles don't quite work. For me, it really doesn't, but what's underneath is, as we all expected, pretty damn spectacular, starting with that engine twin turbo inline. Six now with 510 horsepower, just under 480 foot pounds of torque pulling a car that is 1730 kilograms, it's big! It's heavy! It's much! Heavier than the last car, but the chassis is outrageously, good, really is so competent all cars in the UK. This is an based video are at the moment with the competition packs. We've got the powerful engine.

This is a two wheel, drive chassis, a Michelin pilot support 4s for me today, starting to up the speed a bit now whoa castle. Come is a mega circuit. So how does it drive answer very, very impressively? It feels quicker than a car with a claim.500 horsepower wearing this. Much to me, it's very, very, very potent virtually no turbo lag, but the conversation point here is this: gearbox they've gone away from the DSG dual clutch, and they've fitted the of automatic. Is it as good? It makes for a more comfortable drive, everything's a bit more slurred and softer edged, but I think the cars really lost something certainly on the track and really on the road as well.

Every time you want the car to respond instantly to an input, there's a little lag and that lag for me makes a big difference. So, yes, we've got a very talented powertrain, but I don't think it's got the specialist that I'd want from an m car. I've got a lot of pipe noise coming in here. The WLTP emissions legs means it's not making a huge amount of exhaust noise. I can accept that, but actually do you know what I'm it could be an it could be a very powerful m340 engine and that's quite a big statement.

I think it's its not a car whose powertrain is going to blow you away. So what is going to blow you away? The steering is really, really good, really, really good. I think for a car of this size it's night and day better than anything else, I've driven, there's not a huge amount of waiting and old-fashioned feel as they call it, but for accuracy. The relationship between the input you put into this car through the steering wheel and the way the car responds to it. The way it turns the way it rotates is flipping, exceptional, BMW, great work, guys whoever's still working there at BWM.

This is where the money gets spent. This is where this car feels totally different to a normal BMW, the way it turns- and you know what, in this day and age and everyone's chasing performance figures, I do love that grit. Pretty outrageous traction pretty outrageous, I'll admit to something for the first day and a half driving this thing. I thought it was four-wheel drive because it's been mild weather and on the road. You don't really get up it do you.

So I thought it was one of the four-wheel drive cars just so competent the damping. It's got three damper settings, leave it in comfort unless you are driving on a billiard table, because it's just too stiff otherwise I'll shut up and throw it around a bit now, for you shall I so here we go coming into the last corner and comb over the start. Finish line horrendous corner ride it out onto the curbs, we'll give it some potatoes down the back straight here. It's already doing.120 yards Jesus, that's quick! Over there, Avon rise 113 nearly 140 miles an hour. I'm going to have a break before because I'm a shandy, that's put it through the old quarry.

There you go there. She goes that's an end car for you and that's all you need to know. You can't do that in a rs4. You really can't, you can do it in a c63, but the next one's going to be four cylinders. Apparently this thing is direct.

It feels incredibly competent. It's only on a steel brake, but I've got plenty of braking performance. Furthermore, it is a much more capable car than the one. Furthermore, it's replacing it really is its just less angry, less Lara and there's a bit of a point to make there. Some people will miss that personality.

They really will. I don't buy into this roasted spectacles. Oh, the last entry was the last great this and this and this and that the e90, the v8 m5 I owned. One was for me pretty flawed car and I loved the f-80. I just I thought it was a fantastic response to that loads of torque.

For me even more personality, this car doesn't quite have that grab you by the scrap of the neck. Irritate you constantly jostle you down the road feel, but it is. You know what it's mighty competent if you can get over the way. It looks this as an estate car with a bit of a four wheel, drive that's going to be one hell of an all-rounder other things. Well, the fuel tanks a bit small.

The lane departure system appears to need to be reset every time you start the car which kills me. I don't really get on with the cabin this new big bucket seat with the carbon shell is superb, really, really good. Steering wheel's too busy um the m drift analyzer is the most brilliantly pointless thing. I've come across in a car, and it's going to cause lots of motoring journalists to crash as they try and get to the five stars, but they wouldn't have doubt my best. So far today is 161 yards at 19.2 degrees. For the duration of I think about five or six seconds.

It's an expensive car, though, isn't it this 75 grand basic by the time you spec it up? 85 grand estate cars, you probably get them to 100 000 pounds. I know it's not 100 thousand pounds, no, it's whatever down and a thousand a month, but it's the m3 has become a very expensive car. A very, very expensive car and its competence definitely justifies the price, but I wonder whether that engine in gearbox is quite special enough still. What I like is that I've been one of the people. That's been nudging, BMW, and it's frankly baffling social media campaigns over the last year, um, but I've finally driven it, and it's its a great car.

If you can live with the way, it looks it's a really fantastic car, and who knows how much longer we're going to have cars like this around to enjoy? So maybe people like me should just shut the bleep up and enjoy them while we can, because I'd far rather be driving this than any electric car. I really would so yes well done. BMW and I'm sorry that I've, given you a low degree for the way it looks, but I still think it looks a bit now, I'm going to shut up and drive it like an absolute norm, bye nope, so you.

Source : Top Gear