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Remarkable engine, race-carlike handling, killer
good looks, sumptuous interior, available Sequential Manual
Gearbox. Email me if you want to buy it now for
$12000.
Body Styles, Trim Levels and
Options:
The M3 in offered in both coupe and convertible form. Standard
features on the coupe include 18-inch wheels with Z-rated
rubber; automatic climate control; 10-way adjustable sport
seats; leather and cloth upholstery; one-touch power windows;
heated power mirrors; a CD player; an auto-dimming rearview
mirror; automatic headlights; rain-sensing wipers; and keyless
entry. The convertible adds power seat adjustments and full
leather upholstery; these items are optional on the coupe.
Additionally, the drop top comes with a fully automatic soft top
(with heated rear glass); a removable hardtop is available.
Among the other options are seat heaters, bi-xenon headlights, a
navigation system, a premium sound system, parking sensors, BMW
Assist, an alarm system and, for the coupe, a moonroof.
Powertrains and Performance:
The M3 is propelled by a magnificent 3.2-liter, six-cylinder
engine rated to produce 333 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of
torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while a
six-speed sequential manual gearbox (SMG) is offered as an
option. The SMG offers both manual and automatic driving modes,
and although it is by definition a manual transmission (no
torque converter), its clutch is electronically controlled, such
that there's no clutch pedal. Drivers can use either steering
column-mounted paddles or the shift lever to change gears in
manual mode. Unlike other systems, SMG allows you to alter the
quickness of the shifts, and in its most aggressive shift
program, it's said to be faster than Ferrari's F1 setup.
Safety:
Safety features include four-wheel antilock disc brakes,
stability control, front side-impact airbags, head curtain
airbags for the front (coupe only) and a rollover protection
system (convertible only); rear side-impact bags are optional.
The 3 Series earned a "Good" rating from the IIHS in 40-mph
frontal offset crash testing.
Interior Design and Special
Features:
Aggressive driving is aided by heavily bolstered front bucket
seats, a thick M Sport steering wheel with attractive blue and
red stitching and distinctive, red-needled M instrumentation.
The rest of the interior is pretty much standard-issue 3 Series,
and that means high-quality materials and tight construction.
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