Oddly enough, the new M3 seems to work best in normal mode. For our hot laps around the technically demanding Ascari circuit in southern Spain (a stunning, privately owned 3.2 mile circuit with 26 turns and numerous changes in elevation) the fast setup seemed to be the standard throttle, shock and steering settings with the stability control switched right off so you could use the gas to counter the understeer in the tighter turns. The faster throttle settings make the car a little more difficult to balance, and the sport shock setting means the shock rate is fixed -- in normal or comfort modes, the shocks adapt to cornering loads.
The M3's Servotronic steering is slightly disappointing. In sport mode, it has too much gain the moment you pull the wheel off-center, and the weighting feels too artificial. In normal mode there's not the tactility you want from a BMW. The thick rim of the steering wheel doesn't help -- you want to drive this car with your fingertips, and you end up driving it with your fists.
The new BMW M3 goes on sale here in the U.S. in spring 2008, with a pricetag tipped to be in the low $60,000 range. Some of the purists might grumble, but the reality is the M3 has grown up. It's no longer an edgy, race bred sport sedan, but a fast, civilized GT with a useable (occasionally) rear seat, and a trunk that holds more than a couple of soft bags. You don't have to be a hero to approach its limits, and when you do overstep the mark, it will look after you.
There are those who want to be challenged by a car: those who want to conquer white knuckles and sharp intakes of breath; those who take pride in taming the beast and swallowing their fear. For the rest of us, though, the new M3 makes us look about as good as it gets on the road, and not too shabby on the racetrack, either. Which is why it's the best M3 yet.
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