The BMW E92 M3 Sounds Like Screaming Thunder
DW Burnett
I scribbled down one note after a dozen laps in the M3’s fourth iteration. “F***ing phenomenal.” Then I underscored it with a half-dozen scribbles. Maybe we stacked the deck; This Lime Rock Park Edition M3 (one of 200) added a lightweight titanium exhaust, a few carbon-fiber flourishes, and a coat of Fire Orange paint to the original recipe. But it’s telling that BMW didn’t touch the engine on its most track-focused E92.
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We’ll cut to it: This is the best-sounding M3 ever built, a tidal wave of induction whomp crashing over Mt. Exhaust Burble. Throughout the day, every head on pit lane snapped to attention when that V-8 howl echoed from the far end of Mid-O, more than a quarter-mile away. And though the 4.0-liter V-8 makes just 414 horsepower to motivate 3650 lbs., the engine’s shout is as subtle as an air raid siren.
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It’s a special engine, the S65. And one that’d be impossible for BMW to replicate under today’s regulations, which smother the good noises for the sake of efficiency. The 4.0-liter reaches redline and peak power together at a dizzying 8300 rpm. So you back into Mid-O’s slower corners at the top of second gear rather than lugging from apex to track-out in third. On a track, this engine is absolutely ripping more often than not. And that’s a not-so-subtle quality that emphasizes the playfulness in the E92’s chassis.
DW Burnett
Under braking and in corners, whether fast or slow, this M3’s chassis never betrays. Rather, it throws an arm around your shoulder as you lean further into the car’s talents. So many fast cars have that same quality right until the moment they decide to go all Hannibal Lecter on your face. That genuine friendliness, we discovered, was one of the intangibles that defines the M3 nameplate. Even as every generation went faster than the last, they never abandoned the desire to turn workaday white collars into race-crushing heroes.
Our original performance testing data on the E92 M3 from the February 2008 issue of Road & Track.
Tim Barker
The E92’s Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) was another surprise. I expected a clunky, jostling experience, but the DCT doesn’t feel its age on upshifts, snapping them off at 8000 rpm without drama. But on downshifts, especially with the front end loaded at that crucial intersection between braking and turn-in, the DCT hesitates, stuttering as it drops down into third and especially second gear. It’s not frustrating, necessarily, because you know the gear is on its way and that it’ll arrive by the time you need to put power down. But the transmission shows its age at this track, especially next to contemporary DCTs and the supremely calibrated 8-speed ZF ‘box in most modern Bimmers.
Still, the E92 feels equally alive on a backroad, unhampered by the DCT (and don’t forget you can find these with six speeds and three pedals). The seats are comfortable enough for a long haul but your ears and the seat of your pants never escape that animated V-8 bzzzzzzzz through the titanium exhaust. This is the most well-rounded M3, a bottle rocket fresh from boarding school. The whole experience is wrapped in handsome, forward-looking sheet metal.
DW Burnett
Inside, the E92 M3’s wide, bezeled, and recessed infotainment screen sits essentially in the same place as the modern cars. There’s a swooping line that frames the dashboard and of course there’s the iDrive knob protruding from the center console. Only the instrument gauges nod to the past, seemingly carried over from the E46. But not much outside the infotainment interface feels especially old in this car that’s heading for a 15-year anniversary, because BMW landed at this design and started iterating. Does that mean BMW has leaned too hard on this layout over the past decade, rather than pushing forward with some imagination? Please debate.
But we can’t fault BMW. The E92’s proportions have looked fresh since the day that sheetmetal was stamped. Why not iterate from a surefire hit? The used market had its say on the matter, too. Few used E92s ever fell below $20k dollars (unlike every M3 generation that came before), and the good examples are appreciating steadily.
To that end, the E92 is a modern classic; a can’t-lose collectible proposition that never got cheap enough for the secondary market to thrash. The facelifted cars (circa 2011), with their updated infotainment system and revised headlights are just modern enough for a daily driver in 2021. The E92 M3 is an athletic ‘Bahn stormer, totally at home at Mid-Ohio. And the sounds of the V-8 M3 are literally awe-inspiring. That’s God’s own brass section blaring from its tail pipes. “F***ing phenomenal” seems just about right.
DW Burnett
Kyle Kinard
Senior Editor
The only member of staff to flip a grain truck on its roof, Kyle Kinard is R&T’s senior editor and resident malcontent. He lives near Seattle and enjoys the rain. His column, Kinardi Line, runs when it runs.
