"Edmunds" adds a new E90 M3(6MT) to their long term fleet!

[OBI_agent]

Edmunds has bought a brand new E90 M3 for a year's evaluation. You can follow their inputs on their blog.

Here's the linkEdmunds long term blog

And here's the article's link Article

Base MSRP of Test Vehicle: $54850

Options on Test Vehicle: Fox Red Novillo Leather ($950); Cold Weather Package ($1,000 — includes fold-down rear seats, heated front seats and retractable headlight washers); Technology Package ($3,250 — includes M drive, comfort access system, navigation system and HD radio); Blue-Gray Brushed Aluminum Interior Trim ($500); Moonroof ($1,050); iPod/USB adapter ($400); BMW Assist ($750); Sirius Satellite Radio With One-Year Subscription ($595); Enhanced Premium Sound ($1,900).

MSRP of Test Vehicle: $67370

The 2009 BMW M3 is the baddest racecar-masquerading-as-a-sedan that BMW has ever built and Inside Line is testing one for the next 12 months and 20,000 miles. Is this combination of adult practicality and driver-focused bad attitude still as magical as we remember?

The new-generation M3 makes available 19-inch wheels, which were also optional for our old M3. Nevertheless, the 2002 rides on 18s, as does the 2009 M3 — and for the same reasons. The 18s might represent a slightly lower performance threshold compared to the optional 19s, but the more comfortable quality of ride afforded by the taller sidewall of the tire more than makes up for it in the real world. Our seven-year-old M3 has gone through a few pairs of shoes already and now wears aftermarket Sumitomo HTRZIII tires, while our new one rolls on 245/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s.

During its year in our fleet, praise has been heaped upon the E46 M3 like so much used rubber on a tire fire. Except for the CD-based navigation system, that is, which was quite good nearly 10 years ago but now seems slow, incomplete and pixelated. The 2009 BMW M3 Sedan offers a modern, hard-drive-based navigation system featuring BMW's infamous iDrive control system. Navigation is lumped into the $3,250 Technology package, which also includes comfort access and HD radio. The Technology package also includes M Drive, which lets you set your own personal calibration of the various power, stability control and throttle settings and tie them into one button on the steering wheel. In our 2002 M3 you have to start the car, press the stability control button for 3 seconds to disable the electronics, press the sport button, and then get to it. For 2009 you just have to press the M button.

Our 2002 BMW M3 has a moonroof and our 2009 M3 has one as well, to the tune of $1,050 added to the bottom line.

Harman Kardon made the advanced-grade audio system that rocks our E46 M3, complete with the trunk-mounted CD changer that was necessary because the dash hadn't been designed with such electronics in mind. The Enhanced Premium Sound ($1,900) in our 2009 M3 E92 isn't branded, but it still kicks ass with an 825-watt, nine-channel digital amplifier with high-quality crossovers (signal processors designed to limit certain frequencies to particular speakers; we don't want 20hz tones pushed through tweeters do we?) and 16 speakers, a system that claims to offer quality only heard previously in high-end home applications. We'll see.

Add a few other small options: brushed aluminum trim for $500; BMW Assist/Bluetooth for $750; Sirius Satellite Radio for $595; $825 for the destination fee; and a $1,300 gas-guzzler tax, the penalty for the M3's EPA rating of 14 mpg city/20 mpg highway. Altogether the total rises to $67,370.

[SlammedR8]

COOL!

[duk]

AWESOMEST

[SM_M3]

This should be a fun read as the months go by...

[FrenchBoy]

Really cool. Can't wait to read the updates!

[achenator]

ahh. ya beat me to it. They have been talking about it for a few months. I am looking forward to the blogs.

[OBI_agent]

Originally Posted by FrenchBoy

Really cool. Can't wait to read the updates!

+1....I like edmunds articles. They see each car from a normal middle class guy's point of view. Which is great.

Originally Posted by achenator

ahh. ya beat me to it. They have been talking about it for a few months. I am looking forward to the blogs.

[M2381]

Nice, can't wait for it in the mag

[Cab5er]

AW on fox red E90

[McLuVan]

get ready for boring posts
nothing's going to break on this sucker

[TRZ06]

Interesting comment about the 18" vs 19". They state that the 19"s offer a slight performance increase. This is the way I have always thought about it, but if you read all the 18 vs 19 threads, everybody thinks that the 18's handle better.

From my experience from having 35 series on my 335I compared to the 40 series on my M3, I can say that the lower profile handles better and more crisply with less tire roll.

So I am really baffled by those that say the 18 40 series handling better than the 19" 35 series option.

[spyderco10]