» Get the best price on a new BMW Virginal white, BMW's stand at Geneva concentrated on the maker's Efficient Dynamics: two floors of cars, each proudly announcing 'save-the-planet' levels of CO2 emissions with 500mm high statistics plastered down their sides... In biodegradable green, of course.
The oasis in this laudable temple of temperance was a patch of red and blue -- specifically the Bavarians' fleet of M3s, increased by 50 per cent with the arrival of a third model, the folding hardtop M3 Convertible.
Built using the same clever three-piece electro-hydraulic folding lid as the standard E93 3 Series Convertible, the hotshoe open car is all but identical to its sedan and coupe partners. Gone is the latter's carbon-fibre roof, of course, but under the bonnet is the same glorious 8000rpm-plus 4.0-litre V8... All 309kW and 400Nm of it.
With room for four, the M3 Convertible dispatches the 0-100km/h sprint in just 5.3sec on the way to its electronically limited top speed somewhere north of 250km/h.
The standard convertible's structure has been further strengthened for the M3 variant. Rear suspension braces extend to the structural side sills and the rear antiroll bar is a larger diameter -- presumably to offset the folding hardtop's effect on the car's centre of gravity. Largely, the rest of the kit such as brakes and running gear are all directly sourced from the M3 coupe which opened the series batting in the middle of last year.
Unlike the sedan variant of the M3, BMW Australia will almost certainly offer the M3 Convertible Down Under.
Geneva also saw the show debut of BMW's long-awaited entry into the world of dual-clutch automated manual gearboxes. Dubbed M Double-Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic, BMW says the new seven-speed unit "shifts gears without the slightest interruption in the flow of power, thus promoting both the sports driving experience and gearshift comfort for the driver."
The dual-clutch, dual-shaft gearbox pre-selects the next gear in a similar manner to VW's acclaimed DSG system. It will be offered, in Europe at least, in all three M3 variants, including Geneva debutante, the M3 Convertible.
BMW claims the gearbox has been designed from the ground up for its high-revving M powerplants and is suitable for engines that rev to 9000rpm. We won't be surprised however, if a version of the gearbox finds its way into some of the more pedestrian BMW models -- particularly given the relative efficiency of DSG-style gearboxes when compared to conventional torque converter-equipped automatic gearboxes.
The M-Double gearbox benefits from BMW's Drivelogic system that maps five shift programs in the automated D-mode and six in the more serious manual S-mode. Shifts can be made via a console-mounted lever or wheel-mounted shift paddles.
The new system replaces BMW's problematic SMG system (Sequential M Gearbox). While SMG -- especially SMG II -- proved popular with track-day and competition-biased M car owners, the system was less than perfect in day-to-day use. The first generation of SMG gearbox fitted to the E36 M3 was also notoriously unreliable once mileages increased.
The principal of double-clutch transmissions is the ability to have two gears engaged at once -- drive is transferred by two separate computer-controlled clutches. As the next higher (or lower) gear is already engaged, the gearshift can be made in the time it takes to engage or disengage a clutch.
M Double-Clutch Transmission (M D-CT) equipped M3s also feature a shift-light function incorporated in the upper-edge of the tacho. The shift lights are configurable via the MDrive system and comprise six yellow LEDs and two red, which flash signifying the time to change.
To help with day-to-day chores, M D-CT also features a launch control and low speed and hill start assistance functions.
To comment on this article click here
» Get the best price on a new BMW