Auto Trader Blog

Junior Writer Vijay Pattni’s Car of the Year is the BMW M3.

With British boxing dominating the sports headlines at this time of the year, it was almost fitting for BMW to unveil its most anticipated model with one of the year’s knockout figures – 414bhp.

In the world of billion-horsepower Bugattis and fiery Ferraris, 414bhp might seem a little diluted.

But install this high-revving 414bhp V8 powerplant into the humble BMW 3 Series and you have a seriously, seriously fast car.

At this point, purists may scoff – yes, the original M3 (and for some, the greatest) sported a 2.5-litre four cylinder motor which produced around 200bhp. And in the lightweight E30 3 Series wrapping, the car was a truly great driving machine.

And over the years, the M3 may have put on a few pounds – but like any boxer who has dominated the division, it is ready to move up a weight. And with the new V8, BMW has created a modern engineering marvel.

The in-gear acceleration is simply ferocious – 0-60mph is effortlessly dispatched in just 4.8 seconds and the new V8-engined M3 will thunder on to a limited top speed of 155mph.

The driving dynamics of the new BMW M3 inspire an involving, multi-dimensional drive, flowing organically from bend to bend, while the practicality of a four-seat coupe lends itself to effortless cruising.

Add in those understated handsome looks, and you have a £50k bargain.

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