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Show F2 TheSalt Lake Tribune AUTOMOTIVE Friday, June 13, 1997 BMW has introduced sedan version of its M3 ts 1'stoughto say goodbye tocfr oe” By AL Haas KNIGHT-RuppeR Newspapers The boomers are getting older and wider, and their kids are getting older and taller, tearate ‘The Tank is Consequently, Mr. and Mrs Boomley have been buying sedans instead of coupes, ‘on nerves, 4 As is the case whenever the Boomleys burp or stub their toes, cataclysmic socio-economic rami fications follow. This timearound, their shifting driving preferences haveleft sedan sales booming and coupesales dying. Someone has already pulled a sco 8 ie I roar along, rending evreyoue's dhs, eeremwnn Rc tes. No sheet over thestiffening body of the Toyota Camry coupe. The Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar coupes will beinterredat the endof the model year, StMen son pleads, ashamed of The Tank, For once | The Boomleys’ shift from two to four doors has even been felt at BMW M, which is the special cideane So T make new car noises to my husband, who po- bridefedld eral fa ove Time for something eek. Tretk- He pe into the drivewayat the wheel of a new champagne-colored Infiniti, BMW toy factory where speed crazed Munich munchkins build the M3. “Look,”he says, handing me a brochure proclaiming it one of the best cio luxury cars in the world, “Superior in comfort and controi,”’ so says the booklet. “Styling that's the|Lapeph of elogance and sportiness, Comfort that durrounds every desire, And performance The M3 is alimited-production, hot-rodded version of the German automaker's delightful 3 Series car, Until now, this high performer had been availableonly as a coupe. But in 1997, it is also offered in the sedanform I tested. As an additional concession to those softening Bor mieys, the sedanis offered with automatic transmission as well 4 manual gearbox, The coupe maintains its performancepurity by being avail able only with the ZF TypeC five Speed manual. Cen thetester wasfitted with the Type slicker whose movingparts be madefromanalloy of silk and steel.) ‘Therereally isn’t muchaesthetic difference between the M3 coupe and sedan, becausethe 3 Series car is lovely in either two- or four-door form. And there isn’t a performance difference either, because both cars use the same go-fast hard- ware, Andgo-fast is what you get from this $39,380 cutie, The manual M3 goesfromrest to 60miles an hour in 5.9 seconds, which is serious sportscar stuff. Althoughit has a top speed of 155 mph in Europe, the M3 has been electronically limited to 137 in this country, I guess BMW just wants you to drive at a sensible speed. ‘The quicktrip to the hairdresser cism BMW wants, andstill affords a comfortable ride. ‘The pleasures of driving the M3 go beyondits athleticism,of course. a great deal of satisfaction n fromthesheerprecision ofthis car’s design and execution But even wonderful cars usually haveflaws, and the M3 is no exception, The flaws in question here are aestheticrather than functional, and might not be warts at all in the eyes ofother beholders, Flaw 1: Theflared panels under the doors and the extended front spoiler, These are add-onsintended to make the M3 look hotter than the 328i sedan it is based on. It’s an afterthought that does a disservice to thecar's styling, doesn’t come as muchof a surprise _if you bother to check out the rubber before you go barreling into the turns, The tires are 17-inch, Z-rated numbers with widths of 225 mil- upholstery in the test car. This was a coloronly adiaper could love. ee « Base vehicle: Rear-wheeldrive, 3,2-liter engine,fiv in the back (245/40ZR17), A delightful aspect of the new M3 is the ride it affords. M3s of old really beat you up on rough pavement. This car doesn't. Its suspension delivers the degree of athleti- traction control, sport si n, 17-inch wheels, P225/45ZR17 front tires, P245/40ZR17 reartires, dual air bags, security system, climate exceptionally tenacious. That bite 900—Domestic Cars Heteaee Come S00id 8 fas) aReaheiSharesigy etoe We Worcnr Ai PIESTGEENANGAL ae ae oa cau) 247.2010, time, for old time's sake. They will have a party on that wide, ch covered cozy back seat. And then 1'll busy myselfwith the immedi chore at hand. pe leet elt ey take ameter |5 years to reincamate baby into The * a ~ | ee peatfk anti-lock braking sys- Woakye. ye ‘90 BUICK CENTURY: pw, Eten THB Anc so in the moming, the kids and I will drive The Tank onejg . Editor Amy J. Coleman 900—Domestic Cars eeROGRANCS Year 7an00 moe oui 4, Va Wall 64 Sore tke ata Se | a SAREE te a Uke a Nees aa ae amma7a, Bi anvea |e Vea TaweK, 50Nea areaSTRIAT |B . S eee Cars| 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars |e Bric tee DeVile, bive/ 91 CADILAC Sedan DeVille, load on Calton caneke naSe roam 4308a Berne 18 CAD DEVE Roetwood| “NGA MAS 3, CADE 8Doe Ae "ons oea i Bete,toons rc Fes Siena maepina at Suese Wecrxcunc g,76-8090 ibesiecioai erte| Ka5arMackRene Woods Crore BattaeMoto, 273.72|TE Tastera aea ty‘at on Top, los Bhasiniil ‘gxcaon! cond, maroon. * + YPM. Coss ro. #1162 en 7,BACKogc,Pc sa haliteaR ‘WS BUICK Centuy, Vb, loaded, aa 99,589. ‘97 CADILACS Whatle ‘SALT LAKE ‘areal. wero amo BLOW ROGER yNe VALLEY GMC “iets nikae rc fost fn how com Mi emconant Cond coh BUICK LeSabre, 4door Badan, ith Sie 1A ET |" BS ae iy, wiping smeared mocha from those buttery leather seats, T never about the Tank. The Tank was indestructible, “ toss the fancy keys back to my husband, giving in to my Zen-!ike en, Let's jjust get The Tank repaired one more time, I suggest. “Ne Pe ry Tetae the keys back into my hand. “A Wied isxring for The tomorrow. Get used to it.” 2 _tiobioth ‘71 BUCK REGAL CUSTOM, V8. 4 6 a YOUNES cones”) apa UGE owt)BARBER BROS, al, iad right ba, Ad lance longingly at The Tank, bereft inthe driveway alongside this Total Driving Experience. 1 wonder if this miracle of automotive technology is tough enoieh to withstand the gririd of a mother's daily life. So I put it to the uhimate test: The Kids, 1 tote them to and from a birthday party. Back at home, my sinks to see the havoc they’‘ve wroughtwith their crayons, thei mi ers, the juiceboxes and chocolate bars, “Too much Tesponsibility, i opinions of formation boutthis section call the editor at 297-2024, sende-mail nacete@nacorp.comor write ea pen ae ser o aoeae Fim AE to. Cae emAENOVEDopcg.| Meskamuaret “Everything's motorized,” he sa , slightly scolding. “For everything that moves, there is a button,” He hands me the owner’s manu- the promotional considerationofbade volt BOS, aaa] SHAM S ar at BUCK, Safar 2 doo, white 4 HO tor, he shouts, “No!” ‘Automotive is published each Friday by the New: Agency Corporation and is providedas ising supplement to The Salt Lake Tribune. Anticle inthis section are 94 BUICK Pork Ave. Loaded, groat “sean 3 Pipessiis| "ania Rand's I fumble with the remote keyless entry. Am ham-handed with the power adjustable front seats. Bungle the wir conditioner, uh, I meanthe automatic climate control, When T reach to adjust the side view mir- i Automotive | 900—Domestic Cars | 900—Domestic Cars | 900—Domestic Cars | ee Cars I. Te “96ai BUCK Pox Av, cher soo REROSSESSIONS es, matter’?, my husband asks, tossing me the keys, ‘ts But I don’t want to shrink from this car, It’s to0 .., 100nice,” “You wanted a new car,” he says, bewildered, s “Not this new,”I say, “You wanted a new jal "he asks, I just shrug, He spends the next few days coaxing me into bonding with es car, * Test sbodal $39,950(inc, shipping) + EPAcity rating: 20 m.p.g. * Test mileage: 21 m. * Warranty: Four years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper, roadside tance, three years/36,000 mil 8 scheduled maintenance. Flaw 2: The bright yellow/brown i interior. oe audio system, Power sunroof. mon ceaat cat the. I back off. control, cabinair filter, stereo/cassette, central locking, power windows, powermirrors, * Test model: Noextras, limeters up front (225/45ZRI7) and transmission, four-wheel power 245 wedNawBead food. we Bo. CENTURY, $199 per mo, BANK one Hilly stbidence The original BMW M3coupe (above)is now available as a four-doormo del, this car affords is courtesy of an enlarged and tweakedversion of the 3 Series inlinesix. Theregular 3-car engine displaces 2.8 liters and develops 190 horsepower, The M3 variant has been bored andstroked to 3,2 liters, and puts out a rousing 240 Hohenzollerns. (Actually, the folks at BMW will not appreciate my calling horse power by such a name. BMWsare made in Bavaria, and the Hohenzollern royals were Prussians. Bavarians like Prussians about as much as doctors like malpractice lawyers.) The M3's spirited engine is matched by brilliant suspension performance. The sedan stays flat and unflustered when you push it hard in a corner, and its grip is pep ebony (Concoun, }5do10d0, Save Custom FS ACRES Sob ardboxany fewes ~~ SSCADIUAC DEVE wn Rees semis _fothn 89800 28 cE |” af OOM IF OM 0d SELF ood GDtie semitone Ber ‘or Secon ii oe SeiPOS oP lM sor $0 Mansheet 82aase 97 DODGE * AGRONACHae INTREPID WCAC teva open 3.5. V-4, Loaded # = ae ree! $15,495) Tetra $ eeeesse ess 1070 $0. Moin Sirowt 521-4444 Detvory Conefoo Sot ‘Att Stove Hanson "4 CADKLAC DRVALES Loose rhana. From $19,409 eee aiait 2,798, 262-24) 97 NEON 4DR 310 295 Highline v Seriea"ss Raab,BUR "ome coear ebonyraeeacylahSatna _voonstNanen rosestntea |UR 96CHRYSLER 97 BUCK LaSabre ray speck, tow mon : * ‘ : 1 7,995 Loaded, 2 in stock 96 DODGE GRAND 18,995 B3500 VAN 15 Pass, SLT, Dual Air & Hear 96 DODGE NEON Highline, Auto, Air #8234 ‘8,995 $15,995 96 EAGLE VISIONTS 96 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 81 Nissan SE 4x4 v6, a #707878 $10,888 82 Ford Bronco XLT Loaded, #81699A 81Chev $-10 Biazor 2Dr, 6-Spd, #70896A oa 82 Pont Grand Prix 20r, #PBBIOA $8,988 82 Geo Storm Accord DX 20r, 6-Spd, Clean, #P55EBA PRey 83 Honda 40r, #708288 $5,888 37,888 $9,988 STIL ET HER aaCnUN tL “FrUU ee ! a $12,888 84 Subaru Legacy | 96 PLYMOUTH $13,888 verymn, Mustang $14,988 87 Subaru Outback iain Leather, Escape #7088041 13,688 = sottoa BREEZE 85 Ford GT $19,888 96 Chev Blazer tT $22,888 5650 SOUTH STATE, MURRAY UT 264-3200 5 * a 96 DODGE ve Loaded, $7 2 ec SEBRINGCONV $16,4% 95 DODGE : Ohcohen $13,495 95 NEON 4 DR Erstete 88,495 93 CHEV 3/4 TON $13995 HINCKLEY DODG= ELC MESLC Ce Pee ul |
