2009 BMW M3 Base 2dr Rear-wheel Drive Coupe Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the BMW M3:

Bolted to a six-speed manual transmission, the M3 can hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds.

-- Car and Driver

In terms of pure performance, the M3 is among the most capable cars on the planet. Yet it also has a functional rear seat and starts at less than $50,000.

-- Edmunds.com

Aggressive driving is aided by heavily bolstered front bucket seats, a thick M Sport steering wheel with attractive blue and red stitching and distinctive, red-needled M instrumentation.

-- Edmunds.com

Even bystanders who don't know the difference between an M3 and a garden variety 3 Series Coupe might recognize that this car is hot.

-- New Car Test Drive

...while the M3's [optional] dual-clutch gearbox separates you from the physical involvement that comes with shifting a true manual transmission, it denies you none of the drivetrain performance.

-- Edmunds.com

The engine is powerful and willing and revs to the moon.

-- New Car Test Drive

What reviewers liked least about the BMW M3:

Today's BMW shifters are what they are: not mushy, but with a disconnected feel about them, as if the stick were the size of a straw.

-- Motor Trend

BMW M3 Comparisons:

Everything is configurable on this hyper-tech machine, especially compared with the one-form-fits-all [2009 Porsche] 911.

-- Car and Driver

Best one-liner about the BMW M3:

The soundbite: It doesn't get any better than this. The catch: But you gotta be going 90 miles an hour. The post script: In a curve.

-- New Car Test Drive

This is a lot of high-performance car in a small package.

-- New Car Test Drive