2008 BMW M3 Convertible review

Okay, so the motor is nothing short of brilliant, but that in itself does not a good car make. It’s the package that makes it truly special. So how does this package compare?

Well, as a convertible, to be sure, there are going to be compromises. Things like the boot space. It’s tiny with the roof down. That’s to be expected, but what is unexpected is the amount of rear legroom you’ll find. Adults can, and will, fit. It’s still best for short stints, however a quick trip into the hills, or along your local cafe strip, will still leave passengers refreshed.

Despite the weight penalty too, there’s still some chassis flex. Certainly, it’s much better than other chop-tops, but still not perfect. And another thing which isn’t perfect is the dual-clutch gearbox (M-DCT).

It is good, yes. On setting number 2, it’s as smooth as a regular automatic but it can still be caught out. A few times, while in automatic mode, the cog-changer just did nothing after a prod of the throttle. Of most concern was an instance after rolling through a give-way sign slowly.

Once onto the main road, I depressed the pedal expecting to pull away at a reasonable speed. Nothing, it just idled along at around 5km/h, then after a few seconds of nervousness, it finally realised what it had been asked to do, and tried to compensate by roaring off.

Now I don’t mind the sound when it does that, but I do mind if traffic is catching up with me. It’s much better then, to leave it in manual mode, and use the paddle shift. Press the M-button on the steering wheel, and the settings you choose will lock in. In this case, it was the full manual mode (which allows limiter hitting), and the most aggressive gear-change. And boy what a change.

The shove in the back you feel is the gearbox whacking the next ratio in, quicker than you’d ever get it done in a conventional manual. Little wonder why the M-DCT is 0.2 seconds quicker to 100km/h than its manual sibling. It’s a brilliant change that although quite sudden, never feels agricultural. But under very hard braking, the ‘box sometimes doesn’t downshift when you want it to, even if the revs would allow.

If it was me, I’d be sticking with the manual, even with the acceleration deficit. Would that suit the lifestyle of people who would buy this car? More on that later.

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