M3 from $157,000

BMW Australia has announced that its V8-powered E92-series M3 sports coupe will be priced from $157,000 when it reaches Australian showrooms on October 11.

Among the options available will be an electric sunroof within a steel roof (at no cost over the standard carbon-fibre unit), 19-inch forged M lightweight alloy wheels ($3800), a premium stereo ($1900) and an electric rear roller blind ($550).

The sole transmission at launch will be a six-speed manual, while BMW is expected to offer a double-clutch automated manual gearbox from around March 2008. The new 4.0-litre V8 produces 309kW at 8300rpm and 400Nm at 3900rpm, and when coupled with the conventional manual it can send the 1580kg rear-drive coupe from 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.8 seconds.

New standard equipment for M3 includes Novillo leather trim, heated front seats, adaptive headlights, high-beam assist, voice recognition, keyless entry, front and rear parking radars, satellite-navigation, brake-force display, electronic damper control (EDC) and “MDrive”. Metallic paint is also now standard.

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