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The 2008 M3 sedan gains two doors, added rear-seat capacity and more trunk space over its two-door sibling the C63 AMG
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By GREG KABLE

PHOTO GALLERY
The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG will get four-door sedan competition next year in the form of BMW's 2008 M3 sedan.

Munich's latest performance hero retains its recently introduced coupe sibling's mechanical package, including 4.0-liter, 414-hp, 300-lb-ft V8 engine, but adds the practicality of two extra doors, greater rear seat accommodation and additional trunk space in a move BMW hopes will further extend the M3's already huge appeal.

Stylistically, the sedan picks up all the characteristic M3 cues, including a deep front bumper, flared front wheel arches, power dome, hood and side fender ducts, chiseled side sills, deck lid spoiler lip, new rear bumper with integrated diffuser, and quad chromed tailpipes.

Further setting the new car apart from its lesser four-door 3 Series siblings is a unique front end appearance featuring the headlamps and kidney grille treatment from the M3 coupe.

BMW puts the new car's curb weight at 3531 lbs, about 25 lbs more than the M3 coupe. Performance remains sharp with 0-60 mph in an estimated 4.7sec (0.1-second slower than the coupe).

Underneath, it's the same as for the coupe; a MacPherson strut (front) and multi-link (rear), with the M3 sedan offering a slightly more compliant ride than the coupe due to the slightly inferior rigidity of its four-door body. BMW's electronic damping control will continue to allow driver's to choose between three different levels of stiffness.

This is not the first time the M3 has been offered as a sedan. Between 1994 and 1998, BMW sold a four-door version of the E36 model. BMW's decision to revive the M3 sedan after one generation can be directly related to the popularity of AMG's four-door C63 and Audi's RS4.

The M3 sedan makes its world debut at the upcoming Tokyo show, followed by a U.S. premiere in Los Angeles in November. The car goes on sale simultaneously with the coupe next spring, priced in the low $60,000 range.

What's next for the M3? BMW will reveal the M3 convertible, with a folding hardtop roof, at the Geneva motor show next March.

This article was last updated on: 10/08/07, 11:09 et