Mobile phone cradle

BMW brings you a feature which enables you to phone in comfort from your car without the need for a cable.

Thanks to the mobile phone attachment with a Bluetooth interface (available separately), drivers can use the hands-free telephone function and multifunction steering wheel to talk on the phone. In addition, telephone calls, last calls and other important data is compared with the on-board computer. A snap-in adapter connects the mobile phone with the aerial and power source to recharge its batteries.

Multi-Information Display

The Multi-Information Display (MID) provides the driver with important information about how the technology in their car is functioning, a definite plus when it comes to safety and reliability.

In this way, check/control displays information coming from the optional on-board computer, such as average fuel consumption or estimated time of arrival, and indicates if a particular function is not performing properly.

A digital clock is also integrated into the MID.

M suspension technology

A reflection of their supreme performance, many M cars feature an elaborately modified axle system. A typical example in this context is the front and rear axle configuration in the BMW M3, enhanced to even higher standards for even more precise driving characteristics and control, particularly on bends.

The single-joint spring-strut front axle with anti-dive excels in particular through its very strong connection to the car's body. Not only the new spring-strut supports, but also the extremely stable aluminium track control arms have been reinforced once again.

A new feature is the aluminium thrust plate, which channels forces into the body of the car even more consistently over a large surface. This enhances body stiffness and significantly improves both steering behaviour and driving stability. The modified central arm rear axle, in turn, rests on two track control arms and one longitudinal arm fitted at a central point on the body of the car.

An additional V-arm leads down from the rear axle to the floorpan, again providing an even stiffer connection of the rear axle and the bodyshell. All these features together ensure the outstanding steering precision offered by the M3.

M Servotronic

M Servotronic is a special form of power steering geared not to engine speed, like conventional power steering systems, but rather to the car's actual road speed.

In practice this means ample power assistance when parking and manoeuvring at low speeds, followed by gradual reduction of power assistance as road speed increases to ensure greater direct contact with the road at high speeds and, as a result, an even higher standard of steering precision. Using the sports switch, the driver can also choose a second steering control curve for even sportier feedback from the steering.

M mobility systems

BMW's M mobility systems were developed to provide you with help should your car suffer a breakdown: the focus is on easy repairs that enable you to get back on the road quickly. If something creates a puncture of over 4mm in diameter in a wheel of your car, you can set to work with the kit located in the boot.

This kit consists of an electric compressor in a splashproof case, which also carries an aluminium flask to hold the tyre repair fluid, and the necessary cable and pipe connections. The compressor should be plugged into the cigarette lighter and then used to pump the tyre repair fluid into the tyre via the valve, eliminating the need for more extensive repairs. The repair kit takes up less space and weighs much less than a spare wheel.

M lightweight bumpers

The M lightweight bumpers are the world's first series-production bumpers of their kind, made of an extremely light and tough advanced composite plastic.

Instead of the usual reaction resin-based plastic, this high-performance advanced composite plastic uses a thermoplastic polymer. The great advantage of this new material is that it cuts weight by approximately 60 per cent, while the strength of the bumpers increases.

M exhaust system

The M exhaust system is an important component in ensuring optimum power and torque as well as engine speed management with an M engine. It also serves to give each M car its very special, characteristic sound. This is one of the reasons why all M models come with a large silencer providing that signature rumble of power and muscle.

The double-chamber stainless-steel exhaust system is dominated by four powerful-looking tailpipes: not only do they signal the impressive sporting strength of BMW M automobiles, but they are also a further element contributing to these cars' special sound, the expression of their power.