BMW M3 E90

BMW M3 E90 is a luxury vehicle that has won the hearts of many people. True fans of cars of the German concern purchase this brand regardless of where they live. The fourth generation of M-Pover is one of the best, as the Bavarians managed to develop a truly “charged” model, which has a standard platform. This car was released in 2005. Following it, the developers made a restyling. It was relevant until 2013. In principle, the popularity of the car and to date has not dried up.

Exterior

The design of the BMW M3 E90 vehicle cannot be compared with the exterior of cars from other manufacturers. The car received not only the long-loved by everyone branded nostrils, but also very beautiful headlights – “angel eyes”. In the production of this “Bavarian” engineers emphasized exclusively on the width of the vehicle. In the front axis, the car looks somewhat more massive, more aggressive and more powerful than the standard model. So, the front bumper was equipped with a huge grille at the very bottom, resembling a bulb. It is this element that gives the BMW a sporty style.

The image of the car is complemented by small-sized protrusions. They are made of plastic material, and the corners of the bumper are also equipped with air intakes. Above the fog lights there are headlights of rectangular type, which have rounded corners and built-in dual optics. Between them is attached a grille of the classic type from the radiator system, endowed with two sections.

If you compare M3 E90 with the standard modification, you can identify the fact that the hood is somewhat muscular. Wide wheel arches are also very well visible, because even when the car does not move, it seems as if it is forcibly pressed to the asphalted surface.

Very cool looking rearview mirrors, installed on the sides and having a somewhat complicated shaped design, as well as additional overlays resembling fins. Looking closely at the profile of the car, one can note the aggressiveness of the exterior, and disks with perforation give the car seriousness and sporty style. The whole design is emphasized by the “M-sills” attached on the sides, and the rear is pushed to the bottom, where a small spoiler is located. It makes the car look really powerful, strong and sporty.

As for the body of the car, its style caused a lot of discussions. Fans of the Bavarians everywhere said that the rear stops spoiled the whole design and appearance, but there were those who liked them. It should also be noted that on the sides of the false grille from the radiator system, you can also see massive twin pipes that are part of the exhaust system. Externally, it seems that the rear lights of the BMW are divided into two parts. This many people did not like. The fact is that the first part was located directly on the surface of the trunk lid, and the second – the developers built into the wings of the car.

The luggage compartment is inferior in size to its predecessor and it is made under the guise of white glazing that houses the lamps for reversing.

Interior

Tactics of minimalism – the ideal solution of designers for the design of the interior of the car. This style has long been considered a real masterpiece, so it is loved by absolutely all car owners. Drive during the ride brings the fact that there are no complicated elements. The car is not luxurious and is not based on refinements like wooden or aluminum overlays. All materials used by developers are expensive in terms of price criteria and are of high quality.

As for minimalism, almost all “Bavarians emky” are equipped with this design. Sedans have a regular, modest, three-spoke steering wheel with a small number of buttons. The simplicity of the dashboard surprises with its equipment – large wells of tachometer and speedometer, embedded and adjoined to the rest of the instruments. Between the tachometer and speedometer engineers decided to place a small on-board computer, showing the amount of fuel, air temperature outside and many other data.

The center console has a multimedia display of huge dimensions. The whole system is covered with a special plastic visor. Therefore, even in strong sun all the indicators will be visible as on the palm of your hand. And below the developers have located blocks that allow to control the climate system and audio system. Tunnel, which is between armchairs has a small puck, allowing to control multimedia in the car. If to speak about expensive complete set of a sedan, outwardly it reminds the basic version, but it is equipped with additional options.

Sports seats are an integral part of the interior. Inside there is a rather rigid filling material. Engineers have not forgotten about the pronounced lateral support. The trunk and its compartment holds 460 liters, which is considered an amazing indicator for a compact and sporty car.

Engine

One of the advantages of the vehicle BMW M3 E90 is considered to be the engine. In it placed a V-shaped motor of 8 cylinders, completely built on the basis of the V10 platform (it is installed on the car brand BMW M5). The power unit S65B40 has a working volume of 4.0 liters, which allows the car to go with up to 420 hp.

Such power was achieved in the following way. Engineers spun the power unit to 8,300 rpm in 60 seconds. Since the motor is located under the hood longitudinally, all the power is automatically given to the rear wheels. Thus the engine functions both with a six-speed manual transmission, and with a seven-range transmission of a robot box. Choosing a car on the robot transmission, the car owner can reduce acceleration to a hundred kilometers per hour by 0.2 (total time – 4.9 sec.) tenths of a second.

The car can reach speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. The power unit requires only European standard fuel – 98 gasoline. In city driving, the car consumes 17.9 liters of fuel per hundred kilometers. On the highway, this figure is 9.2 liters per 100 kilometers, with a mixed cycle the figure has an index of 12.4 liters per hundred. As for the tank, its volume is 63 liters. The maximum torque is 400 Nm, with an available 3900 revolutions in 60 seconds.

Many car owners are interested in information about what kind of oil to fill the car to make the engine work as long as possible. For this brand and engine is inherent oil liquid of off-season semi-synthetic means 10W-40 with SL quality (car of 2007 year of manufacture).

For new brands launched on the market since 2014, it is better to choose synthetic 0W-40\SM for the cold period. Before changing to a new oil, it is better to double-check the manufacturer’s specifications and maintenance intervals.

The oil viscosity should be 0W30, 0W40, 5W30 or 5W40. The total volume is 7 liters, and for each 1000 kilometers of mileage, 1.6 liters should be additionally topped up. At the same time, the engineers of the German concern advise to pour only the original oil liquid. Moreover, it should be done with replacement of all filters – air, fuel and oil. The periodicity of change according to factory requirements is 7,500 kilometers of mileage, and the maximum indicator is 15,000.

Car owners note that they perform the procedure after 10,000 kilometers of mileage or once every 365 days. As for oil manufacturers, the most popular are BMW Twin Power 0w40, LM Molugen 5w40, Motul 8100 X-clean 5W30, Shell Helix Ultra Professional AM-L 5W-30.

Technical specifications

The performance features of this vehicle are as follows:

• availability of the ESP directional stability system;
• turning diameter is 11.7 m, Maximum speed up to 280 kilometers per hour;
• In the curb weight of the car has a figure of 1,680 kilograms, while the gross weight equates to 2,150 kilograms;
• In terms of engine displacement, the figure is set at 3,999 cubic centimeters with 420 horsepower;
• The auto has a power system such as distributed injection with V-type cylindrical blocks;
• The four cylinder block diameter equates to 92 millimeters with a piston stroke of 75.2 millimeters and a compression ratio of 12;
• front and rear ventilated disc brakes, ABS function;
• the steering has a rack-and-pinion steering system and the steering wheel is equipped with power steering;
• the BMW is rear-wheel drive;
• transmission can be with manual – 6 and with automatic transmission – 7;
• The suspension has coil springs at the rear and front;
• The body type is a sedan with four doors and 5 seats inside the cabin;
• The wheelbase is 4580 mm with a front track of 1540 mm and a rear track of 1539 mm. Standard tires are 265/40R18.

As for other features, the length of the vehicle is 4,580 millimeters, the width equates to 2005 millimeters, and the ground clearance is 1,447 mm.

Electronics

The multimedia and audio systems in the car can even be controlled from a smartphone if the car owner downloads a special application. But in addition to this, the nuances and developments of electronics include changes made by re-flashing. So, chip tuning (reprogramming of the ETU) will help to correct the modes of operation in the electronic control unit of the engine. If a re-flashing is made, it will make significant adjustments to the original program. Chip tuning BMW M3 E90 is carried out by many car owners, as it significantly increases the power of the power unit and reduces fuel consumption.

In principle, re-flashing on sports cars is not uncommon. It should be taken into account that the firmware can increase power, but not more than 10%. It should be understood that such intervention will increase torque, reduce fuel consumption and improve the overall comfort of the motor and transmission. Specialists say that it is possible to increase power by more than 10%. For example, with the help of re-flashing, the increase can be 50 percent, and in some situations even 100 percent.

Options

On the BMW M3 E90, the developers have applied a chassis with suspension that has an optimized mass of elements. Engineers have implemented a special aluminum frame for this Bavarian, so that it can provide a balance of mass resting on the front and rear parts during driving. The ratio is 50/50.

Several functioning systems have also been implemented in this vehicle, among them DSC, ABS, ASC, CBC, and spoke emo style alloy wheels. At the front are 18-by-8.5-inch (the low profile tires are 245-by-40), while the rear are 18-by-9.5mm (265-by-40 tires). If car owners want a larger profile, nineteen-inch rims can be put on this car.

The robust body structure is capable of providing all-round protection for all passengers. The vehicle is specially equipped with 6 airbags at once. Since it is a sports car, it also has 3-point inertia seat belts. They are designed for each passenger and have a pretensioner.

To improve safety at night, engineers have taken care of driving comfort at this time of day. Bi-xenon headlights of dual type are installed on the car as standard. An additional option is adaptive headlights. For those who do not know, the car was also released in a limited edition in such packages as a special version CRT, as well as Competition Package, Pure Edition, Special Edition.

Problems

Despite all the features and advantages, car owners of the vehicle face some unpleasant moments from time to time:

1. Oil pump gasket leaking. It is necessary to control it. Its timely replacement (this also applies to all pumping equipment) will save the car from other breakdowns.
2. Over time, a whistling sound is heard in the engine. The matter is that the ventilation unit may be covered with corrosion. It is necessary to regularly lubricate it with special grease, clean the fan motor or replace the entire ventilation unit.
3. Headlight glass. Sometimes, it happens that the headlights start to melt from the main light. Probably, the reason is incorrect adjustment of the lighting focus. If the car is in service for more than three years, then you should recheck the contact fuse block. The wire going to the plus side may be broken.
4. The material of the driver’s seat is in bad condition. If the seats in the car are covered with leather, you should expect tears, scuffs, cracks over time.

Many car owners complain, over time, about incorrect or improper engine operation. The fact is that the problem may exist in the engine assembly itself. At first it works normally, but then the power unit sometimes simply does not start. Then you should look closely at the condition of the valves. It is also necessary to keep an eye on the oil level and change it regularly.

Conclusions

If we talk about the restyled version of the BMW M3 E90 LCI, it was first introduced in 2008. There are no serious changes in the vehicle. Except that the rear optics is noticeably updated. “Charged” BMW M3 E90 is an excellent auto, which is characterized by a real sporty appearance. The car is provided with good stability, has a spoiler and many other interesting chips. It can not be ignored that the design of the car as a whole is made of lightweight materials. So, for the roof, engineers used carbon fiber, and the suspension is made of aluminum. The chip is a high-torque engine, which has individual throttle plates and a system that changes phases. Since the car functions as a sports car, all the power is directed purely to the rear-wheel drive. In the end, car owners and their reviews say that the vehicle has more pluses than minuses. The most important thing is the timely maintenance of the machine at professional service stations. If you make a timely diagnosis and conduct a computerized inspection, you can accurately determine the condition of the car. This will help to identify malfunctions or failures in operation. Having eliminated them, it is possible to operate the vehicle more comfortably.

Generations and configurations

Sedan 4th generation

03.2007 – 07.2012