Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld became globally known in the 1990s when it flipped the original Mercedes A-Class in a moose test. Decades later, the journalists are still performing the evasive maneuver test, and their latest car had the BMW roundel. Painted in Isle of Man Green, it’s an M3 Competition in rear-wheel-drive guise that was fully loaded to its gross weight limit of 2,210 kilograms (4,872 pounds).
For a car to pass the test, Teknikens Värld has set a minimum entrance speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) but the M3 Competition did it at a slightly faster 47 mph (76 km/h), managing to complete the course without taking down any cones. The green machine received the proverbial stamp of approval in the challenging moose test. It would be interesting to see whether there are any differences between the rear-wheel-drive model and the xDrive-equipped version.
The G80 was praised for how stable it was while dancing through the cones, offering plenty of grip without the driver ever feeling as if he was losing control of the rear. Teknikens Värld says the M3 proved to be “easy to handle on the limit.” It did have the tendency to understeer a bit in the middle of the test, but nothing major which would represent a cause for concern.
The sedan follows another moose test we saw only a few days ago when the Spanish magazine km77 put the wagon version through its paces. The G81 completed the run at a significantly lower entrance speed of 44 mph (71 km/h). That’s not all too surprising since the wagon is heavier and therefore less agile than its four-door sibling.
BMW is still finding ways to tweak the M3 formula considering the sedan has already spawned a CS version, which might be applied to the wagon as well. The xDrive variant is reportedly getting a bit more power, and we’re also expecting a Life Cycle Impulse to freshen up the car as it battles the new Mercedes-AMG C63.
Source: Teknikens Värld / YouTube
