It’s a popular game these days to name the Mount Rushmore of everything. Whether it’s steak houses, SI cover model, or pro wrestlers, any beloved entities are broken down by fans into the essential four elites, classics or must haves.
The task can be difficult. Usually, there are a couple no-brainers to start the process with one or two easy calls. Then, the arguments begin. If NFL devotees were kicking around NFL running backs, it’s easy to list Jim Brown and Barry Sanders. But what about Walter Payton or Eric Dickerson?
For NBA greats, Michael Jordan is going to be there. But who do you pick between Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Bill Russell, The Big O and Magic Johnson? When do relative newcomers like Lebron James earn their faces in stone?
For British rock bands, The Beatles are a given, but good luck selecting between The Who, The Stones, Led Zeppelin and One Direction. (Some calls ARE easier than others, of course.)
If the realm in question for this given Rushmore is luxury sports sedans, it’d be quick to carve a very lonely mountain face. The BMW M3 Coupe would be high above South Dakota all by itself. It’s been up there for decades, and the newest incarnation will keep its glowing reputation set in stone.
I got the chance to drive the four door 2015 M3 sedan on the world class track of Road America and on the quiet streets and rural highways of Central Wisconsin. Suffice to say, I bit off a lot of corners bearing advertisements for Johnsonville Brats and terrified herds of grazing moo cows.
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On the road, there’s no driving environment the M3 can’t adapt to in terms of styling and performance. Its aerodynamics rip it down any highway so smoothly that the driver needs to keep an eye on the speedometer. The M3’s perfect balance and hunkered down stability make 90 mpg feel like 55. Even though 90 is always better than 55, the Wisconsin State Troopers have no sense of adventure.
Of course, the M3 excels on the track — though its standard top speed is limited unles you opt for a special “Driver’s Package.” The 425 horsepower V6 engine will do 0-60 in four seconds, while an electro-mechanical steering system aids in driver handling. The result is a fast, nimble car that manages to be immensely grounded and reassuring, even at speed.
In the aesthetics department, there’s a boastful joy inherent to driving a brand new BMW M3 through a friendly small town where the main employer is a Sargento Cheese factory. The high school kids walking home from summer school stop and point, wide-eyed. The families piling out of their cars at the roadside produce stands watch and appreciate the value of aspiration.
But, the best part of the M3’s look is its restraint. It’s undeniably aggressive and sport-centric. It tells the world, “I’m able and ready to drive right by you.” But, it doesn’t tap out to over the top fins and yawning vents. It maintains its dignity, guaranteeing it remains a perfect grown up performance car — a ride a man can take from the track to the office.
In the end, all of those superlatives and compliments become an epitaph of sorts for the ole coupe because BMW will discontinue that version of the M3 soon. It seems an odd choice to kill off such a successful car, but the Bavarians want to invest in the new M4 coupe instead and make that car the next icon.
It’s a tough task to replace any legend, and I’m going to bet the M3 coupe remains alone up on its Mount Rushmore for a long time — while the two-door M4 searches for its own real estate.
