2008 BMW M3: Daddy Driven

Now that there’s a little Thomas in the house, the wife and I are no longer DINKs so the way I look at cars I’m reviewing has changed. The addition of a child seat alters the entire framing of how I view the cars in our driveway and how I live with them. I routinely am the one to drop the little guy off for daycare in the morning, and if the test car can’t handle our seat — or I mistakenly leave the extra base in a different test car — my wife is not too happy. That frames the debate: What cars can a dad get away with owning? Obviously a big sedan or SUV will get the job done, but what about the cars dads lust over?

The shiny, white 2008 BMW M3 sedan sure looks like it can handle the task. But does it pass the test?