[Sponsored Report] After 31 months of work, new SM3 is finally here

The new SM3

Even before the official launch of the car, 10,000 people preordered the Renault Samsung SM3. In just three months, 30,000 customers came in for test drives, leading to 40,000 contract orders and a national sensation. In all, 6,224 SM3s were sold in April - and that’s been increasing, to 21,681 sales this year alone.

Renault Samsung engineers spent 31 months and 320 billion won developing the new SM3. Although it is technically a mid-sized sedan, it’s being marketed as a premium family sedan, and its dimensions make it bigger than any other car in its class.

Of course, providing a stylish and impressive exterior is only one goal, and the SM3 also features a spacious and luxurious interior among midsized and large sedans, suited to its full complement of passengers.

Moreover, the SM3 is the only mid-sized car available in Korea equipped with a premium Bose sound system, for the kind of top-quality audio experience previously only available on some imported models.

As consumers grow more conscious of the impact their purchases have on the environment, Renault Samsung too has shifted its priorities toward efficiency and low impact. The SM3 has the highest fuel efficiency among any of its major competitors. The new model can travel 15.0 kilometers per liter (35 miles per gallon), which is 15 percent better than the old SM3.

Another major accomplishment of Renault Samsung engineers is the SM3’s Xtronic continuously variable transmission, a proven piece of equipment customized to reflect local market characteristics. The Xtronic is an automatic transmission in that no shifting is required, but the gear ratio range is unlimited, so you can order any shift within a certain range.

In short, the Xtronic offers the merits of manual and automatic transmissions. In practice, this means the driver can achieve optimal gear management and driving conditions at will, while improving fuel efficiency and acceleration performance.

A continuously variable transmission also helps to provide a soft and comfortable ride, since there are no abrupt gear shifts even while the car is accelerating suddenly.

The new SM3, carefully rebuilt to dominate its market segment for luxury, comfort, reliability, efficiency and power, is more than enough to fulfill the needs of any owner of a premium family sedan - or, for that matter, any mid-size or standard-sized car in its class.

The 2011 SM3, which went on sale May 3, is the first compact mid-sized car in Korea that is equipped with side air-bags as a standard feature, raising the bar for safety in Korea.