Without getting in too much details into when, where and how I took delivery of the F80 M3, I wanted to share some of my experience with all of you.
Basics specs - DCT, Exec, Driver Assist, Lighting and 19” Black 437M, AY Exterior w/ CF Roof and Full Black Marino Interior with CF Trim.
So now that I had the car for a while and has done over 500miles, I wanted to say that this car is fantastic. I was sitting on the fence over switching over to DCT. I had three, MT bmws over the last 15 years and is a diehard fan of the 3 pedals. But my last F10, 535i was a bit of a disappointment. It always felt like the 5 was designed and developed around the DCT and that MT was an afterthought. The steering also had lack of feedback and feel. Even though I enjoyed the spacious interior with my growing family, i just couldn’t wait to get out of it.
I approached the DCT with some hesitant initially, but I can say that the DCT is probably the way to go. Like Chris Harris said, unless the MT is like the one in the old NSX, it would be hard to beat the satisfaction of shifting through the gears on this DCT. The Shift are fast and instant, and when you are shifting down and engine rev matches with a perfect throttle blip. And when you coming to a complete stop and shifts down to first gear, you can hear the turbo boost release like a whistle. It is kind of cool. No matter what mode you are in the shifts are pretty instantaneous.
There is no hiding the fact that this is a turbo engine. It sounds like no other and cannot be compared to a V8. I like the sound and it is very unique. The power delivery comes up so easily, you do not have to work hard for it. I would say that this is more closer to the old N54 than the N55. When you are cruising at freeway speeds the sound almost disappears into the background, but all you have to do is shift down to the sixth or fifth and give some gas and all hell breaks lose and the car comes alive.
The standard suspension supposedly falls between Sport and Sports plus modes. It feels stiff and reminds you everytime that this is not your ordinary bmw. Once again I have no complaints and you definitely get good feedback on the road surfaces and gives you confidence with minimum body roll. I will be doing my first long road trip up to Montreal this weekend for the GP race and lets see if I will get tired of the constant up and down movement up my spine. Hopefully I won’t regret for opting out of adaptive suspension.
Steering is miles ahead of F10 5 series . It has a lot more weight to it no matter what mode you are in. This is probably by far one of the best E steering systems out there. I also have a feeling that the Michelin Pilot Super Sports are not going to last too long with limited slip and so much power and torque transferred to rears. Oh well, I guess I will have to deal with it.
Overall the car feels super light, and also the firm suspension and weighted steering and the high torque engine gives the perfect balance and a smile every time I get in the car.
Update:
Sorry for not responding any earlier. I was too busy driving :-)... They should build a Bimmerpost app for the idrive. Thank you everyone for the overwhelming response. I really was not expecting this. Hope that BMW is monitoring this thread and is pleased with the response without getting pissed at people who are responsible for making this happen. I would so like to give props to the guy that made this all happen. He makes the impossible a reality time after time. With my previous F10 535i (the only options I wanted was MT, RWD and MSport). A very rare combination in this part of the world. Every car comes with XDrive and DCT as standard. Well this guy came through for me.
So I guess I left enough of a cookie crumb trail for you guys to figure out most of your questions. I am impressed by some of your attention to details.
As for the some of the technical questions..
My impressions on the standard brakes...the first ¼” way down not much of a feel, and after that it grabs real hard. It takes a bit of getting used to. I also read this somewhere else in one of the pro reviews. Not sure if they can adjust this a bit. As for Carbon Ceramics, to me the upcharge was not justifiable. Not planning on tracking the car on a regular basis (Maybe once or twice a season if I am lucky). I figured with the up charge they are asking for CC brakes I can do brake jobs few times over.
As for car seat protection, the booster seat has a flat bottom and do not leave an impression. I do have a foam liner for the other car seat.
My wife and I were both very hesitant about this color at first. Our two previous cars were AW and the E46 was Titanium Silver. So somewhat conservative I would say. With this one we decided to go with an exclusive M Color and so far very pleased. During the day it looks somewhat bright and at night turns into a dark yellow with a green tint. Oh, and the kids call it the bumble bee car..
Some of you also had questions about winter driving and what not. No plans to park it. I will throw in a good set of winters and infact can’t wait for it. It will be a new challenge with the DCT, but looking forward to it. This is going to be a daily driver for us, which means picking up kids, groceries, going to work...etc, etc. I look forward to all these mundane tasks with great anticipation now. Being able to track the car on weekends, when the time comes is a great bonus.
Some of you were also asking for more pictures and videos etc. I do have some, but will have to do some serious editing to take out all the fun parts. As for 0 to 60 runs, that will have to wait for the break in service when they unlock launch control etc.
That’s it for now guys. I know most of you are waiting patiently and that the cars are starting to slowly trickle out. Trust me it's worth the wait! I hope they come out sooner than later and that all you guys get to enjoy the summer in the new M3/4s.
