Is your M3/M4 a daily driver?

[smedin]

DD. 100 degree summers, -25 degree winters. I would never leave such an excellent machine in the garage!

[PIEZON]

Hey Guys,

My wife owns an X3 35i and I'm in the market for a vehicle. I'm seriously considering Macan T. Ideally I'd like an X3M but that may not be for a few years. I'm thinking of taking a complimentary approach and looking at M3. It is a beautiful vehicle. I'm interested in insights as a daily driver. Also what you do when you take it out in snow. How it handles. And if I need to swap cars with my wife will she be too intimidated by it. Looking for insights. Thank you very much!!!!

[mkoesel]

It makes a great daily driver, equivalent to a 3 Series sedan in utility but much more fun. Here's some more reading material:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dail...bimmerpost.com

Lots of threads about winter driving here, like this one:

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1074981

Please feel free to search liberally and read up.

Good luck on the vehicle purchase process.

[Bonzer103]

I also was looking at a Macan before ordering an M3, but fell in love with the M3 styling and drivability. I'm glad I made the change. Not that I would have been unhappy with the Macan, but the emotional response the M3 stirred in me was similar to the excitement of a teenager first learning to drive.

[3er]

The practicality of the M3 coupled with the performance is what makes it such an alluring car. Good luck in your decision.

[C-ARchitect]

A ton of people DD their M's as you can see in this thread: http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1068490

[myzmak]

ibid.

Makes a great/fine/fun daily driver, is fine in the snow with winter tires on it (see the threads linked to above)

....quite a different car from a Macan or an X3, though, so will add that you should make sure you are sure on that before going down this road.

(in fact, proving once again that over time every other car in the universe will be compared to an F8X, here is an EVO video of a drag race between the two....

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1025768

)

[JoeFromPA]

If you are considering a Macan T or want an "M" version of the X3, then the M3 may not be right for you. It's not about DD-ability - the M3 makes notable sacrifices in order to be very trackable right from the showroom floor and basically compete on a 911 level despite being a full size coupe/sedan.

By comparison, the Macan Turbo or a high performance X variant vehicle are inherently street vehicles that moreso stop, turn, brake, and are more agile than their non-performance-bent variants.

There's a big difference between these two things. It's also in the difference between an M3 and an M5, for example.

If you are cross-shopping the Macan Turbo or X3, I would recommend checking out the M5/M6.

[PIEZON]

Originally Posted by Bonzer103

I also was looking at a Macan before ordering an M3, but fell in love with the M3 styling and drivability. I'm glad I made the change. Not that I would have been unhappy with the Macan, but the emotional response the M3 stirred in me was similar to the excitement of a teenager first learning to drive.

Wow! That is reassuring! I figured I could lease and after the lease the X3M will be out and I can decide whether to keep it or switch. The styling is great! Love the combo of performance and tech! How is the comfort?

[Blksnowflake]

Mine's a daily, but I'll be damned if it ever sees snow. But I live in Tejas. Even rain gets under my skin a bit so getting a Forerunner for shitty weather. Otherwise I see no point in paying so much for a garage queen, I ain't balling like that.

My wife finds it a bit intimidating....actually a lot, but she just learned to drive recently, I set M1 for her, everything in efficient and comfort settings. She drives it like a nun behind the wheel of a sunday school bus full of fragile religious care bears. Your wife will have no problems...except maybe a slight adjustment to the DCT if that is what you get.

[PIEZON]

Originally Posted by Blksnowflake

Mine's a daily, but I'll be damned if it ever sees snow. But I live in Tejas. Even rain gets under my skin a bit so getting a Forerunner for shitty weather. Otherwise I see no point in paying so much for a garage queen, I ain't balling like that.

My wife finds it a bit intimidating....actually a lot, but she just learned to drive recently, I set M1 for her, everything in efficient and comfort settings. She drives it like a nun behind the wheel of a sunday school bus full of fragile religious care bears. Your wife will have no problems...except maybe a slight adjustment to the DCT if that is what you get.

That is a great insight!!!! Thank you very much!!!!

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by PIEZON

... X3M ...

There's no promise of an X3M, by the way.

There is strong indication (near certain) of an X4 M Performance with a high output N55 similar to the one that will be in the M2. No word on whether there will be an X3 counterpart. But as for the S55 in the X3 or X4 with proper M treatment (as proper as it gets for an SUV) like an X5/X6 M, well, it appears somewhat unlikely right now.

[PIEZON]

Thanks for the great feedback guys!!! I work from home. I only put about 8k miles per year. I'm looking for something fun! Love BMW, love M. I won't track it. So for the occasions when I need to go out in snow I should be good with snow tires. Hey how do you guys haul them? Is there enough room in trunk and fold down seats or do you use another vehicle to haul them to service center?

[Carl L]

From a pure performance standpoint, the M3 is in a totally different league (handling, straight-line, braking) to the Macan Turbo. Stands to reason, similar to when being a sedan holds the M3 back vs say a 911, being an SUV holds the Macan back vs a sedan.

Depends on how you'll use the car. If you want the fastest production sedan to EVER have lapped the Nurburgring, then the M3 is the only choice.

[phantomF80]

Originally Posted by PIEZON

Wow! That is reassuring! I figured I could lease and after the lease the X3M will be out and I can decide whether to keep it or switch. The styling is great! Love the combo of performance and tech! How is the comfort?

I was in the same boat. I had test driven the Macan and was ready to order, but my wife convinced me to order the M3 after she had seen the Macan in person. In term of ride quality, Macan is much more comfortable than the M3. Even without the PASM, the car rides very comfortably. And I would argue that it's interior is much better looking than M3. However, the cabin itself is smaller than M3, especially the backseats. They are more comparable to X1 than M3 or X3. The cabin is too quiet, even at pedal all the way on the floor.

I would look at this way. If you want comfort and good trunk space with an almost sportscar like handling and acceleration, but willing to sacrifice a bit of interior space, then go with Macan. But if you want true sport car like performance and ability to haul people in the backseat, and don't mind a bit of a harsh ride, then M3.

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by PIEZON

Hey Guys,

My wife owns an X3 35i and I'm in the market for a vehicle. I'm seriously considering Macan T. Ideally I'd like an X3M but that may not be for a few years. I'm thinking of taking a complimentary approach and looking at M3. It is a beautiful vehicle. I'm interested in insights as a daily driver. Also what you do when you take it out in snow. How it handles. And if I need to swap cars with my wife will she be too intimidated by it. Looking for insights. Thank you very much!!!!

I was in the same boat as you. Was fixated on the Macan as soon as they announced them. Drove the S and the T. T is sick but from an emotion standpoint the thing was pretty sterile - you'd be going 85 MPH and it never threw you back in your seat, didn't make much noise at all, and felt like you were going 35 MPH. There were also issues with the transmission (severe hesitations between 1-2 randomly in turns).

Then I went with a friend who was checking out an M3...more what I was after. Just as fast as the Macan T but felt as fast as it should, made better sounds as well. Just completely lost interest in the Macan after that (note: I have a 4WD truck so I didn't need AWD). So the M3 was a proper RWD car with 400+ HP and could transport kids and their accompanying crap, AND had a manual option (huge bonus). Turns out the M3 has more rear seating room and cargo capacity than the Macan as well. So decision was easy for me, but the M3 wasn't even on my radar until my friend took that test drive...I was in love after that....sometimes a good slap across the side of the head is a good thing....I think he was just doing me a favor.

Could you both live without AWD vehicles? If you live in a snowy area who's going to be taking the M3 after the big snowstorm (it will do fine, AWD rage is an American thing, not a European one)? With a Macan it won't be as much an issue. Price point is cheaper for the M3 once you start speccing out that Macan T (will get you up to 90-95K easily). Buy an M3, and a used subaru...still cheaper than the Macan T...

[Rick955]

Originally Posted by PIEZON

Thanks for the great feedback guys!!! I work from home. I only put about 8k miles per year. I'm looking for something fun! Love BMW, love M. I won't track it. So for the occasions when I need to go out in snow I should be good with snow tires. Hey how do you guys haul them? Is there enough room in trunk and fold down seats or do you use another vehicle to haul them to service center?

Cannot speak for the 'M' per-SE as I'm waiting on mine, but same trunk as the 335... had to pick up a 55" flat panel TV the other day, dropped the rear seats and it slid right in box and all! . Of course, it's not an SUV, but it's amazing how much you can get in there, especially with the seats down!

I do about the same miles as you, and same winter issues here too! Not worried about winter and if I decide I don't want it to see snow, I'll grab a beater!

[PIEZON]

Originally Posted by phantomF80

I was in the same boat. I had test driven the Macan and was ready to order, but my wife convinced me to order the M3 after she had seen the Macan in person. In term of ride quality, Macan is much more comfortable than the M3. Even without the PASM, the car rides very comfortably. And I would argue that it's interior is much better looking than M3. However, the cabin itself is smaller than M3, especially the backseats. They are more comparable to X1 than M3 or X3. The cabin is too quiet, even at pedal all the way on the floor.

I would look at this way. If you want comfort and good trunk space with an almost sportscar like handling and acceleration, but willing to sacrifice a bit of interior space, then go with Macan. But if you want true sport car like performance and ability to haul people in the backseat, and don't mind a bit of a harsh ride, then M3.

Great insight! Thank you very much!

[PIEZON]

Originally Posted by rhk118

I was in the same boat as you. Was fixated on the Macan as soon as they announced them. Drove the S and the T. T is sick but from an emotion standpoint the thing was pretty sterile - you'd be going 85 MPH and it never threw you back in your seat, didn't make much noise at all, and felt like you were going 35 MPH. There were also issues with the transmission (severe hesitations between 1-2 randomly in turns).

Then I went with a friend who was checking out an M3...more what I was after. Just as fast as the Macan T but felt as fast as it should, made better sounds as well. Just completely lost interest in the Macan after that (note: I have a 4WD truck so I didn't need AWD). So the M3 was a proper RWD car with 400+ HP and could transport kids and their accompanying crap, AND had a manual option (huge bonus). Turns out the M3 has more rear seating room and cargo capacity than the Macan as well. So decision was easy for me, but the M3 wasn't even on my radar until my friend took that test drive...I was in love after that....sometimes a good slap across the side of the head is a good thing....I think he was just doing me a favor.

Could you both live without AWD vehicles? If you live in a snowy area who's going to be taking the M3 after the big snowstorm (it will do fine, AWD rage is an American thing, not a European one)? With a Macan it won't be as much an issue. Price point is cheaper for the M3 once you start speccing out that Macan T (will get you up to 90-95K easily). Buy an M3, and a used subaru...still cheaper than the Macan T...

Wow! You gave me a great perspective! I've been bonkers over the Macan too! I can across the M3 versus Turbo YouTube video and I started to think. Since my wife has an X3 it may be redundant. Plus I'm specing a 82k build and putting $8k down. I could lease m3 for less and keep money in bank! I've always been passionate about BMW brand and service they provide. Great points!!! Thank you!

[PIEZON]

Plus I'm sure M3 will have a great resale since they hold their value well.

[erind]

OP I DD mine and all I can say is: The M3/M4 is a fantastic car.

[PIEZON]

How is the exhaust note? YouTube review said sounds like a Honda?