M3 / M4 Impressions...

[Smoltz]

Was able to check out and drive M3 and M4 this weekend. Couple of thoughts...

I think they look great. M4 was better in real life than in pictures, but I still think the proportions are off a bit. In particular the distance between the rear door and the rear wheel well, just doesn't seem quite right. One of the M4s I saw was Sakhir Orange \ Black, the other was Austin Yellow \ Black. Both are a bit loud for my tastes but both were very striking, in a positive way.

M3 looked great. White \ Red, Black wheels. Very aggressive, great stance. I really wanted to see the carbon roof, but all 3 cars had the sunroof.

On both cars, great interior, excellent seats, a bit more room in the back than E90. Great technology. Full leather was very nice, especially the way the door panels are stiched along the top edge. Would be hard to skip over this option on a custom build despite the price.

My daily is an E46 M3 and coming from that the ergonomics are a little funny. Everything is in the right place on the F8x and seats are definitely better, but I can't help but notice how high you sit and how high the hood is, seemed to make the car feel larger than it is and just generally less sporty.

From a pure performance perspective the car is impressive. Very stiff chassis, very well controlled body movement. The car I drove had the standard suspension and it seemed to strike a good compromise between handling and compliance. Every time I looked down I was going faster than I expected.

Engine had more lag than I was expecting. I didn't want to beat on the car but I ran it through most of it's rev range at part throttle. Seemed to be happiest in the middle of the rev range. In the lower revs you were waiting for boost and in the upper revs, it was running out of steam.

Steering loaded up nicely when cornering but felt pretty lifeless on center. I played with the Comfort / Sport / Sport Plus. A noticeable difference, definitely seemed overly heavy in Sport Plus. If you blindfolded someone and had them hold the steering wheel I think they would be hard pressed to tell if the car was stopped or moving, there is just very little feedback through the wheel at steady state. Probably par for the course with EPS, but I thought the 991 was a bit better.

Dual clutch gearbox was good. I wished the paddles were stationary, but this is obviously preference. I played with the settings a bit, but I did feel that the gearbox was a bit inconsistent from shift to shift even in the same mode, probably based on throttle position and other factors but just felt that the dual clutch in my GT-R was a bit more consistent (although the GT-Rs wasn't quite as smooth). PDK on the 911 seems the most impressive to me. Very consistent, very quick, smooth. I'd probably order a 6 speed manual and row my own, although if I was buying a 991, I'd go PDK.

Overall, the driving experience just left me a bit cold. I really wanted to like it and I drove the M4 and M3 a few days apart to give it a second shot. Unfortunately it just wasn't as engaging or connected as the E90 or E46, seems more like an Audi to me, very precise but without some of the emotion. Both cars I drove had stickers at the 80k mark, which seemed a bit pricey. I've always felt the M3 was great bang for the buck and just seems a bit less so with this model than previous models, although my ideal build would be closer to 70k as I could forego driver assistance, LED headlights, executive package (although I wish I could just order comfort access). I may pick one up at some point anyway and give it a try, but it didn't leave me with the 'have to have it' feeling.

Just my 2 cents.

[damnitBobby]

i imagine anything will leave you a bit "cold" after owning a challenge stradale

[fusionchicken]

Originally Posted by damnitBobby

i imagine anything will leave you a bit "cold" after owning a challenge stradale

+100

Though it's refreshing to read a different perspective regarding the engine's power delivery in various rev ranges. This is not the first time I've read that the engine runs outta steam toward redline, but it's to be expected from a turbocharged car, i.e. making the meat of its power in the mid-range. The low end response is slightly disappointing, though you just can't beat physics.

[IMrMark]

Thanks for the post good sir. I really agreed with you on the point about paddle placement actually. I drive such that I don't follow the wheel, so having the paddles all over the place was not ideal. I went 6MT though, so wasn't as much a concern for me personally. Like you said, all preference and style probably.

[DanoneBMW]

Originally Posted by Smoltz

Was able to check out and drive M3 and M4 this weekend. Couple of thoughts...

I think they look great. M4 was better in real life than in pictures, but I still think the proportions are off a bit. In particular the distance between the rear door and the rear wheel well, just doesn't seem quite right. One of the M4s I saw was Sakhir Orange \ Black, the other was Austin Yellow \ Black. Both are a bit loud for my tastes but both were very striking, in a positive way.

M3 looked great. White \ Red, Black wheels. Very aggressive, great stance. I really wanted to see the carbon roof, but all 3 cars had the sunroof.

On both cars, great interior, excellent seats, a bit more room in the back than E90. Great technology. Full leather was very nice, especially the way the door panels are stiched along the top edge. Would be hard to skip over this option on a custom build despite the price.

My daily is an E46 M3 and coming from that the ergonomics are a little funny. Everything is in the right place on the F8x and seats are definitely better, but I can't help but notice how high you sit and how high the hood is, seemed to make the car feel larger than it is and just generally less sporty.

From a pure performance perspective the car is impressive. Very stiff chassis, very well controlled body movement. The car I drove had the standard suspension and it seemed to strike a good compromise between handling and compliance. Every time I looked down I was going faster than I expected.

Engine had more lag than I was expecting. I didn't want to beat on the car but I ran it through most of it's rev range at part throttle. Seemed to be happiest in the middle of the rev range. In the lower revs you were waiting for boost and in the upper revs, it was running out of steam.

Steering loaded up nicely when cornering but felt pretty lifeless on center. I played with the Comfort / Sport / Sport Plus. A noticeable difference, definitely seemed overly heavy in Sport Plus. If you blindfolded someone and had them hold the steering wheel I think they would be hard pressed to tell if the car was stopped or moving, there is just very little feedback through the wheel at steady state. Probably par for the course with EPS, but I thought the 991 was a bit better.

Dual clutch gearbox was good. I wished the paddles were stationary, but this is obviously preference. I played with the settings a bit, but I did feel that the gearbox was a bit inconsistent from shift to shift even in the same mode, probably based on throttle position and other factors but just felt that the dual clutch in my GT-R was a bit more consistent (although the GT-Rs wasn't quite as smooth). PDK on the 911 seems the most impressive to me. Very consistent, very quick, smooth. I'd probably order a 6 speed manual and row my own, although if I was buying a 991, I'd go PDK.

Overall, the driving experience just left me a bit cold. I really wanted to like it and I drove the M4 and M3 a few days apart to give it a second shot. Unfortunately it just wasn't as engaging or connected as the E90 or E46, seems more like an Audi to me, very precise but without some of the emotion. Both cars I drove had stickers at the 80k mark, which seemed a bit pricey. I've always felt the M3 was great bang for the buck and just seems a bit less so with this model than previous models, although my ideal build would be closer to 70k as I could forego driver assistance, LED headlights, executive package (although I wish I could just order comfort access). I may pick one up at some point anyway and give it a try, but it didn't leave me with the 'have to have it' feeling.

Just my 2 cents.

It looks like you had no emotional response to the car. Well, keep on testdriving other cars and brands you'll find what you're looking for.