Finally got to drive one!

Needsdecaf · 08-31-2014, 04:54 PM

Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Well, I'm sure that these threads are probably becoming boring to those who have driven the new F8X, especially for those who own them and drive them often, however I hope it helps people who haven't and gives a chuckle to those who have.

Quick backstory....I was in line to be one of the first purchasers of an F80 M3. I had done a ton of research and due diligence and had determined that my wife and I would be ordering one and doing Euro Delivery this September. But unfortunately, life got in the way. My wife, uh, re-prioritized a large chunk of cash for a home improvement project which I could not, did not disagree with. My M3 dream was on hold for the time being...I'm not one to finance the hell out of a car.

My current ride wasn't cutting it so I ended up doing a cheap 3 year lease on a Lexus GS 350. I really like that car, and the monthly payment is nothing compared to the mileage and with nothing down. It's no BMW but in some ways it has the 5 series whupped. But enough backstory.

So until today, I have not driven an F8X. All the cars locally have been sold, none available to drive. A local forum member, who shall go unnamed unless he wishes to reveal himself, was kind enough to meet up with me today and let me take his sub-200 total mile baby for a bit of a test drive today. I was psyched to do so!

After meeting him, we chatted a bit and I checked out the car in person. His car is a AW on Black M4 with most of the goodies and DCT. The coupe looks much, much better in person and outside in the real light. Much better than the mineral gray coupe that I saw at the Houston auto show back over the Winter. It looks long, mean, and purposeful. I love the long swoop of the Carbon Fiber roof. And the coupe always looks good.

Inside, the full leather dash is really, really nice. I love the upgrade over the standard dash. I know, not for everyone, but to me, I actually like the fact that the M3 has grown up a bit, and offers a little more luxury than the older car. The E9X M3 always turned me off a bit with it's spartan appointments. Again, just me, but like I said to my generous owner today, I'm not 25 anymore. Soft? Perhaps. But that's the beauty of the F8X cars. You can get a stripper M4 or a fully loaded M3 and end up with two very different experiences on a daily basis, but still have 99% of the same driving experience when you turn the wick up.

Like the seats a lot. Do wish they had some adjustable thigh support but at 6'2" I'm probably in the minority there. They are supportive and hold well, although I have to move the bolsters almost all the way out to fit. But once in, they are quite comfortable. Here in Houston, I do miss the vented seats that my car, and my wife's car, have.

BMW still being BMW sees fit to equip the car with ridiculous double pull doors, obtrusive stop / start and having to press the engine start button twice to shut the car off. Stupid. No other car maker does this and it's just ridiculous. BMW also still hasn't figured out how to properly display infotainment details either.

But that's the end of the rant and quite frankly, peanuts compared to what this car's intent is.

Aggression. Pure aggression. That's what this car's intent is. You feel it when you start it, feel the car come alive under you. It feels purposeful, hard. It eggs you on.

I will say that I do have a fair bit of seat time behind the wheel of the F10 M5. That car takes all the faults of my F10 535 and gets rid of them. It's sumptuous, luxurious, fast as hell and ruthlessly competent. But it's very large and substantial feeling. Take it or leave it, it is what it is.

The F8X says, from the moment you start the car, "drive hard". "Take me by the scruff of my neck and throw me around. Come on buddy, do you think I have an active differential, solidly mounted rear subframe and a carbon front brace for nothing", it seems to say? It feels engaging and like a sports car. My owner friend told me that cold start noise is nothing to write home about, but the hot start that I experienced spoke loudly and with complete authority. Damn, it sounded mean.

It reminds me very much of a 911. Purposeful. It's sole intent is to go fast, no matter how crazy you go with the options list inside. It takes the current BMW philosophy of luxury with sporting intent, spits on it, wads it up, and wipes it's ass with it. Despite it's luxury additions, this is not a car meant to coddle.

I put it in D1 and tootled out of the parking lot. No snatch and grab at all. No creep. Worked fine in auto around onto the feeder road of I-45 and shifted crisply up through to about 5th gear. I do love the DCT. I pulled a U-turn under the highway, merged into traffic, and took the ramp up onto I-45. As soon as we were clear, I gave it about 1/2 to 2/3 throttle.

We were off with a shot. Unfortunately my polarized glasses rendered the HUD useless. I was kind of happy about that as there were a ton of Constables around for the Labor day weekend and I wanted that excuse if we got pulled over. LOL. I grabbed 4th gear with the paddles and the engine simply entered another realm. It was fully warmed at this point and raring to go, even in comfort throttle. I'm not sure how, but when I was in manual, we were all of a sudden in M3 mode on the shifter and the shifts were very hard. Not harsh, but hard. To be honest, I was driving someone else's car, trying hard not to get arrested or crash, and wasn't paying that great attention to the controls, so I'm sure this is something more familiarity would get past and I would understand what I did. I tilted my head sideways to read the HUD and saw two 1's in the speed and thought "now would be a good time to test the brakes". Well, without any fuss or drama, we dropped about 40 MPH and I slipped back into traffic. "That was easy", I thought. The car seemed to laugh at me as if that was all I had for it.

Out of respect for my friend, and out of respect for the engine (again, he's still on the first tank of gas and well under 200 miles!) I didn't push it too hard, but the road didn't really invite that anyway. And it was easy to see the car's potential. But just to make sure, I did a few more of these runs. Up to very illegal speeds and back down before I stuck out in traffic. The car was like Secretariat doing a warmup saunter and kind of laughed at my gentle efforts, so I decided to put and end to it. I got off onto the feeder, made a U-Turn again (behind an old lady with a potted plant in the back of her CRV going about 10 under the limit, denying me a chance to push it on the two cloverleaf ramps) and then goosed it on the service road. Knowing there were cops around, I thought it was wise to back down after about 90 milliseconds since I was traveling faster than most of the cars up on the highway. Again, a mere brush on the brakes brought the speed down on the digital speedo in 5-7 MPH chunks. Effortless and completely controllable. I'm sure that the standard steel discs will be up to the abuse of all but the most dedicated track junkies that buy them. There's no way I would pop for the CCB's unless I just had money to burn, or was buying a track car.

I was headed back to our meeting point and wanted to give it a bit more thwack without getting out of control, so I put the car in 5th at about 45 MPH while going up the ramp and slowly leaned into the throttle until I was, I guess, about 3/4 of the way into the throttle. After the briefest of thoughts, the car rocketed up the ramp, and I found myself banging hard on the door of triple digits. Whoops! This car could get addictive.

A brief spin on the highway here is no place to probe a car's handling. Having said that, I would say that the steering was very precise. It doesn't writhe with feedback, but there is still feel there. Moreover, the car feels very planted and secure. I drove most of the time with the suspension in Comfort, as the roads here kind of demand it. The ride reminded me much of the tuning in the M5. Stiff, but not harsh. Moreover, the car as a whole felt much stiffer, body shell wise, than the F10 M5. It felt like it was carved out of a solid block of titanium. Light, but solid and unyielding. The roads here are a punishment for anything, and this car did not yield. There was no flex whatsoever. Nothing. No cowl shake, no steering wheel chatter. No noise from the frameless doors. Nothing but the feeling of unyielding poise and purpose.

The noise of this thing is, like the rest of the car, purposeful. It sounds great. Aggressive, deep and with a great rush up the rev band. The S65 engine has it beat, but what doesn't it have beat besides the most hard core exotics. Again, it reminds me of the Flat 6 in the P-Car lineup. Not in overall tone and timber, I love those boxer engine sounds, but as far as mechanical, deep, mean, authoritative and purposeful. There is no mistaking this for a 435i with an MPerformance exhaust.

Overall, there are a few things I'd change about the car. But most of those are the stupid BMW-isms that I discussed above. Not at all related to anything M on how this car is built. I think BMW nailed it. The F8X has grown up, and left room for the M2 to be the scrappy lightweight. That car should be awesome, but the lineup is now shifted ever so slightly upscale. The M5 is a gentleman's express. The F8X is a pure sports car. Not a sports sedan or coupe, or a GT. It is a sports car.

I'd honestly not order the DCT. Not because it isn't good, or because it isn't fun. It is. But because I live in Houston, with traffic and stupid drivers. The car's ability to blat through gears in the blink of an eye and go from the on ramp to seriously into the triple digits is fun, but dangerous around here. Very dangerous. That temptation would be there, and I'd want to use it seriously, like ALL the time. I'd end up losing my license at the least.

I'd also go for all the toys, save CCB's and possibly the DA plus package. I do like the blind sport warning on this car...I think BMW executes it very well. I'd be buying the cameras, they are a must, so the uptick to the DA package would be $1,200. Not sure if it would be worth it for Blind Spot warning and collision. If it had active cruise, it would be a no-brainer. HUD is awesome, even if I had to change sunglasses. The full leather is also a must for me, as the leather dash and door tops really change the feel of the interior. And I'd certainly go for the M3. Two kids makes that almost a must, a tight garage precluding coupe doors seals the deal. That it's $2k cheaper and looks even more aggressive with those fender flares are an added bonus.

All in all, I expected this car to be a raging win for BMW. They did not disappoint me. I look forward to building back up the cash reserves over the next few years of my lease, and ordering a Euro Delivery of an LCI in about 2 years.

Awesome.

Damasconian · 08-31-2014, 05:47 PM

Great review. I can imagine the roads you were running down, I grew up in the woodlands. Graduated in the 90's but still have lots of friends and family there and head up few times per month.

Doing my ED in three weeks. If you haven't driven the manual by late November, the offer is wide open.

Needsdecaf · 08-31-2014, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damasconian

Great review. I can imagine the roads you were running down, I grew up in the woodlands. Graduated in the 90's but still have lots of friends and family there and head up few times per month.

Doing my ED in three weeks. If you haven't driven the manual by late November, the offer is wide open.

Thanks! It's unlikely that I will have so I may have to take you up on that! Seems to be the "less popular" option.

myzmak · 08-31-2014, 06:01 PM

Good review. Your sudden 'holy F! Am I going that fast??' Reminds me a lot of my wife's run in an F82 yesterday. Seriously addictive.

...addictive enough they need a smack junkie emoticon

DocWeatherington · 08-31-2014, 07:05 PM

Great Review

Needsdecaf · 09-01-2014, 08:58 PM

Forgot to mention, one of the other things that really impressed me was the lack of engine inertia. While we were sitting parked, I was checking out the M HUD display and revving the engine to watch the tach. I loved how quickly the revs rose and fell, especially fell! Great job!

jim101 · 09-01-2014, 09:27 PM

Will the HUD work with polarized sunglasses if you adjust its angle?

Thanks for the input!

Needsdecaf · 09-01-2014, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim101

Will the HUD work with polarized sunglasses if you adjust its angle?

Thanks for the input!

No, sadly. Not the BMW HUD.

Somehow GM has figured this out, however. Grrrr.

Jmiller007 · 09-01-2014, 09:31 PM

I just got back from a trip to Naples from Ft. Lauderdale and had two shots on alligator alley in the last 4 days. One thing about the M4 is that 100 happens in a hurry, and 120 doesn't take very long either. I have a radar detector and Waze going to keep the tickets to a min, but running at 100 across the alley is pretty easy to do (depending on traffic). Today I was waiting for some traffic to clear, and I dropped into the right Lane and hit it a bit to get by a long line of cars going 1 mile per hour faster than the cars to the right of them. Anyway, I came upon a Porsche who wanted to show me how fast he was, so I flipped it into M2 (sport + across the board), and put the pedal to the floor. The sound was amazing, and considering I was already going 90, the acceleration was too. The Porsche stayed with me to about 110, but I blew by him then had to hit the brakes to get ready for the next bunch of cars. When I looked down I was going about 125, and had already hit the breaks pretty hard. This thing is fast. It doesn't matter how fast you are going, you hit the gas and it answers.

jim101 · 09-01-2014, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

No, sadly. Not the BMW HUD.

Somehow GM has figured this out, however. Grrrr.

Bummer!

MFNATIK · 09-01-2014, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim101

Will the HUD work with polarized sunglasses if you adjust its angle?

Thanks for the input!

Nope. Haven't bought a pair of polarized sunglasses for the past 5 years of owing the M5. Once you go HUD, you never go back.

YMB-M3-J2 · 09-01-2014, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmiller007

I just got back from a trip to Naples from Ft. Lauderdale and had two shots on alligator alley in the last 4 days. One thing about the M4 is that 100 happens in a hurry, and 120 doesn't take very long either. I have a radar detector and Waze going to keep the tickets to a min, but running at 100 across the alley is pretty easy to do (depending on traffic). Today I was waiting for some traffic to clear, and I dropped into the right Lane and hit it a bit to get by a long line of cars going 1 mile per hour faster than the cars to the right of them. Anyway, I came upon a Porsche who wanted to show me how fast he was, so I flipped it into M2 (sport + across the board), and put the pedal to the floor. The sound was amazing, and considering I was already going 90, the acceleration was too. The Porsche stayed with me to about 110, but I blew by him then had to hit the brakes to get ready for the next bunch of cars. When I looked down I was going about 125, and had already hit the breaks pretty hard. This thing is fast. It doesn't matter how fast you are going, you hit the gas and it answers.

ahh yes..the alley often offers me that free space to get that "hauling ass" bug out of my system, i drive it often and cant wait give it a try in my F80 when it comes in. Luckily FHP still mostly uses KA band radar instead of laser.

Jmiller007 · 09-02-2014, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmw328jc

ahh yes..the alley often offers me that free space to get that "hauling ass" bug out of my system, i drive it often and cant wait give it a try in my F80 when it comes in. Luckily FHP still mostly uses KA band radar instead of laser.

Yup, if I see Ka on my Bel 500, I hit the breaks big time.

YMB-M3-J2 · 09-02-2014, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmiller007

Yup, if I see Ka on my Bel 500, I hit the breaks big time.

lol me too. and those FHP bastards have nothing to do but sit around and give tickets!

mike@x-ph.com · 09-04-2014, 01:51 PM

Thanks for sharing

Keto · 09-04-2014, 02:45 PM

You can code the car so that it unlocks the doors automatically when you turn the car off. One less annoyance.

Needsdecaf · 09-04-2014, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keto

You can code the car so that it unlocks the doors automatically when you turn the car off. One less annoyance.

True, and I don't even have the doors locked when driving, so it's a non-issue for me. I guess looking at it from another way, in my other cars, if the doors are locked, I must hit the unlock button before it will open from the inside. Pulling twice doesn't do shit. So the BMW way is slightly more convenient.

Still it's weird. And you shouldn't have to code the car in order to be able to have it unlock when you stop. My 1999 Grand Cherokee was able to set this parameter.

And don't get me started on the double push to turn the thing off...

JoeFromPA · 09-04-2014, 03:30 PM

I like the double push to turn the car off. I like that my doors stay locked when I shut the car down. I like most of the factory settings (except I should be able to close my window with the lock button on the keys, but I understand that's a safety feature).

I actually like my car. Quite wonderful feeling really

MFNATIK · 09-04-2014, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

True, and I don't even have the doors locked when driving, so it's a non-issue for me. I guess looking at it from another way, in my other cars, if the doors are locked, I must hit the unlock button before it will open from the inside. Pulling twice doesn't do shit. So the BMW way is slightly more convenient.

Still it's weird. And you shouldn't have to code the car in order to be able to have it unlock when you stop. My 1999 Grand Cherokee was able to set this parameter.

And don't get me started on the double push to turn the thing off...

I think he meant set that option up in the iDrive. Before iDrive came you did have to code those things, but now most of the simple "coding" can be selected within the iDrive.

I think the double push to shut down the car completely is a good feature. Sometimes when I have to sit and wait in the car for the wife or kids, its nice to shut off the engine but keep the radio on, etc. I'm sure that is what BMW had in mind when they designed it this way.

YMB-M3-J2 · 09-04-2014, 03:59 PM

you can also code off the double push to turn the car off.

Needsdecaf · 09-04-2014, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmw328jc

you can also code off the double push to turn the car off.

Really? That's new.

Needsdecaf · 09-04-2014, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

I think he meant set that option up in the iDrive. Before iDrive came you did have to code those things, but now most of the simple "coding" can be selected within the iDrive.

I think the double push to shut down the car completely is a good feature. Sometimes when I have to sit and wait in the car for the wife or kids, its nice to shut off the engine but keep the radio on, etc. I'm sure that is what BMW had in mind when they designed it this way.

If I'm not mistaken, that was still something that had to be coded. I may be incorrectly remembering from my F10, like I said, I didn't have the car lock anyway. But I don't recall it being an option in iDrive...it had to be coded.

RE: double push to shut down. Yes, it's handy in THAT situation. But honestly, how many times do you do that, vs. simply shutting the car off when you get to your destination? In my Lexus, if I want the radio on while waiting, I push it twice with my foot off and get the radio. Every other time, which is probably 100:1, I just push it once to shut the car off.

It's stupid. If it wasn't stupid, everyone else would have copied it. BMW is the only one who does it this way.

08-31-2014, 04:54 PM	#1
Needsdecaf Major General 6510 Rep 6,653 Posts Drives: 2024 G80 Comp xDrive Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: The Woodlands, TX iTrader: (0)	Finally got to drive one! Featured on BIMMERPOST.com Well, I'm sure that these threads are probably becoming boring to those who have driven the new F8X, especially for those who own them and drive them often, however I hope it helps people who haven't and gives a chuckle to those who have. Quick backstory....I was in line to be one of the first purchasers of an F80 M3. I had done a ton of research and due diligence and had determined that my wife and I would be ordering one and doing Euro Delivery this September. But unfortunately, life got in the way. My wife, uh, re-prioritized a large chunk of cash for a home improvement project which I could not, did not disagree with. My M3 dream was on hold for the time being...I'm not one to finance the hell out of a car. My current ride wasn't cutting it so I ended up doing a cheap 3 year lease on a Lexus GS 350. I really like that car, and the monthly payment is nothing compared to the mileage and with nothing down. It's no BMW but in some ways it has the 5 series whupped. But enough backstory. So until today, I have not driven an F8X. All the cars locally have been sold, none available to drive. A local forum member, who shall go unnamed unless he wishes to reveal himself, was kind enough to meet up with me today and let me take his sub-200 total mile baby for a bit of a test drive today. I was psyched to do so! After meeting him, we chatted a bit and I checked out the car in person. His car is a AW on Black M4 with most of the goodies and DCT. The coupe looks much, much better in person and outside in the real light. Much better than the mineral gray coupe that I saw at the Houston auto show back over the Winter. It looks long, mean, and purposeful. I love the long swoop of the Carbon Fiber roof. And the coupe always looks good. Inside, the full leather dash is really, really nice. I love the upgrade over the standard dash. I know, not for everyone, but to me, I actually like the fact that the M3 has grown up a bit, and offers a little more luxury than the older car. The E9X M3 always turned me off a bit with it's spartan appointments. Again, just me, but like I said to my generous owner today, I'm not 25 anymore. Soft? Perhaps. But that's the beauty of the F8X cars. You can get a stripper M4 or a fully loaded M3 and end up with two very different experiences on a daily basis, but still have 99% of the same driving experience when you turn the wick up. Like the seats a lot. Do wish they had some adjustable thigh support but at 6'2" I'm probably in the minority there. They are supportive and hold well, although I have to move the bolsters almost all the way out to fit. But once in, they are quite comfortable. Here in Houston, I do miss the vented seats that my car, and my wife's car, have. BMW still being BMW sees fit to equip the car with ridiculous double pull doors, obtrusive stop / start and having to press the engine start button twice to shut the car off. Stupid. No other car maker does this and it's just ridiculous. BMW also still hasn't figured out how to properly display infotainment details either. But that's the end of the rant and quite frankly, peanuts compared to what this car's intent is. Aggression. Pure aggression. That's what this car's intent is. You feel it when you start it, feel the car come alive under you. It feels purposeful, hard. It eggs you on. I will say that I do have a fair bit of seat time behind the wheel of the F10 M5. That car takes all the faults of my F10 535 and gets rid of them. It's sumptuous, luxurious, fast as hell and ruthlessly competent. But it's very large and substantial feeling. Take it or leave it, it is what it is. The F8X says, from the moment you start the car, "drive hard". "Take me by the scruff of my neck and throw me around. Come on buddy, do you think I have an active differential, solidly mounted rear subframe and a carbon front brace for nothing", it seems to say? It feels engaging and like a sports car. My owner friend told me that cold start noise is nothing to write home about, but the hot start that I experienced spoke loudly and with complete authority. Damn, it sounded mean. It reminds me very much of a 911. Purposeful. It's sole intent is to go fast, no matter how crazy you go with the options list inside. It takes the current BMW philosophy of luxury with sporting intent, spits on it, wads it up, and wipes it's ass with it. Despite it's luxury additions, this is not a car meant to coddle. I put it in D1 and tootled out of the parking lot. No snatch and grab at all. No creep. Worked fine in auto around onto the feeder road of I-45 and shifted crisply up through to about 5th gear. I do love the DCT. I pulled a U-turn under the highway, merged into traffic, and took the ramp up onto I-45. As soon as we were clear, I gave it about 1/2 to 2/3 throttle. We were off with a shot. Unfortunately my polarized glasses rendered the HUD useless. I was kind of happy about that as there were a ton of Constables around for the Labor day weekend and I wanted that excuse if we got pulled over. LOL. I grabbed 4th gear with the paddles and the engine simply entered another realm. It was fully warmed at this point and raring to go, even in comfort throttle. I'm not sure how, but when I was in manual, we were all of a sudden in M3 mode on the shifter and the shifts were very hard. Not harsh, but hard. To be honest, I was driving someone else's car, trying hard not to get arrested or crash, and wasn't paying that great attention to the controls, so I'm sure this is something more familiarity would get past and I would understand what I did. I tilted my head sideways to read the HUD and saw two 1's in the speed and thought "now would be a good time to test the brakes". Well, without any fuss or drama, we dropped about 40 MPH and I slipped back into traffic. "That was easy", I thought. The car seemed to laugh at me as if that was all I had for it. Out of respect for my friend, and out of respect for the engine (again, he's still on the first tank of gas and well under 200 miles!) I didn't push it too hard, but the road didn't really invite that anyway. And it was easy to see the car's potential. But just to make sure, I did a few more of these runs. Up to very illegal speeds and back down before I stuck out in traffic. The car was like Secretariat doing a warmup saunter and kind of laughed at my gentle efforts, so I decided to put and end to it. I got off onto the feeder, made a U-Turn again (behind an old lady with a potted plant in the back of her CRV going about 10 under the limit, denying me a chance to push it on the two cloverleaf ramps) and then goosed it on the service road. Knowing there were cops around, I thought it was wise to back down after about 90 milliseconds since I was traveling faster than most of the cars up on the highway. Again, a mere brush on the brakes brought the speed down on the digital speedo in 5-7 MPH chunks. Effortless and completely controllable. I'm sure that the standard steel discs will be up to the abuse of all but the most dedicated track junkies that buy them. There's no way I would pop for the CCB's unless I just had money to burn, or was buying a track car. I was headed back to our meeting point and wanted to give it a bit more thwack without getting out of control, so I put the car in 5th at about 45 MPH while going up the ramp and slowly leaned into the throttle until I was, I guess, about 3/4 of the way into the throttle. After the briefest of thoughts, the car rocketed up the ramp, and I found myself banging hard on the door of triple digits. Whoops! This car could get addictive. A brief spin on the highway here is no place to probe a car's handling. Having said that, I would say that the steering was very precise. It doesn't writhe with feedback, but there is still feel there. Moreover, the car feels very planted and secure. I drove most of the time with the suspension in Comfort, as the roads here kind of demand it. The ride reminded me much of the tuning in the M5. Stiff, but not harsh. Moreover, the car as a whole felt much stiffer, body shell wise, than the F10 M5. It felt like it was carved out of a solid block of titanium. Light, but solid and unyielding. The roads here are a punishment for anything, and this car did not yield. There was no flex whatsoever. Nothing. No cowl shake, no steering wheel chatter. No noise from the frameless doors. Nothing but the feeling of unyielding poise and purpose. The noise of this thing is, like the rest of the car, purposeful. It sounds great. Aggressive, deep and with a great rush up the rev band. The S65 engine has it beat, but what doesn't it have beat besides the most hard core exotics. Again, it reminds me of the Flat 6 in the P-Car lineup. Not in overall tone and timber, I love those boxer engine sounds, but as far as mechanical, deep, mean, authoritative and purposeful. There is no mistaking this for a 435i with an MPerformance exhaust. Overall, there are a few things I'd change about the car. But most of those are the stupid BMW-isms that I discussed above. Not at all related to anything M on how this car is built. I think BMW nailed it. The F8X has grown up, and left room for the M2 to be the scrappy lightweight. That car should be awesome, but the lineup is now shifted ever so slightly upscale. The M5 is a gentleman's express. The F8X is a pure sports car. Not a sports sedan or coupe, or a GT. It is a sports car. I'd honestly not order the DCT. Not because it isn't good, or because it isn't fun. It is. But because I live in Houston, with traffic and stupid drivers. The car's ability to blat through gears in the blink of an eye and go from the on ramp to seriously into the triple digits is fun, but dangerous around here. Very dangerous. That temptation would be there, and I'd want to use it seriously, like ALL the time. I'd end up losing my license at the least. I'd also go for all the toys, save CCB's and possibly the DA plus package. I do like the blind sport warning on this car...I think BMW executes it very well. I'd be buying the cameras, they are a must, so the uptick to the DA package would be $1,200. Not sure if it would be worth it for Blind Spot warning and collision. If it had active cruise, it would be a no-brainer. HUD is awesome, even if I had to change sunglasses. The full leather is also a must for me, as the leather dash and door tops really change the feel of the interior. And I'd certainly go for the M3. Two kids makes that almost a must, a tight garage precluding coupe doors seals the deal. That it's $2k cheaper and looks even more aggressive with those fender flares are an added bonus. All in all, I expected this car to be a raging win for BMW. They did not disappoint me. I look forward to building back up the cash reserves over the next few years of my lease, and ordering a Euro Delivery of an LCI in about 2 years. Awesome.
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08-31-2014, 05:47 PM	#2
Damasconian Lieutenant Colonel 742 Rep 1,555 Posts Drives: 2015 M4 Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Great review. I can imagine the roads you were running down, I grew up in the woodlands. Graduated in the 90's but still have lots of friends and family there and head up few times per month. Doing my ED in three weeks. If you haven't driven the manual by late November, the offer is wide open.
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08-31-2014, 06:01 PM	#4
myzmak Advocatus Douchebagus. Sex Marxist. 2415 Rep 3,415 Posts Drives: Lucy. Join Date: May 2012 Location: Canada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 F80 M3 [10.00] 2013 MB E350 Wagon [10.00]	Good review. Your sudden 'holy F! Am I going that fast??' Reminds me a lot of my wife's run in an F82 yesterday. Seriously addictive. ...addictive enough they need a smack junkie emoticon
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08-31-2014, 07:05 PM	#5
DocWeatherington Brigadier General 2933 Rep 4,076 Posts Drives: F90 CP Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: US iTrader: (0) Garage List 23 Bmw M3 [10.00]	Great Review
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09-01-2014, 08:58 PM	#6
Needsdecaf Major General 6510 Rep 6,653 Posts Drives: 2024 G80 Comp xDrive Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: The Woodlands, TX iTrader: (0)	Forgot to mention, one of the other things that really impressed me was the lack of engine inertia. While we were sitting parked, I was checking out the M HUD display and revving the engine to watch the tach. I loved how quickly the revs rose and fell, especially fell! Great job!
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09-01-2014, 09:27 PM	#7
jim101 Private First Class 38 Rep 164 Posts Drives: F80 M3 \| G05 M50i (Ordered) Join Date: May 2014 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Will the HUD work with polarized sunglasses if you adjust its angle? Thanks for the input!
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09-01-2014, 09:31 PM	#9
Jmiller007 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 33 Posts Drives: 2015 M4 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Ft. Lauderdale iTrader: (0)	I just got back from a trip to Naples from Ft. Lauderdale and had two shots on alligator alley in the last 4 days. One thing about the M4 is that 100 happens in a hurry, and 120 doesn't take very long either. I have a radar detector and Waze going to keep the tickets to a min, but running at 100 across the alley is pretty easy to do (depending on traffic). Today I was waiting for some traffic to clear, and I dropped into the right Lane and hit it a bit to get by a long line of cars going 1 mile per hour faster than the cars to the right of them. Anyway, I came upon a Porsche who wanted to show me how fast he was, so I flipped it into M2 (sport + across the board), and put the pedal to the floor. The sound was amazing, and considering I was already going 90, the acceleration was too. The Porsche stayed with me to about 110, but I blew by him then had to hit the brakes to get ready for the next bunch of cars. When I looked down I was going about 125, and had already hit the breaks pretty hard. This thing is fast. It doesn't matter how fast you are going, you hit the gas and it answers.
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09-04-2014, 01:51 PM	#15
mike@x-ph.com BimmerPost Supporting Vendor 24081 Rep 190,597 Posts Drives: 07-335/12-328/18-M4/21-M4CP Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Las Vegas iTrader: (23)	Thanks for sharing __________________ Check out our current sale by clicking on this link! https://x-ph.com/sale/ Phone number 702-494-9435
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09-04-2014, 02:45 PM	#16
Keto Lieutenant Colonel 73 Rep 1,603 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: WHO DAT NATION iTrader: (1) Garage List 2015 BMW M3 [10.00]	You can code the car so that it unlocks the doors automatically when you turn the car off. One less annoyance. __________________ 2015 SO/SO MT M3 :: Exec : Lighting : Adaptive : HK : CF trim : Full leather : DAP : Black 19's : sunshade Crystalline tint 40%/70% on windshield : M performance mirrors, spoiler, splitters : Status Gruppe CF lip : RKP diffuser : Fully dechromed Bavsound Stage 1 : V1 Savvy hardwired : Self-coded
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09-04-2014, 03:30 PM	#18
JoeFromPA Colonel 1791 Rep 2,995 Posts Drives: '15 AW M3 6MT Stripper Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: SE PA iTrader: (0)	I like the double push to turn the car off. I like that my doors stay locked when I shut the car down. I like most of the factory settings (except I should be able to close my window with the lock button on the keys, but I understand that's a safety feature). I actually like my car. Quite wonderful feeling really __________________ AW/Carbonstructure 6MT 2015 M3 picked up 8/22/2014. Stripper except for adaptive suspension. Weighed at 3,450 pounds with 1/4 fuel. 70,000 miles as of February 2020.
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09-04-2014, 03:59 PM	#20
YMB-M3-J2 Major 258 Rep 1,309 Posts Drives: YMB M3 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: South Florida iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW X6M [0.00] 2018 BMW M3 [0.00] 2015 BMW X4 35i [0.00] 2015 BMW M4 (SOLD) [0.00] 2012 BMW 328i SL(SOLD) [0.00] 2008 BMW 328i (SOLD) [0.00] 2007 C230 Komp (SOLD) [0.00] 1999 BMW 328i (SOLD) [0.00]	you can also code off the double push to turn the car off.
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