Received my copy of Sport Auto in the mail, here’s a few highlights of their review (some of it might be lost in translation, since neither German nor English are my first languages…):
- No rpm, no sound and irritating turbo lag? By corner 9 and 11 all the concerns of the traditionalist have disappeared. Lightfooted the M3 storms through the Samsung corner and up the hill.
- 5600, 6600, 7600rpm, the new engine doesn’t reach the high 8300rpm limit of the old V8. But for a turbo it revs astonishingly high. While the throttle response isn’t as fierce as it’s predecessor, it is surprisingly good for a turbo engine.
- Turbo lag and torque dents/hollows (“dellen”) is impossible to find. “The linear power delivery from 1850 to 7300rpm was for us a very important aspect in order to achieve a good throttle pedal response/modulation. In the mid range we have 40% more torque than the predecessor” explains Norbert Siegl, head of engine development for the M3/M4.
- To cope with g-foces over 1,2g the oil is drained from the front left and right hand corners of the oil sump by a separate oil return pump. The turbos are also actively drained for oil to avoid problems with oil being trapped inside the turbos in fast left hand corners.
- And how does the new biturbo sound? Obviously the metallic hoarseness of the V8 is gone. The M3/M4 concert sounds darker and bassier. Obviously compared with the legendary induction sound of the E46 M3 CSL a turbo engine doesn’t stand a chance in emotional sound, but the engineers have unlocked great sounds from the new engine. Snorty naughty babbling on occasion, aggressive whisper under load or emotional exhaust cracks on throttle lift off. The exhaust system holds many acoustic surprises.
- “A layman is not able to say from the sound whether there is a V10, V8 or a six cylinder engine. Actually it could also be a racey 4 cylinder”, says Friedrich Nitschke, head of M GmBH.
- “There are still good prospects to further put the icing on the cake from this engine” he explains, a thinly veiled message indicating upcoming higher performance models of the M3/M4.
- No panic is needed over the first e-steering from M-fans. In Sport Plus there is never any sense of synthetic feel from the steering. On the track, the steering shines just as on previous models with it’s precision.
- Around the Nordschleife both the M3 and M4 have set nearly identical 7:50 times with various drivers. That’s the same as the E46 CSL with cup tires. The M3 and M4 manages to do the same on Super Sport tires.
- That the new M3/4 has been developed on the Nürbrurgring is easily detectable on the topographically challenging track here in Spain. While other cars struggle with a unstable rear end over the crests and undulations, the new M3/4 convinces with it's balance and agility. There is no malice from the car driving on the limit
- Where the LC in the E92 often allowed to much wheelspin, the new M3 and M4 launched with minimal wheelspin even at our first attempt.
- The fear that the emotional aspects of the M3 would be lost in the turbo generation is unfounded.
- We only have one wish/complaint for the new car: It should have had a boost gauge, in the style of the 2002 turbo model.
Oh, and the next issue, out 13th of June, will have the Supertest of the M3 (or M4) complete with Nürburgring lap time etc...