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Originally Posted by KennyPowers
OK, so I went to the Houston Auto Show last night to check these two cars out.
As is no secret, I love the tech specs of this car. I am a firm believer that it will perform spectacularly, and be efficient while doing it. I also love turbo power, and know from my 997tt that turbo engines CAN pull hard to redline and have a balanced powerband. I believe the m3 motor will be similar if not slightly better.
So, my main concern was the looks both inside and out, and the overall quality of the car. I recently had some time in an m5/6 and the one standout factor is how high quality the interiors of those cars are. The materials can compete with anything ive ever been in, and it makes a big difference since you spend a lot of time in the car.
So my goals were to use the m5/6 and e9x m3 as a benchmark to see where this car is as far as tech and quality.
First Impressions
The size of the m3 is perfect for what it is, which is a DD sedan that you can carve up some roads with and take to the track. Great amount of rear seat room, and the proportions are excellent in person.
Austin yellow is HORRIBLE in person. I absolutely hate it and it almost made it hard for me to tell how the m3 looked because I hated the color so much.
Mineral gray is a nice color, looks good in person (m4). Looks good with the CF roof.
Both black and silver wheels look good in person, but I still prefer ZCP style wheels.
The interior in Sonoma Beige is unbelieveable.
The interior in black is very good, but not nearly as nice as the contrast from Sonoma beige.
The materials quality in the interior DESTROYS the e9x from the leather on the seats to the trim to the contrast stitching, to the amount of leather coverage, to the design of the seats. No comparison.
The interior is much different and much more impressive than an m sport 335 or 435 (also at the show). My GF who knows zero about cars commented on how different and much nicer the M interiors were and I didn't even bring this up.
The interior is comparable to the M5/6 interiors. The leather materials are very similar, and it feels very upmarket. Far more impressive than the RS5 interior which to me, was the benchmark in this segment before this M3.
Both cars had extended leather (not full) and it looked awesome. I would not order the full leather package unless it was almost the same price. The car looks very expensive and damn well made with the basic leather package.
Best seats ive sat in. im about 5-10 170 lbs and lean and these seats fit me perfectly. Seating position was very good and lower than the e9x m3. I would say if you were a little overweight or a bigger guy, these seats may be a little tight on you. But overall, huge improvement.
M4 trunk looks pretty badass with the CSL ducktail.
M3 looks better to my eye, love the fat fenders on the front and rear.
Wheelgap is not as bad in person, looks a touch lower than the stock non competition e9x m3
M4 does not appear to be too long in person as it does in some pics. Car looks good.
Both cars were much more impressive in person than in pictures.
Overall, I was damn impressed with the quality of the cars and I felt like it was a large improvement over the outgoing e9x in terms of quality and design. The tech is a lot better and the interior is a lot nicer. The exterior paint and design of the headlights and all looks very good in person.
These cars were getting a lot of attention at the show, as popular as anything else.
The car looks like it is easily a 70k car. It looks and feels very expensive and special. I was really impressed, I just wish the m3 was a better color and not baby puke yellow.
Loved it. May go back after work today to take another closer look.
Hope this helps
EDIT : I also noted that these cars had the HK stereo with the base leather package (some reports were that you had to go full leather to get HK, not the case). The design of the speakers looked really good with the interior (you can see on the door shot I took) and they sounded very good, I would definitely get this option. The new version of I-drive is also excellent and builds on the already excellent version in the LCI e9x m3. The gauges look very cool
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You didn't like Austin yellow before you went though right?