Is the M4 really the perfect daily?

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by mjames

My post about it being uncomfortable is in the context of a DD car for commuting, where you are sitting in stop-and-go traffic on varied road conditions. It sounds like your post is more in context of the race track. M3 is quite harsh in ZCP configuration, and that's why I'm itching for something easier to live with.

I would happily street drive the kind of car I posted about (and in fact have done so).

We just have a different tolerance for the performance vs. comfort trade off.

[Tanzif80]

I do think the M3 is the perfect daily. I have a 2018 m3 zcp I got 6 months ago and I been driving it every day since. I came from long term ownership of a 996 turbo and I wanted a much better tool to do everything. I don’t find the CP suspension harsh or stiff at all because my Porsche was very stiff. I had coil overs on it and it was setup for track use. The M3 does not stick in the corners like my 996 did, but I don’t want it to. I bought the M3 to be able to drive my kiddos around and have my golf clubs in the back at all times. The 996 worked fine when my kids were small but as they grew, they hated it. So it tended to sit in the garage. I have 3 auto cross days and 2 track days with the M3 and I gotta say it’s fantastic! You HAVE to turn off all aids to wake the car up. I love the dancing nature and predictability of the rear end that I can slide. I couldn’t do that in my 996. Granted, the 996 is about 5 seconds faster per lap but wierd as it sounds, the M3 is more fun to me. Then after the track day I can set it in comfort and drive home. The M3 is the jack of all trades for me.

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by spool twice

Downside and this applies to all F82's....the front seats when pulled forward and moved to allow backseat access, is the headrest can hit the mirror in the front visor and can crack the mirror, but the upside is that a replacement one doesn't have the USDM warning label...

Haha, yep. Haven't broken my visor but the interference is annoying. Non issue in M3.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

i'd have to disagree. I'm childless and went with the M3 as a second fun car. I saw both in person and the f80 was a better design imo with the fender flares and proportions. Plus there really isn't a weight or performance penalty.

I still think the E92 is a better design than the E90 though.

Just for the record, I would have chosen an M3 even without kids for the same reason. Might even have slightly better torsional rigidity with the shorter door frames too. Was trying to preempt the “don’t need 4 doors” crowd because they don’t have kids.

[Spike Spiegel]

Originally Posted by NUTScapes

Everything is perfect until some road debris hits your oil cooler just right. Then bye bye engine.

Was this an oversight on BMW's part? Because I'm still becoming more familiar with the performance models but I've never seen any of other car manufacturer or at least the owners of said cars, have to deal with this debris issue. You'll puncture the reservoir and then total your engine due to the massive oil loss and how quickly it can happen. And this is with the current gen M3 and M4 before the redesign. I think I've seen of the new gen M5 also suffers from the same thing?

[THEROK]

My ideals of a good daily include anonymity, super economy, practicality, and unquestioned reliability. My F82 is none of these.

The best daily I've ever owned was a Prius C.

*45-55mpg
*9-10 gallons makes gas station visits a literal pit stop
*In 36 months, all it needed was two oil changes
*I could stuff four steamroller tires in it no prob
*Parking is a breeze due to its smaller size
*Nobody cares

If I had g space for a third, it was gonna be a faithful servant for a long time.

[$hah$]

Originally Posted by c0nrad

the M3 is a perfect daily

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Perfect daily? No, that would be the M3

Originally Posted by M0011

No. It's M3.

Truth.

[EricVR4]

My M3 ZCP is my daily and I think it's about as perfect as you can get for a DD "track car". For those complaining about these cars being too stiff/uncomfortable/etc as a daily....it's an M car. What did you expect?

I think it's comfortable enough for every day street use and still handles well enough to track if you want to without changing anything. BMW did a good job of blending both. Is it perfect at being a daily or perfect as a track car? No, that's impossible. But it does the Jekyll/Hyde thing better than probably anything else out there.

[Wolverine M3 CS]

M3 CS for me IMOP is the perfect daily, I had 911 and C 63 and non of them compare as a daily driver track weapon, I also had the M4 zpd manual and is hard to admit but this car is so good.

[aastretch64]

I don't see why not. In comfort mode, it is no different than a standard 4-series IMO. It's comfortable, sizable, practical and attractive. Even in sport+ settings (which I always drive in), I feel like the ride quality is just fine for daily driving.

If it were smaller, maybe a two-seater, absent of storage and cargo room and a rougher ride, I wouldn't daily drive it, but short of that I think it is a perfect compromise.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by Kilabyte

I've driven nothing but RWD here in MA since I got my license a long time ago (ok ok, I had one FWD car for a year at some point), you just have to stay out of the Sport mode so it doesn't hit boost as fast and you need the right tires, there solved.

With the summer tires my care can barely get up my only slightly inclined driveway if there is even a light dusting on it.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by mjames

The stiff suspension? The ZCP seats that aren't adjustable? The jerky transmission in normal stop-and-go commuting traffic? That's just a few.

I guess the suspension is subjective. I can certainly tell a huge difference when I get a 435 loaner with what now feels like a the suspension of a Lexus, but I don't mind the M4's for normal driving now. It gets slightly softer if I put it in comfort mode. I don't have ZCP so I can't comment on that one. I haven't noticed the jerky transmission too much.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by snareman

I guess the suspension is subjective. I can certainly tell a huge difference when I get a 435 loaner with what now feels like a the suspension of a Lexus, but I don't mind the M4's for normal driving now. It gets slightly softer if I put it in comfort mode. I don't have ZCP so I can't comment on that one. I haven't noticed the jerky transmission too much.

+1

People have been complaining about stiff suspensions in ///M cars and about how unfit they are for daily driving since as far back as I can remember. I roll my eyes most of the time when I read comments like that. The M3/M4 is a docile car when driven conservatively.

[DML]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

+1

People have been complaining about stiff suspensions in ///M cars and about how unfit they are for daily driving since as far back as I can remember. I roll my eyes most of the time when I read comments like that. The M3/M4 is a docile car when driven conservatively.

Stiff suspension? Truthfully haven't noticed

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by DML

Stiff suspension? Truthfully haven't noticed

It started with the E46 ///M3......and hasn't stopped.

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

It started with the E46 ///M3......and hasn't stopped.

Yep, 46M is pretty rowdy. F8X is much more hardcore. E9X was actually much more comfortable/refined than both of the others. E36 was also very smooth.

I think it's ridiculous to call any M3/4 "comfortable". That's just absurd as there are VASTLY more comfortable cars (and to be fair, many much lower performance cars that aren't much better). My wife's 2019 Tacoma rides like a pillow in comparison.... literally soaks up the worst roads with ease. You take an F80 down a really.... I mean REALLY bad road, and it feels like the dashboard is going to explode.

Rather, they offer acceptable comfort relative to the performance they offer. I've been DD'ing M3s for 17 years, starting with the 36 then 46 then 9X then 8X and so I happen to think they're great DDs.

I just call it like it is - they ain't comfortable and not even close to 'perfect'.

Edit: to be fair, my F80 comments are based strictly on the ZCP package with 666 wheels. I've no doubt that a base car with 18s would be considerably less harsh but still nowhere near, say, Toyota Avalon levels of comfort.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by EricSMG

Yep, 46M is pretty rowdy. F8X is much more hardcore. E9X was actually much more comfortable/refined than both of the others. E36 was also very smooth.

I think it's ridiculous to call any M3/4 "comfortable". That's just absurd as there are VASTLY more comfortable cars (and to be fair, many much lower performance cars that aren't much better). My wife's 2019 Tacoma rides like a pillow in comparison.... literally soaks up the worst roads with ease. You take an F80 down a really.... I mean REALLY bad road, and it feels like the dashboard is going to explode.

Rather, they offer acceptable comfort relative to the performance they offer. I've been DD'ing M3s for 17 years, starting with the 36 then 46 then 9X then 8X and so I happen to think they're great DDs.

I just call it like it is - they ain't comfortable and not even close to 'perfect'.

Edit: to be fair, my F80 comments are based strictly on the ZCP package with 666 wheels. I've no doubt that a base car with 18s would be considerably less harsh but still nowhere near, say, Toyota Avalon levels of comfort.

The M4 is comfortable to me, and there's nothing absurd about it. How you define comfort is a personal thing. Tight fitting clothes are comfortable to me, but they may not be to someone else. People think Vibram 5-toe shoes are comfortable, but they aren't to me. Comfort, much like style/looks/taste/etc., is 100% subjective. People say a GT3 is an uncomfortable daily driver, but I know two older ladies that daily drive theirs. Must be comfortable to them.

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

The M4 is comfortable to me, and there's nothing absurd about it. How you define comfort is a personal thing. Tight fitting clothes are comfortable to me, but they may not be to someone else. People think Vibram 5-toe shoes are comfortable, but they aren't to me. There is nothing uncomfortable about daily driving an ///M3 or ///M4.

Sigh.

Then how would you describe a luxury car? Super duper comfortable?

It's not a matter of opinion. It's a matter of relativity. There are FAR more comfortable cars than these, is the point. Not debatable.

On the scale of relative automotive comfort, it is absurd to call an M4 comfortable.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by EricSMG

Sigh.

Then how would you describe a luxury car? Super duper comfortable?

It's a matter of opinion. It's a matter of relativity. There are FAR more comfortable cars than these, is the point. Not debatable.

It is definitely a matter of opinion, and the topic isn't whether or not the car is as comfortable as a dedicated luxury car. Focus!!

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

It is definitely a matter of opinion, and the topic isn't whether or not the car is as comfortable as a dedicated luxury car. Focus!!

That's precisely the topic. Everything is relative. There are much better DDs on the comfort spectrum.

I personally do not mind the relative discomfort of these cars which is why I DD them. You obviously agree. And that is very different from calling them comfortable.

But if you must....

[BlackF82]

Personally, any sports car is not a good daily driver and the M4 is definitely one that is not.

If your going to own a sports car, do your self a favor and buy an inexpensive daily driver (little Kia, Honda, Ford, ..... whatever). I got a little Kia Spectra for $3K and use the M4 on the weekends only.

Trust me, after owning a heavily modified 240sx, G35, Audi's, a few Mustangs, Eclipse, motor cycles, I speak from experience.

[Jason60051]

I would love to daily my f80 but being in northwest Chicago it's just not an option due to the weather and awful roads for me. I know some people dd their f80's out here but I'm just not willing to put the miles on it and destroy it in the winter months. To each their own. I like having two vehicles that are completely different.