Is the M4 really the perfect daily?

[Fortyb]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Perfect daily? No, that would be the M3

Yes Sir! M3

[evoix]

The F80 is a fun daily for 8 months out of the year in NY. I do not feel safe driving this car in more than 4 inches of snow even with snow tires. I am not saying it cannot be done but with my one way 24 mile commute, I rather not take this car out. In the fall, spring and summer it is fun as hell. Only other problem is the jerkiness of the DCT in traffic which does not occur all the time for some reason. Lots of trunk space and room for passengers as well.

[nicknaz]

M3 with the 4 doors is the winner in my mind.

And the x3m might be an even better street only daily with the combo of cargo space, good power and awd

[Kilabyte]

OP misspelled M3, but it's OK, we're all family.

[NewM3driver]

The M3 or M4 are perfect daily drivers. I like a 4 door sedan, so the M3 is perfect. It can be tame or a beast.... depending on your mood lol. I find them very dependable as well. Never have a problem.

[snareman]

Other than if you have to drive it in the snow, what would make it not a good DD?

[Kilabyte]

Originally Posted by snareman

Other than if you have to drive it in the snow, what would make it not a good DD?

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.

[NYG]

No. A Panamera Turbo S is.

[EricSMG]

The CP cars are very harsh, not good DDs. Very fun but hugely overkill for daily use, rarely able to really use the car how it was designed. In the twisties they absolutely rip.....doubt most are taken there. Very nice cars though.

M3 is the better of the two though. Much meaner looking (huge difference in real life) and far easeir to deal with due to shorter doors and rear seat access.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

M4 if you’re childless, but M3 is a great daily even with kids. Don’t mind the ride quality with ZCP even on Sport, but I’m used to harsher suspensions and/or lowered cars. Booster seats can be a pain in the ass due to shape of the seat vs the recessed seat belt latches, but its worth it to be able to mash the pedal and solo drives on the weekends on fun roads. Wife jokes it was a mid-life crisis buy, but I point out it’s a family car and the air-cooled mid-90s Porsche would have been the former...

[Robby29]

Perfect, NO but it is my daily car. I use to to drive to work and spirited driving on the weekends. My M4 is lowered and using it for grocery shopping or places with dips, bumps, holes etc is troublesome! Otherwise a perfect daily car if the roads are perfect.

[Humdizzle]

Originally Posted by AlpineWhite_SJ

M4 if you’re childless, but M3 is a great daily even with kids.

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.

[Thamer]

The M3 is perfect as a daily. However, mine isn't because it is lowered and it got 20" wheels... roads where I live are the best, so I drive a Mini Cooper as a daily. M4 wouldn't be perfect for me because I have two kids.

[tastes jigga]

I went from an M4 ZCP 6MT to a X3 M40i to a 750li. It really depends on your daily commute and the condition of your local roads. The M4 was great fun but I kept getting pulled over and my back hurt after 2 years of driving it. The X3 felt kind of cheap, the suspension was a little too stiff for longer drives and the seats weren't comfortable. I would say the 7 is the best daily driver I've ever owned, however my commute is currently 90 miles highway only.

[mjames]

Originally Posted by snareman

Other than if you have to drive it in the snow, what would make it not a good DD?

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.

[icegrill]

It's no p car, but pretty good!

[nicknaz]

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.

Wow that just goes to show the wide range of customers bmw has to please with m3

While you are thinking the suspension is too stiff, I wished bmw went even further and used monoballs instead of rubber bushings, and that the car came from the factory with camber plates and adjustable full coilovers (instead of electronic dampers that you have to later buy a delete kit for anyway when you upgrade)

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Wow that just goes to show the wide range of customers bmw has to please with m3

While you are thinking the suspension is too stiff, I wished bmw went even further and used monoballs instead of rubber bushings, and that the car came from the factory with camber plates and adjustable full coilovers (instead of electronic dampers that you have to later buy a delete kit for anyway when you upgrade)

Most people don't quite have this right. The suspension isn't too stiff... I'd argue that even the ZCP setup is actually slightly too soft in the slow (damper) speed ranges, creating a floaty sensation over soft high speed rollers. In other words, for guys like us who really want the best possible handling/chassis control, the factory damper tuning is okay at best, and, too soft where it counts.

Now, the problem with these cars, particularly with 20" wheels, is that they are brutally harsh over broken surfaces. I mean, they are BAD.... almost shockingly given the caliber of these cars. The older M-cars were dramatically more refined in this area BUT also dramatically less precise/sharp and so there's the trade off that I am personally willing to make. My E46 M3 with Konis and OEM 19s is way less harsh over broken pavement than both of my F8X ZCPs were/are.... zero contest.

So, to say the suspension is too stiff is misguided, generally speaking. On the contrary, the suspension is too soft (exception is that the high speed blow off could be better). It's the chassis' inherent harshness that makes them uncomfortable, and this is bushings and tires and mounts much more so than the actual dampers/springs. I do long for the refinement of the older M cars but the F8X's razor sharp reflexes are addicting and are what really, in my opinion, separate them from the older cars.

[tamkhan]

M3 is a great daily, imo. Even with ZCP, the car is fairly comfortable in efficient, comfort mode.
Mine has been a dd since I got it. 15 mile one way commute, 5 days a week. Trips to daycare, grocery store, movies etc. Haven't taken it on a long road trip yet, but I'm sure it'll be fine. With the car seat in, there is actually more space for the baby to stretch their legs than my other car which is a C300.

Over rough surfaces, though, it can be a bit harsh. But in the bay area, most cars feel harsh over the type of crazy potholes and horrible roads we have here

[TheBingoBalls]

M340i xDrive.

Yeah I said it.

(*Runs and duck for cover*)

Just curious to see how people respond. LOL

[spool twice]

My CS has been great for a daily:

1) relatively quiet on the road despite less sound deadening in the dash/door cards

2) suspension doesn't crash over bumps, rebound seems tight but compression rates takes the edge off of bumps without feeling floaty, nice and tight

3) standard hi-fi is pretty decent

4) decent back seat space

5) the "weave" door cards are one-piece so no rattles, nice and mostly squeak free.

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...

[mjames]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Wow that just goes to show the wide range of customers bmw has to please with m3

While you are thinking the suspension is too stiff, I wished bmw went even further and used monoballs instead of rubber bushings, and that the car came from the factory with camber plates and adjustable full coilovers (instead of electronic dampers that you have to later buy a delete kit for anyway when you upgrade)

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.