Just drove the M3

[accce]

Pictures do not do the car justice. The curves and the concave wheels just don't come out in pictures. The car is tight but not rough. Its LOUD especially when first started. When I first started the car is sounded like the muffler was loose. after a few min it quieted down.

The car was smooth on the road and the steering was tight and precise, but did lack a little feel. The car is quick and pulls hard. I took it up to 120MPH and it wanted to keep going. The trans is fantastic and really smooth on down shifts. I did not get a chance to kick the rear out but I could have easily have done it. The brakes look so much better in person. For some reason they look so small in the pictures but in person the look perfect for the car.

The only down side I would say is the car is so nice inside if you don't get the full leather you will be disappointed (I did not get it and its too late to change).

This car is a winner!!!

[Blindside_137]

Awesome! The sedan is so beastly! I love it

[ASAP]

1) Does the steering provide enough resistance to turn in or is it artificial?
2) What are they asking for this car at SS?

[gthal]

[FTS]

Nice!

[accce]

The steering is not artificial. Its more of an exact placement versus feeling the road pushing back a little.

I don't know if they are selling this car at the moment its their DEMO.

I am sure everything has a price though. lol

[nachob]

Where is this one? I want to check it out

[accce]

Originally Posted by nachob

Where is this one? I want to check it out

2000+miles from you. Its in MD.

[M2Crew]

That's the Silver Spring car that a couple of others on the forum have driven.

[s4play]

hmmm so are dealers finally getting the launch cars?

Norcal dealers don't have a car yet

[BIRDGANG]

Originally Posted by s4play

Norcal dealers don't have a car yet

I feel your pain. This weekend can't come fast enough.

[humpday]

Also test drove an M3 today. I'll just add to this thread rather than start a whole new one. Hope the OP doesn't mind. The car was black/black with silver rims, CFR, extended leather, DCT. It looked amazing. I would have definitely got this color combo if I weren't so lazy about keeping a black car clean.

Before driving: Exterior of M3 is awesome. The rear wheel flair really adds an aggressive look that the M4 won't have. However, I still don't understand the design of the rear bumper on both the M3 and M4, but I'm sure it has some aerodynamic purpose, but it's more on the fugly side IMO. I loved the CF brace under the hood, and I think the CFR is the way to go. This particular vehicle had the lighting package. The LED lights really add an element of "awesomeness", and I'm glad I got it for my M4.

As for the interior, I'm pretty ambivalent when it comes to full vs. extended leather. This car had the extended leather, and I thought it was just fine. They optioned the car with the wood interior trim, which I thought looked pretty hideous. I'm hoping the CF trim will look a lot better. The drivers seat is nice and low. As for the seats themselves, they were very, pleasantly comfortable. I remember reading somewhere that people were concerned that there weren't any seat extenders on the F8x. But my SA, who's over 6ft tall thought the seats still felt great without the extenders. I'm on the shorter side, so I thought they felt great too. This car had the HUD, which I loved. Unfortunately, if you wear polarized sunglasses, the display will appear slightly dimmed. However, you can adjust the HUD up/down and rotate it so that it appears more clearly, even with the polarized lenses.

As for the sound - I know this is very subjective (as is the rest of this review) - but I absolutely loved the sound of this car. I messed around with all the settings, and there is a clear difference between the efficient and sport plus modes (sport plus is amazing), but I thought the car sounded great even in the efficient mode. I really do believe that the majority of people on this board will be pleasantly surprised by the sound. The one thing that caught my attention was that the sound of the turbo was unexpectedly loud at higher revs. At high revs and speeds, it sounds like the wind from outside was blowing very hard on the windshield when in fact it's the turbos "swooshing" rather loudly. I actually liked the sound of the turbos mixed in with the more aggressive sounds of the engine - it was a pleasant mixture of both.

The drive: My SA wouldn't let me push the car hard because it was still breaking-in. That being said, this car is an amazing ride. I can't really add anything groundbreaking to all the other reviews. I can only confirm that the torque is amazing, the steering is fantastic, and the car feels so good on tight turns. I did 80+mph on a 30mph on-ramp with a bunch of turns, and the car just handled it like a champ. The DCT is SO quick with the shifts, which made me very happy because I struggled deciding between the 6MT and DCT. Like I said, this info is nothing new from other posts. I'm no pro, but I can say that I wasn't able to detect any turbo lag at all. Lastly, the car felt great with the bumps on the road in both sport plus and comfort modes.

All in all, I loved this machine. My car apparently just got picked up by the carrier so I still have some time yet for delivery, and the wait is killing me. Giving the keys back to my SA was like re-wrapping my Christmas present and putting it back under the tree. Let me know if you have any questions.

[emranc]

Originally Posted by s4play

hmmm so are dealers finally getting the launch cars?

Norcal dealers don't have a car yet

There are at least 2 that i know of, one wants 20K over MSRP, second one wants a wait a few days before offering a test drive

[jc05e46m3]

Originally Posted by emranc

There are at least 2 that i know of, one wants 20K over MSRP, second one wants a wait a few days before offering a test drive

20K over?! LOL @ 25% markup. I would probably poop at their front door overnight.







jk

[GBPackerfan1963]

Originally Posted by s4play

hmmm so are dealers finally getting the launch cars?

Norcal dealers don't have a car yet

Niello and Roseville BMW have their launch cars.

[s4play]

Originally Posted by emranc

There are at least 2 that i know of, one wants 20K over MSRP, second one wants a wait a few days before offering a test drive

Back in the day (2001/2002) I remember Stevens Creek BMW wanted $25k over for the e46 m3. I'm sure Fremont, Peter Pan and SF were no better in asking over MSRP. I ended up buying my e46 m3 from a BMW dealer in VA and at MSRP which was considered a smoking deal back then.

So you saying SF bay area dealers do have a car on their lots?

[s4play]

^Both of those dealers are like 120+ miles away I'm talking about local SF bay area dealers like Peter Pan, Pleasanton, Stevens Creek, Fremont, etc

[GBPackerfan1963]

Originally Posted by s4play

^Both of those dealers are like 120+ miles away I'm talking about local SF bay area dealers like Peter Pan, Pleasanton, Stevens Creek, Fremont, etc

Pick up a phone and dial their digits. You might be pleasantly surprised.

[Liberation]

I'm stopping by there shortly myself...

[Jockey]

Can't wait until my local dealer gets one. I've been drooling over all these reviews.

[emranc]

Originally Posted by s4play

^Both of those dealers are like 120+ miles away I'm talking about local SF bay area dealers like Peter Pan, Pleasanton, Stevens Creek, Fremont, etc

East Bay - Pleasanton and BMW of SF both have cars.
BMW of SF wants 20K markup for Blk/Blk M4, priced at $78,300 -- asking $98,300

[GBPackerfan1963]

Originally Posted by emranc

East Bay - Pleasanton and BMW of SF both have cars.
BMW of SF wants 20K markup for Blk/Blk M4, priced at $78,300 -- asking $98,300