My F80 M3 is delivered!

[TomTom///M]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Mine is here! Finally... I'll spare you the details, but it's been worth the wait!

Now the running-in agony starts!

Originally Posted by Suave

Nice congrats! You should go find @UAE247 and do some cruising!

We should, indeed. We're in contact already. Both of us have a AW 1M too. So that'll be an interesting drive.

Originally Posted by Sir Loin

Congrats!! Very nice!

How did you convince the dealer to release your car before the official launch date? Or the official launch date doesn't apply to UAE any more?

My dealer only 1 customer car now (mine), the other one they received is a press car. The next batch of 2 only arrives in August. So, when my car hit the dealership at the end of April, it was first put in quarantine. But with UAE247's car delivered next-door in Abu Dhabi already prior to the block and me being a loyal customer, they got approval to release my car earlier. I don't know what this means for the rest of the world.

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Awesome. Keep your impressions coming in.

What's your full spec again?

I've got a full Silverstone / black leather interior, so basically the M3 launch version. I don't have the adaptive suspension (even though I ordered it), I don't have the M Drivers Package (am trying to get that sorted now) and the ceramics, but for the rest, I believe all boxes were ticked.

Originally Posted by mastek

lol ....who cares about a measly M3 when you have a Speciale.

I do care about it, trust me. Because I love to drive it, just as much as the Speciale. Same applies for the littl' 1M.

Originally Posted by mashoutposse

How does it compare to the Speciale?

Apples and bananas, not even oranges. I love the luxury in the M3, which the Speciale obviously doesn't have. Apart from that, the Speciale is in another galaxy.

Originally Posted by mxa121

You'll spare us the details?! But that is what we want! DETAILS!!!!

Nice ride.

Well, as you saw above, I found out, 3 days before the planned delivery last Thursday, that my car didn't have the adaptive suspension, even though I ordered it. Knowing my wife will use the car as her daily driver, I would have like to have that option, which was the very reason for me selecting it. We took the car around the block and found it to be rather stiff over the many speedbumps that we have here. But then we drove an new M5 with adaptive suspension and found there was very little difference. Which made it all comes down to the principle and money. Let's say that I didn't get what I wanted (probably because the dealer knew they can sell the car at full list instantly), but I couldn't resist. I even drove the last new C63 AMG 507 in Dubai when I was in doubt, but regardless how epic that engine is and sounds, it cannot hold a candle to the M3 in all other areas and the suspension was the same.

Originally Posted by M4TW

The OP probably got bored, threw the keys to his wife and went back to driving his Ferrari.

Haha, sort of. Because it's my wife's daily driver. I don't have to use a car every day, but if I use one, it's the 1M or the M3 (for longer trips). The Speciale is for the hard-core driving in the weekends, in the deserted mountain roads here and the tracks.

Originally Posted by mkoesel

This was somewhat surprising information.

So you tried out the M5 in Comfort mode and even then it didn't provide much better experience than the M3 with passive suspension?

Yes, but only related on speed-bumps, that is. That's where we focused on, the normal road driving is no problem here, because virtually all roads are new, very well maintained and hence pose no problem to any type of (stiff) suspensions.

My very subjective assessment, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is uncomfortably stiff over bumps:
- my wife's Infiniti FX50s (her previous car): 9
- M3 without adaptive suspension: 8
- M5 with adaptive on Sport setting: 8
- M5 with adaptive on Comfort setting: 7 (only noticable back-to-back)
- C63 AMG 507: 7.5
- my Panamera S loaner on Comfort setting: 6

I've driven many 'normal' (non-M) BMWs in Europe where I noticed quite a big difference. With the M5, I personally didn't. That's why we decided not to order new one and just go with this one...

Originally Posted by solstice

Personally I don't care if it feels stiff I'm more concerned about the other side of the spectrum. How does it compare in terms of body control vs the other cars you mention and please through in the 1M in the mix as well. Does the passive suspension feel agile, communicative and athletic enough for an M3 or is there any hint of mushiness or excessive body roll?

No need to worry, there is no hint of mushiness or body roll at all. Of course, it's not as small and nimble as the 1M, but it's very close. And feel very agile indeed, almost E46 M3 CSL-like, as per a good friend (ex-BMW Service Advisor and race instructor now) who drove it briefly today.

The passive suspension, according to Engineer Biermann, "the calibration for the standard dampers and springs falls somewhere between the Sport and Sport Plus settings of the EDS".

Originally Posted by Racer20

I don't have time to get technical, but speed bumps are not a good way to evaluate the difference between the different adaptive suspension settings. The difference between the modes will not show up as clearly on a speed bump as it would over uneven pavement, large dips/swells, or fast cornering transitions.

You're probably right, but I never said it was the right way of assessing the difference between the dampers, did I? For me, only the speed bumps matter, the vast majority of the roads here are smooth as silk.

Originally Posted by Nicholas///M

When did you order it and what number were you on your bmw dealer list?

I expressed my interest to my sales person more than 12 months ago and made a down-payment end of last year, if I recall. What number I was on the list I don't know, but it is their first customer car that is delivered.

Originally Posted by trinim3

Let us know when you hit up Yas Marina. Would be great to see how it performs on that track. I especially would like to know what the top speed is on the long straight. When I drove a Aston Martin GT4 there I was doing about ~280kph/170mph.

I doubt I'll take it to Yas, ever. I'll use the Speciale for that. I'm not a track animal, I prefer our empty mountain roads over race-tracks (especially because I find Yas rather boring), but here's an exception:

Originally Posted by thai357sig

You ordered adaptive suspension and carbon brakes but it was delivered without! ?!
Why in the world did you take delivery of it?

They must of really sweetened the deal for you at delivery then? I would not of accepted it unless perhaps it was a lease and BMW gave it away.

I ordered adaptive suspension, not carbon brakes. The suspension wasn't on the car, allegedly because it was the first series (2 cars) of deliveries to my dealer with specs that weren't fully adjustable. I accepted it (with a sweetener) because I had sold my wife's car at the end of April, when the original delivery should have taken place. With that delayed by BMW, they gave me a new X6 50i loaner in the meantime. However, if I would have ordered a new one, it would take 3 months and they did not want to let me keep the loaner for that time. And the the suspension difference (over the bumps only) wasn't worth the wait, hassle and extra cost (2,750k USD over here).

Originally Posted by psuibmw

True, I heard this before ... It might be all I can afford if I go there is a nicely equipped Kia Forte

Here, an M3 on average would be $70k to $75K, how much that translates to in that part of the world?

The price of my car is 410k AED, that's 111k USD. Yup, whereas a base 991 GT3 is 490k AED here and hence very similar to the US price of 130k USD.

In terms of specs, I've got pretty much everything apart from heated seats (duh), adaptive suspension (mistake in the order), M Drivers Package (not available yet) and ceramics (not needed). With these 4 items added, it would be 463k AED, or 127k USD.

Simple: BMWs are very expensive in Dubai as compared to the US. Such is life... I want them regardless!

Originally Posted by gago1101

I might have missed, but your M3 was DCT, correct? How does it compare to your 458 in terms of shift times and response times?

Yeah, it's DCT. My wife, even though she drives manual, prefers that in traffic. And I'm fine with it too, I've got the manual in the 1M already.

It's difficult to compare the shift and response times, because both are too short for a human being to register. The gearbox in the Speciale is quite different (faster / more 'abrupt' in Race-mode) than the Italia. Due to the running in requirements, I haven't revved the M3 yet, which, IMHO, shows the true nature of a DCT. At normal driving, both are very smooth.

[Suave]

Nice congrats! You should go find @UAE247 and do some cruising!

[Sir Loin]

Congrats!! Very nice!

How did you convince the dealer to release your car before the official launch date? Or the official launch date doesn't apply to UAE any more?

[BlackCobra08]

Congrats! Please let us know your driving impressions when are done breaking it in

[Boss330]

Congratulations

Enjoy the M3!

[GOLFFRR]

nice!

[egalley]

Congrats!!

[4/3rds]

Enjoy!!

[thebigcheese]

Congrats! POV video?

[Jockey]

Congrats! Looks great

[Needsdecaf]

Awesome. Keep your impressions coming in.

What's your full spec again?

[sherm]

Congrats! I just put my deposit down an M4 so I have a while until I get mine

[jc05e46m3]

YMB FTW! Congrats! Enjoy in best health!

[mastek]

lol ....who cares about a measly M3 when you have a Speciale.

[Viking123]

Congrats! I hope this means that they will be releasing early everywhere...

[ROM3]

Awesome!!!! I'm so excited for you

[tooch]

Congrats!!

[SW19]

YMB is looking good in those pics.Enjoy your new M3.

[cipri]

Originally Posted by TomTom///M

Mine is here! Finally... I'll spare you the details, but it's been worth the wait!

Now the running-in agony starts!

bravo

[Miko M3]

Congrats and enjoy. I got same one coming soon.

[Hedoniste]

Beautiful ! Congrats :-)

[myzmak]

Niiiiiice.