E92 M3 review - 2008.02.15

[Kevlar]

This is the first revision of the article I will be submitting... if you have any questions, let me know and I will add/adjust the article as necessary.

The long awaited M3.

At first sight, the car looks less than stunning; especially with the crappy 18” wheels they put on it. I am not sure what they were thinking putting those 18s on there. Mind you, it’s not like they are the wrong size… 18s do just fine. The design pattern is just awful. Looking at the car from a side profile, the car looks long… no denying the fact, but the stance does look low and purposeful. The lines are graceful, but long. As you go around the car, you begin to realize that pictures do not do this car justice. It looks different in person. When you start to look at the front fender flares… they are huge in comparison, almost even with the hood line. You come around to the front and the fenders give this car a wide stance reminding you of the older exotics whose sole purpose was to be wide and flat. While I am sure the front bumper is the designed more for function than form, they could have put a little more form into it. The M5/M6 bumper looks a bit more pleasing to the eye than the M3 version. The low slung front bumper makes it look slightly out of place. When creeping up behind you, it does not instill the same kind of fear that the E46 M3 did. The power bulge is more like a power Egyptian pyramid now. It’s huge! Around the tail of the car, it looks a bit busy, but livable. The trunk and rear apron look a little confused, but I’m sure that will grow on me like every other newer BMW design. I’ve learned that at first sight, they will do not bring crazy emotions out of me, but given a few months, they tend to win me over. It has something to do with BMW designers thinking a little too far into the future. The car does not look wonderful now, but I’m sure in a few years from now, it will be outstanding.

Sit down inside and the first things you see are that it is typical of any other 3 series with I-Drive. The trademark M items are there, and there are some new buttons located on the driver’s side of the shifter. The power button, the EDC (which really works) and the DSC off button are all buttons that you really don’t need because you are program them into the M button on the steering wheel so when you want to go… you only push one button and not three. Granted, having them so close by gives you easy access, but I have no doubt some moron is going to rest his leg on the buttons accidentally turning the DSC off and wrapping the car around a tree.

Fire it up… the sound is less than ideal until it settles into a nice purr. That’s the V8. Start accelerating through the gears and the car feels calm, subtle, sluggish and well… not so entertaining. It is definitely smooth and refined… possibly too much. This is where I thought it was all downhill and I was really ready to give it back and cancel my order for one, but I pressed one because well, I should really give it more time than just a few minutes behind the wheels. Cruising along it’s subtle and smooth. The exhaust note is refined and throaty… but we will still need to slap an exhaust on there for those that crave a child scaring, home owner association hating, roar. The car feels lazy at low RPMs and while it does climb smoothly through the power band, it really feels like you are poking a sleeping bear. It will move, but it’s not happy about it. Bumps are absorbed much nicer than the E46 was. It definitely uses its suspension and weight to smooth everything out.

After lollygagging around… I figured it was time to push the M button to see what would happen and see if it would change the characteristics of the car any.

Holy Hell!

Talk about split personality disorder… pushing the button the car takes on a whole new attitude. And that attitude is that of an athlete who wants to be pushed harder and harder. The lazy throttle response that resembled that of a waking bear is now that of an angry beast. When you step on the gas, it is like you are tormenting poking the monster with a stick while wearing a ten steak necklace. The throttle is ferocious and when you twitch, the car is ready to go. If you are in the right gear and the RPM is up (remember, this is a high RPM motor), the car rapidly departs from its current state and starts gathering momentum very quickly. I have no doubt it will do zero to jail is record time compared to the old M3s. First second and third gears are short and accelerate you from nothing to a whole lot of something rather rapidly. However, there is a big gap between third and fourth. It is like a compromise. BMW made the first three gears to keep the Americans happy in their stoplight to stoplight drag races and the last three gears so the Germans could cruise effortlessly on the Autobahn, but unfortunately, that means there is a big gap in the middle. Driving on the highway, 5th and 6th gears are almost useless unless you are up over 90. While they are great for saving gas… they are not so great for top gear passing. Downshifting will be a must to execute passing of others. Well, you will want to downshift anyway so when go by, the person who you are passing can hear what you are working with. And what you are working with, is that magical 420hp V8. When under load and when it’s moving, the engine sings a melodious song. Throaty … but muffled. You can hear it when you step on the gas and the engine starts to change its profile from sedate cruising to get up and go mode, it sings to let you know it.

Now, everyone complained that the M3 added on a few pounds with the latest revision. I am not going to lie, there is the added feeling of weight, but I’m not going to say the car has gotten fat, it’s just gotten old and more advanced. It has more tricks up its sleeves to deal with the weight. No doubt if you had all of this power and suspension in a 2000lb car, it would be phenomenal, but it also probably would not be legal. All those comfort features and safety mandated features have to go somewhere … and those legal guys have to make sure that when little Jimmy decides to take turn off the traction control and see what happens he not only survives but he doesn’t horribly injure others. Anyway, the car handles its weight well. With the M mode on, the EDC goes to full stiff … and it makes a difference. With the EDC in full stiff, body roll is reduced and the car is definitely tightened up. The servotronic steering also aides in the handling aspect as it tightens up the feeling between you and the road. It feels as if you are manually turning the front wheels by hand. When I was throwing it around, I could feel everything in the road, I could feel all the imperfections and I knew exactly what the front tires were doing.

Brakes… now, it is hard to really gauge the brakes on this car because well, it’s been beaten and abused. I have no idea how much pad and rotor is left, but whatever was in place, it definitely felt good. Multiple stops from high speeds did not give much or any fade. Pedal pressure was easy to modulate and the monster rotors/calipers seemed happy to haul the car down from speed. The occasional ‘squeak’ was audible under light braking, but easily would go away with more pressure. I have no doubt though that under aggressive track use a more aggressive pad would be necessary.

The sad part is... I really did not want to like this car. With the smaller, lighter, cheaper 135 around the corner and possibly even a 135tii around the corner, I wanted to not like this car and go for the 1series performance car. I had built a huge case of why I should not like this car and when you read the numbers on paper, it is easy to convince yourself of why the new M3 is not the car to buy. On paper, it is a long, heavy, gas guzzling expensive pig. When you get behind the wheel… all of that goes away, instead you are thrilled by its tight feeling and the length slowly becomes a figment of your imagination. The weight is easily thrown around more like an athletic football player than a pig. That gas guzzling monster under the hood all of a sudden is a high revving powerful beast waiting to be unleashed, even if it does mean it is thirstier than its previous brethren. The cost… well, it is a bargain. When you factor in the general purposefulness of the car, how well it does everything, you begin to realize that it can run with cars twice its price and still give you the daily comfort, usability, satisfaction and safety than most of us need. Yes, you probably could make a 335 outperform the M3, but do you want to? The amount of research, cost, installation, hassles, you have to deal with to convert a 335 into a M3 killer would take some doing and at the end of it, you would still have a 335 without a warranty. Can you make a 335 faster? No doubt… but you could also make a bathtub faster if you through enough money at it. The M3 is the best all around… buy it and drive it package I have seen thus far.

Now… with all that said, I need to go and call my salesman to confirm that my order for the M3 is still in place.

[rcem3]

I like it. I wasn't sure at first with all the negative remarks about the M3 in the beginning, especially the comments about the wheels. Whether you like the wheels or not is entirely subjective. I just felt like it wasn't neccassary. The article completly changed attitudes by the end. Overall, I like it. Good job!

[Lezard]

Nice review, although I think you are overestimating how much it would really take to build up a 335i to at least compete with the M3 on the STREET. It would probably take a lot however to make a 335i compete with the M3 on the track. Probably cost more than it's worth. And with Dinan you won't void your warranty with extra boost software right?

[Kevlar]

I like it. I wasn't sure at first with all the negative remarks about the M3 in the beginning, especially the comments about the wheels. Whether you like the wheels or not is entirely subjective. I just felt like it wasn't neccassary. The article completly changed attitudes by the end. Overall, I like it. Good job!

Thanks... depending on the publication the article is going to, it will be adjusted to include/remove personal observations and first person or third person speech.


Nice review, although I think you are overestimating how much it would really take to build up a 335i to at least compete with the M3 on the STREET. It would probably take a lot however to make a 335i compete with the M3 on the track. Probably cost more than it's worth. And with Dinan you won't void your warranty with extra boost software right?

Wrong... with DINAN software, you void your BMW engine warranty, however DINAN offers their warranty in BMWs place. Some BMW dealers are DINAN equipped meaning they can fix the problem and send the bill to DINAN. However, the problem arises when BMW claims DINAN is at fault and DINAN claims BMW is at fault ... then you are stuck with the bill.

[rmani]

nice review and write-up I agree the car looks too long from the side profile that's my biggest gripe with the design.

I also agree making a 335 accelerate harder, brake better, and handle better than M3 is a costly endeavor and makes no sense when the M3 is available right from the dealer with a warranty. My friend told me just last night he saw one on the highway I can't wait to see one in person.

[typeS4]

Wrong... with DINAN software, you void your BMW engine warranty, however DINAN offers their warranty in BMWs place. Some BMW dealers are DINAN equipped meaning they can fix the problem and send the bill to DINAN. However, the problem arises when BMW claims DINAN is at fault and DINAN claims BMW is at fault ... then you are stuck with the bill.

Not to mention reliability going down the tube when messing around with an engine built not to handle 400+ hp.

Awesome review Kevlar!

[exproject]

This is the first revision of the article I will be submitting... if you have any questions, let me know and I will add/adjust the article as necessary.

The long awaited M3.

At first sight, the car looks less than stunning; especially with the crappy 18” wheels they put on it. I am not sure what they were thinking putting those 18s on there. Mind you, it’s not like they are the wrong size… 18s do just fine. The design pattern is just awful. Looking at the car from a side profile, the car looks long… no denying the fact, but the stance does look low and purposeful. The lines are graceful, but long. As you go around the car, you begin to realize that pictures do not do this car justice. It looks different in person. When you start to look at the front fender flares… they are huge in comparison, almost even with the hood line. You come around to the front and the fenders give this car a wide stance reminding you of the older exotics whose sole purpose was to be wide and flat. While I am sure the front bumper is the designed more for function than form, they could have put a little more form into it. The M5/M6 bumper looks a bit more pleasing to the eye than the M3 version. The low slung front bumper makes it look slightly out of place. When creeping up behind you, it does not instill the same kind of fear that the E46 M3 did. The power bulge is more like a power Egyptian pyramid now. It’s huge! Around the tail of the car, it looks a bit busy, but livable. The trunk and rear apron look a little confused, but I’m sure that will grow on me like every other newer BMW design. I’ve learned that at first sight, they will do not bring crazy emotions out of me, but given a few months, they tend to win me over. It has something to do with BMW designers thinking a little too far into the future. The car does not look wonderful now, but I’m sure in a few years from now, it will be outstanding.

Sit down inside and the first things you see are that it is typical of any other 3 series with I-Drive. The trademark M items are there, and there are some new buttons located on the driver’s side of the shifter. The power button, the EDC (which really works) and the DSC off button are all buttons that you really don’t need because you are program them into the M button on the steering wheel so when you want to go… you only push one button and not three. Granted, having them so close by gives you easy access, but I have no doubt some moron is going to rest his leg on the buttons accidentally turning the DSC off and wrapping the car around a tree.

Fire it up… the sound is less than ideal until it settles into a nice purr. That’s the V8. Start accelerating through the gears and the car feels calm, subtle, sluggish and well… not so entertaining. It is definitely smooth and refined… possibly too much. This is where I thought it was all downhill and I was really ready to give it back and cancel my order for one, but I pressed one(on) because well, I should really give it more time than just a few minutes behind the wheels(M3 with multiple steering wheels!). Cruising along it’s subtle and smooth. The exhaust note is refined and throaty… but we will still need to slap an exhaust on there for those that crave a child scaring, home owner association hating(delete this comma)roar. The car feels lazy at low RPMs and while it does climb smoothly through the power band, it really feels like you are poking a sleeping bear. It will move, but it’s not happy about it. Bumps are absorbed much nicer than the E46 was. It definitely uses its suspension and weight to smooth everything out.

After lollygagging around… I figured it was time to push the M button to see what would happen and see if it would change the characteristics of the car any.

Holy Hell!

Talk about split personality disorder… pushing the button the car takes on a whole new attitude. And that attitude is that of an athlete who wants to be pushed harder and harder. The lazy throttle response that resembled that of a waking bear is now that of an angry beast. When you step on the gas, it is like you are tormenting poking(confusing here) the monster with a stick while wearing a ten steak necklace. The throttle is ferocious and when you twitch, the car is ready to go. If you are in the right gear and the RPM is up (remember, this is a high RPM motor), the car rapidly departs from its current state and starts gathering momentum very quickly. I have no doubt it will do zero to jail is record time compared to the old M3s. First second and third gears are short and accelerate you from nothing to a whole lot of something rather rapidly. However, there is a big gap between third and fourth. It is like a compromise. BMW made the first three gears to keep the Americans happy in their stoplight to stoplight drag races and the last three gears so the Germans could cruise effortlessly on the Autobahn, but unfortunately, that means there is a big gap in the middle. Driving on the highway, 5th and 6th gears are almost useless unless you are up over 90. While they are great for saving gas… they are not so great for top gear passing. Downshifting will be a must to execute passing of others. Well, you will want to downshift anyway so when go by, the person who you are passing can hear what you are working with. And what you are working with, is that magical 420hp V8. When under load and when it’s moving, the engine sings a melodious song. Throaty … but muffled. You can hear it when you step on the gas and the engine starts to change its profile from sedate cruising to get up and go mode, it sings to let you know it.

Now, everyone complained that the M3 added on a few pounds with the latest revision. I am not going to lie, there is the added feeling of weight, but I’m not going to say the car has gotten fat, it’s just gotten old and more advanced(old?). It has more tricks up its sleeves to deal with the weight. No doubt if you had all of this power and suspension in a 2000lb car, it would be phenomenal, but it also probably would not be legal. All those comfort features and safety mandated features have to go somewhere … and those legal guys have to make sure that when little Jimmy decides to take turn off the traction control and see what happens he not only survives but he doesn’t horribly injure others. Anyway, the car handles its weight well. With the M mode on, the EDC goes to full stiff … and it makes a difference. With the EDC in full stiff, body roll is reduced and the car is definitely tightened up. The servotronic steering also aides in the handling aspect as it tightens up the feeling between you and the road. It feels as if you are manually turning the front wheels by hand. When I was throwing it around, I could feel everything in the road, I could feel all the imperfections and I knew exactly what the front tires were doing.

Brakes… now, it is hard to really gauge the brakes on this car because well, it’s been beaten and abused. I have no idea how much pad and rotor is left, but whatever was in place, it definitely felt good. Multiple stops from high speeds did not give much or any fade. Pedal pressure was easy to modulate and the monster rotors/calipers seemed happy to haul the car down from speed. The occasional ‘squeak’ was audible under light braking, but easily would go away with more pressure. I have no doubt though that under aggressive track use a more aggressive pad would be necessary.

The sad part is... I really did not want to like this car. With the smaller, lighter, cheaper 135 around the corner and possibly even a 135tii around the corner, I wanted to not like this car and go for the 1series performance car. I had built a huge case of why I should not like this car and when you read the numbers on paper, it is easy to convince yourself of why the new M3 is not the car to buy. On paper, it is a long, heavy, gas guzzling expensive pig. When you get behind the wheel… all of that goes away, instead you are thrilled by its tight feeling and the length slowly becomes a figment of your imagination. The weight is easily thrown around more like an athletic football player than a pig. That gas guzzling monster under the hood all of a sudden is a high revving powerful beast waiting to be unleashed, even if it does mean it is thirstier than its previous brethren. The cost… well, it is a bargain. When you factor in the general purposefulness of the car, how well it does everything, you begin to realize that it can run with cars twice its price and still give you the daily comfort, usability, satisfaction and safety than most of us need. Yes, you probably could make a 335 outperform the M3, but do you want to? The amount of research, cost, installation, hassles, you have to deal with to convert a 335 into a M3 killer would take some doing and at the end of it, you would still have a 335 without a warranty. Can you make a 335 faster? No doubt… but you could also make a bathtub faster if you through enough money at it. The M3 is the best all around… buy it and drive it package I have seen thus far.

Now… with all that said, I need to go and call my salesman to confirm that my order for the M3 is still in place.



Just a few errors I picked off in bold.

[ViniZaoD]

now the B7 please!

[abradic]

I have seen a review of the M3, where the guy was testing the car and thinking it wouldn't be so great. By the end of his review, he was in love. You're right, you can't look at it on paper. If you did that, than the Porsche Cayman would be a horrible car considering what you pay for the performance, but we all know that's not the case.

I saw the M3 in person yesterday at the auto show and I thought it looked fantastic. Silver with the carbon fiber roof looks amazing, and I like the aggressive look it has. You are the lucky one though, because you got to hear and feel that V8, plus you have it on order!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VGi-41XApDY

[Bears]

Great review and congratulations on making the decision to stick with your order :D

We expect pics + vids upon delivery Kevlar

I'm assuming you're going to get the car with the 19's correct?

[Kevlar]

now the B7 please!

It's a monster... I would choose it over a S55 or even S65 any day of the week. I'll be doing the write up of that one later today or tomorrow morning.


Great review and congratulations on making the decision to stick with your order :D

We expect pics + vids upon delivery Kevlar

I'm assuming you're going to get the car with the 19's correct?

The car will be ordered with 19s and DCT. The price tag is quite lofty though at an estimated $69.5k + taxes... but I'm still a good year and some out before taking delivery.

[Bears]

It's a monster... I would choose it over a S55 or even S65 any day of the week. I'll be doing the write up of that one later today or tomorrow morning.



The car will be ordered with 19s and DCT. The price tag is quite lofty though at an estimated $69.5k + taxes... but I'm still a good year and some out before taking delivery.

Damn, that's a long time to wait :(

What are you going to do with the M roady?

[addnon]

nice review and write-up I agree the car looks too long from the side profile that's my biggest gripe with the design.

I also agree making a 335 accelerate harder, brake better, and handle better than M3 is a costly endeavor and makes no sense when the M3 is available right from the dealer with a warranty. My friend told me just last night he saw one on the highway I can't wait to see one in person.

Plus, the 335 lacks the all important LSD.

[prash]

Even if you made a 335i more powerful, it still wouldn't have that unbelievable V8 engine note. :drool:

[Kevlar]

Damn, that's a long time to wait :(

What are you going to do with the M roady?

The M roady by then will be two nearly three years old and probably will be put out to pasture... it is not the ideal long term car for me. If I had the facilities to keep it as a weekend car, I would.


Plus, the 335 lacks the all important LSD.

You can buy one for it ... but I understand the 335s now have a welded diff which means the cost to upgrade has doubled because you no longer get a core refund. More importantly, you do not get the M dynamic stablity control or M driving mode.

[addnon]

You can buy one for it ... but I understand the 335s now have a welded diff which means the cost to upgrade has doubled because you no longer get a core refund. More importantly, you do not get the M dynamic stablity control or M driving mode.

Right on.


How were the seats compared to the E46 M? Back-seat area?

[Kevlar]

Right on.


How were the seats compared to the E46 M? Back-seat area?
The seats were comfortable... much mor comfortable than the E46 M3, but that may be partly due to the fact that the M3 is now old and all the foam padding has been flattened to the equivalent of cardboard.

The back seat area was comfortable... I was able to sit back there which is impressive since I am 6'3". You could easily travel with four adults in the car with a little adjustment.

[NoSoup4U]

Kevin -

Were you able to drive a sedan yet? I am curious to see how the sedan compares to the driving characteristics of the coupe. I'm not sure about others; but, I think some of us are more interested in the sedan because of the utlity of having easy access to the rear seats.

How would you compare this to the E46 M3? I know it is an improvement; but, when I configured mine (I need the DCT clutch because of my significant other needs to drive it at times as well since she's already pissed she can't drive the p-car) .. mine came around $68-70K.

Now, when I can get a 2003-2004 SMG E46 M3, and still have enough money left over to get an SUV. Is it really worth the price point they are at? Are you really getting that much better performance, luxury, and handling over the E46 M3?

When the E46 M3 came out, the price difference between the E36 and E46 M3 was not as great as this -- here, we are now talking around $30-35K price difference versus before it was around $15-20K.

[Kevlar]

I have not been ablt to drive the sedan yet... I drove the coupe. I understand the sedan is 3 inches shorter an 1 1/2 inches wider and about 30lbs heavier. I am going for the sedan myself as I would like to have the backseats.

Comparing it to the E46 M3 ... the E92 M3 is older, more mature, more refined. My car also get configured out to near 70k. However, if you are looking for an all in one car, this is a good one because it is much more refined than the E46 M3... significantly more refined. The performance stand point is also a notch about the E46 M3. The majority of the cost is in the combining of the two ... the doctor jekyl and mr. hyde if you will.

Yes, you could get two cars for less money, but here you are paying for the convinience of having it all in one ball of wax.

[sam3s]

This is the first revision of the article I will be submitting... if you have any questions, let me know and I will add/adjust the article as necessary.

The long awaited M3.

At first sight, the car looks less than stunning; especially with the crappy 18” wheels they put on it. I am not sure what they were thinking putting those 18s on there. Mind you, it’s not like they are the wrong size… 18s do just fine. The design pattern is just awful. Looking at the car from a side profile, the car looks long… no denying the fact, but the stance does look low and purposeful. The lines are graceful, but long. As you go around the car, you begin to realize that pictures do not do this car justice. It looks different in person. When you start to look at the front fender flares… they are huge in comparison, almost even with the hood line. You come around to the front and the fenders give this car a wide stance reminding you of the older exotics whose sole purpose was to be wide and flat. While I am sure the front bumper is the designed more for function than form, they could have put a little more form into it. The M5/M6 bumper looks a bit more pleasing to the eye than the M3 version. The low slung front bumper makes it look slightly out of place. When creeping up behind you, it does not instill the same kind of fear that the E46 M3 did. The power bulge is more like a power Egyptian pyramid now. It’s huge! Around the tail of the car, it looks a bit busy, but livable. The trunk and rear apron look a little confused, but I’m sure that will grow on me like every other newer BMW design. I’ve learned that at first sight, they will do not bring crazy emotions out of me, but given a few months, they tend to win me over. It has something to do with BMW designers thinking a little too far into the future. The car does not look wonderful now, but I’m sure in a few years from now, it will be outstanding.

Sit down inside and the first things you see are that it is typical of any other 3 series with I-Drive. The trademark M items are there, and there are some new buttons located on the driver’s side of the shifter. The power button, the EDC (which really works) and the DSC off button are all buttons that you really don’t need because you are program them into the M button on the steering wheel so when you want to go… you only push one button and not three. Granted, having them so close by gives you easy access, but I have no doubt some moron is going to rest his leg on the buttons accidentally turning the DSC off and wrapping the car around a tree.

Fire it up… the sound is less than ideal until it settles into a nice purr. That’s the V8. Start accelerating through the gears and the car feels calm, subtle, sluggish and well… not so entertaining. It is definitely smooth and refined… possibly too much. This is where I thought it was all downhill and I was really ready to give it back and cancel my order for one, but I pressed one because well, I should really give it more time than just a few minutes behind the wheels. Cruising along it’s subtle and smooth. The exhaust note is refined and throaty… but we will still need to slap an exhaust on there for those that crave a child scaring, home owner association hating, roar. The car feels lazy at low RPMs and while it does climb smoothly through the power band, it really feels like you are poking a sleeping bear. It will move, but it’s not happy about it. Bumps are absorbed much nicer than the E46 was. It definitely uses its suspension and weight to smooth everything out.

After lollygagging around… I figured it was time to push the M button to see what would happen and see if it would change the characteristics of the car any.

Holy Hell!

Talk about split personality disorder… pushing the button the car takes on a whole new attitude. And that attitude is that of an athlete who wants to be pushed harder and harder. The lazy throttle response that resembled that of a waking bear is now that of an angry beast. When you step on the gas, it is like you are tormenting poking the monster with a stick while wearing a ten steak necklace. The throttle is ferocious and when you twitch, the car is ready to go. If you are in the right gear and the RPM is up (remember, this is a high RPM motor), the car rapidly departs from its current state and starts gathering momentum very quickly. I have no doubt it will do zero to jail is record time compared to the old M3s. First second and third gears are short and accelerate you from nothing to a whole lot of something rather rapidly. However, there is a big gap between third and fourth. It is like a compromise. BMW made the first three gears to keep the Americans happy in their stoplight to stoplight drag races and the last three gears so the Germans could cruise effortlessly on the Autobahn, but unfortunately, that means there is a big gap in the middle. Driving on the highway, 5th and 6th gears are almost useless unless you are up over 90. While they are great for saving gas… they are not so great for top gear passing. Downshifting will be a must to execute passing of others. Well, you will want to downshift anyway so when go by, the person who you are passing can hear what you are working with. And what you are working with, is that magical 420hp V8. When under load and when it’s moving, the engine sings a melodious song. Throaty … but muffled. You can hear it when you step on the gas and the engine starts to change its profile from sedate cruising to get up and go mode, it sings to let you know it.

Now, everyone complained that the M3 added on a few pounds with the latest revision. I am not going to lie, there is the added feeling of weight, but I’m not going to say the car has gotten fat, it’s just gotten old and more advanced. It has more tricks up its sleeves to deal with the weight. No doubt if you had all of this power and suspension in a 2000lb car, it would be phenomenal, but it also probably would not be legal. All those comfort features and safety mandated features have to go somewhere … and those legal guys have to make sure that when little Jimmy decides to take turn off the traction control and see what happens he not only survives but he doesn’t horribly injure others. Anyway, the car handles its weight well. With the M mode on, the EDC goes to full stiff … and it makes a difference. With the EDC in full stiff, body roll is reduced and the car is definitely tightened up. The servotronic steering also aides in the handling aspect as it tightens up the feeling between you and the road. It feels as if you are manually turning the front wheels by hand. When I was throwing it around, I could feel everything in the road, I could feel all the imperfections and I knew exactly what the front tires were doing.

Brakes… now, it is hard to really gauge the brakes on this car because well, it’s been beaten and abused. I have no idea how much pad and rotor is left, but whatever was in place, it definitely felt good. Multiple stops from high speeds did not give much or any fade. Pedal pressure was easy to modulate and the monster rotors/calipers seemed happy to haul the car down from speed. The occasional ‘squeak’ was audible under light braking, but easily would go away with more pressure. I have no doubt though that under aggressive track use a more aggressive pad would be necessary.

The sad part is... I really did not want to like this car. With the smaller, lighter, cheaper 135 around the corner and possibly even a 135tii around the corner, I wanted to not like this car and go for the 1series performance car. I had built a huge case of why I should not like this car and when you read the numbers on paper, it is easy to convince yourself of why the new M3 is not the car to buy. On paper, it is a long, heavy, gas guzzling expensive pig. When you get behind the wheel… all of that goes away, instead you are thrilled by its tight feeling and the length slowly becomes a figment of your imagination. The weight is easily thrown around more like an athletic football player than a pig. That gas guzzling monster under the hood all of a sudden is a high revving powerful beast waiting to be unleashed, even if it does mean it is thirstier than its previous brethren. The cost… well, it is a bargain. When you factor in the general purposefulness of the car, how well it does everything, you begin to realize that it can run with cars twice its price and still give you the daily comfort, usability, satisfaction and safety than most of us need. Yes, you probably could make a 335 outperform the M3, but do you want to? The amount of research, cost, installation, hassles, you have to deal with to convert a 335 into a M3 killer would take some doing and at the end of it, you would still have a 335 without a warranty. Can you make a 335 faster? No doubt… but you could also make a bathtub faster if you through enough money at it. The M3 is the best all around… buy it and drive it package I have seen thus far.

Now… with all that said, I need to go and call my salesman to confirm that my order for the M3 is still in place.

some stuff highlighted in bold

[tim30250]

Not to mention reliability going down the tube when messing around with an engine built not to handle 400+ hp.


I think it's too early to know if reliability will be an issue or not. There are a lot of boosted e46 330s running nearly 400 crank hp with stock bottom end engine internals. Those cars started out at 225 hp and are reliably running almost double what they came with from the factory. The 335 in stock form is putting about 300hp to the rear wheels, or ~345 at the crank. Raising that by about 25% to exceed the HP of an M3 may not be that big of a stretch.

Time will tell...

[dryle]

It reminds me of Clarkson reviewing the new M5, it was the most boring car in the world until he hit the M button.

[jchennav]

I saw an E92 M3 next to a E39 M5 while driving in Santa Monica last month, and the M3 appeared to be wider and taller than the M5.

[magman007]

well, im glad to know im not an idiot, and others agree the power dome is way too big for the car. Also, its too far forwards IMHO.

Great review kev, It seems like the m division succeded once again in doing what they always do, making an amazing car, that refines the great qualities of the previous generation.

How many moaned and groaned over the larger heavier e46 m3 vs the e36? and im sure the same criticism happened between the e30 and the e36, although it was not as vocal without the internet.

Im glad to hear its still an m3, even though its not the same m3 as the e46, just as the e46 was not the same m3 as the e36.

With all of that being said, which would YOU prefer in these situations? an sc'ed e46 m3, or an e92 m3. Which would you DD, and which would you track if you had to choose?

[Kevlar]

I would take a E92 M3 in both situations so far. I'm waiting to get my hands on a E90 M3 for comparison as I understand it is shorter and wider with a different seating position.

[magman007]

interesting to know, thanks kev!

[Roguls]

Just a few errors I picked off in bold.

You also missed "through" instead of "threw" in the last paragraph.

[hezamhm]

Nice review Kevlar! Coming from an E36 M3 I instantly noticed how much the E92 M3 has grown. But man, the interior...it feels so refined. I haven't had a chance to drive it yet. But I can say that I got a taste of how it feels reading your review!

You might want to change the things in bold the guys wrote up there. Also in the "At first sight" paragraph:


I am sure the front bumper is designed more for function than form, they could have put a little more form into it.

Omitting the unnecessary "the."

Strange nobody noticed it.

Keep us updated!

[Blue330i2006]

Nice write up Kevlar.
Is there enough room in the trunk for it to be a true daily driver for the wife, and a freeway runner for myself. Mrs hyde and Mr. Jeckle. I can get 2 sets of clubs and a cooler in my E90 330i.