Spent almost all weekend driving after my Friday delivery in an effort to blow through the break-in as quickly as possible, and I've compiled a bunch of random thoughts about the car... thought I'd share:
- The M logo on the tach is the only thing in the cluster that isn't illuminated. IIRC, it was illuminated on the E46. Makes it look like a bit of an afterthought, but they may have done it to make the tach more readable and less distracting.
- As much as I hate to say it, EDC feels a little gimmicky... I can barely notice a difference between Comfort and Sport, let alone between Comfort and Normal. It's nice to have, but for those of you who didn't order it: don't worry, you're not missing much.
- After the glowing reviews I've read of the Enhanced sound system, I'm underwhelmed. The Logic 7 in my 335 honestly sounded richer across the spectrum. I'm going to have to give this one a few more days so I can keep fiddling with the EQ and let the speakers break in some more before I pass final judgement.
- The iDrive interface is *significantly* faster here than in the 335. Kudos to BMW on this... it eliminates my sole complaint with iDrive and really makes it much less painful to use.
- I think some people will find the clutch a bit light and long, but I think it's perfect. My dad used to have an A4 with a 6MT, and let me tell you, THAT was light and long. I find the M3's clutch easy to modulate, with enough feel to give you some tactile feedback when the plates are starting to catch.
- I'm delighted with my selection of Sparkling Graphite over FR with Carbon Leather. Word of warning, though: the CF totally blends in, which I was afraid of. Not the color to get if you want to show off the CF.
- BMW's definitely preserved the E46 M3's feeling of being just a little "raw" compared to the standard model. Hard to describe any better than that, but E46 M3 drivers will know what I mean.
- It probably depends on the area of the country you're in, but so far, it's been a sleeper for me. I've gotten one comment on it from a gas station attendant and that's it - not a lot of ogling. That could be good or bad, depending on your personality type.
Will write more as I get past 1,200mi...