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      10-14-2013, 12:33 PM   #47
Sinister Crayon
floccinaucinihilipilifica tion
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Drives: 2008 E90 M3
Join Date: May 2010
Location: St. Louis, MO

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The SRT really is a beast... one of my best friends has one too. But like many vehicles these days it's only a beast off the line. They are geared and tuned to max out the torque early to make them feel faster than they really are. The trap speeds and 0-60 are irrelevant when the vehicle is tuned for maximum performance from 0-20.

It's a common "trick" used to make a car feel a lot more powerful than it is because the average person nails the gas from a dead stop and is impressed when they're pushed back in their seats. This sells cars, end of story. Get them much over that and all of a sudden the rest of the physics of weight and air resistance overcome the gearing and you've got average 20-60 speeds. For an SUV, the SRT is damned fast... compared to the M3, not so much.

I'm out of town on a business trip this week and driving a rental Hyundai Sonata with a buzzy little 4-banger. Straight off the lights and nail the gas and this is ALSO a fast car up to about 20mph... it'd probably get the jump on me in my M3 because I have to get the revs up before the power really kicks in. But my M3 would quickly catch up and very soon would be nothing but tail lights in front of it.

I don't drive the M3 because it'll press me in my seat from 0-20... I drive the M3 because it rewards good driving with a solid press into my seat from 20 all the way to instant-jail-time speeds. And it does all this with a chassis that feels like I'm driving a bank vault it's so solid... yet has a supple and compliant enough ride that I've yet to find a road that's gotten it confused. The SRT as powerful as it is can't compete.
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