Quote:
Originally Posted by swamp2
Have a look at my post here and the link in the post as well. I think what they did on weight was impressive. With the weight added to go from 335i->M3 without a real effort on weight we could have easily been at 3800+.
Also it does have an Al hood, plastic fenders, lots of hollow components and like mkoesel said there was an effort to reduce the intertia as well as weight.
With regards to the Cayman S (current model) the M3 is going to smoke this thing in almost every speed contest and track around. As fun to drive, maybe not, but checkered flag - for sure. |
After reading this thread
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70655 pointed out to me by my friend mkoesel, I am even more confused about what the actual weight of the M3 will be. I am not sure Car and Driver weighed the car or just quoted BMW's number (which may have included a passenger plus 33 lbs cargo). ALL of the mags are quoting similar numbers for weight, but since no one has done a full test (where they have the car for several days and get to do whatever they want to it) I don't know if the weight is correct.
If it DOES have a true curb weight of 3650 I think this is a disappointing 235 lbs increase in weight over the E46 M3's 3415 lbs, which was a disappointing 240 lbs increase over the E36 M3's 3175 lbs. From the US E36 M3's 240 HP increased to the 333 HP in the E46, a 93 HP and 39% gain. The E46 M3's price rose about $5K from a base of $42K to just over $47K.
The E92's V8 will have 414 HP vs. 333 HP, or an 81 HP increase (a 24% increase), which pales in comparison to the leap forward made by the E46. Then factor in a price jump of probably $10K or more for less of a performance gain than the E46 over the E36 and we all start to wonder if the M3 is being designed for enthusiasts or more for M-posers (let's face it, M has become a big status symbol vs. its more humble and focused "Motorsport" roots).
SWAMP2, IMHO a 320 HP Cayman S (assuming it gets the 3.6 Liter from the 911 in the near future) weighing <3100 lbs will definitely keep up with, if not beat, the M3 around most tracks (except maybe really fast, HP-driven tracks). It will have more grip for its given weight due to similar size contact patch (245 front, 265-75 rear) and 15-20% less weight and will have nearly the same power-to-weight ratio (within 10%) plus mid-engine handling and great brakes.
IMHO the E36 M3 was (for its time) a great all-around performer and was a good value for the performance/feel/quality/handling, etc. The E46 was a whole league faster than the E36 M3 while losing some of the feel of the E36 but making up for it in other ways. It also was a great performance value for its time at about $50K.
An E92 M3 weighing 3650 lbs and costing well into the $60s with any options will run into some TOUGH competition that the other M3's avoided by being introduced at a time when there were fewer high-value performance cars and when the M3s were priced lower. I think most of us, if faced with having to pay $65K for an M3, will now be cross shopping some other great players (Cayman S, GTR, RS5, C63, Z06, 911). We will see if BMW bit off more than it can chew.. .