Quote:
Originally Posted by MVF4Rrider
Exactly. I appreciate cars based on character and fun to drive, which doesn't always equate to all out performance.
The original question of this thread is really no brainer. Of course the V8 powered E9X M3 is the quicker car. But BMW did compromise the E46 M3 in North America, so it's not the most level of playing fields comparatively to elsewhere. Wish BMW would quit doing such retarded things in this market.
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I don't know where you get your information, but the basic e46 M3 is the same everywhere. The Europeans got a slightly more torquey exhaust, that many people retrofit here (me for one). The European brake rotors were slightly better than the US versions but were inferior compared to Performance Friction stock replacements. So I don't see where you are coming from with the US version being dumbed down. I believe the major shortcoming of the e46 was it's front suspension. The cars have a mid-corner push that can't be fixed without geometry changes. The e9x cars are miles ahead in that department.
Don't get me wrong. I like the e46 M3 better than the e9x series. But it's because of the total driving experience and not the performance.