My e92 335i, e92 M3 (W/ M-DCT) & e46 M3 Comparison

[hl0m4n]

e92 335i:
My 335i is a great car from the new design to the amazing turbos. The interior is very good minus the bad placement of the window controls imo. The car is just simply a blast to drive and is a real sleeper with all the mods out for it and it handles amazing well. As we know there is a great deal of mods both cosmetic and performance that make the 335i a dream euro tuner car. Overall the car is just great.

e92 M3:
Now on to the fun stuff. My kind of distant cousin got one recently with dkg and was over my house for a small family gathering today. So after dinner he test drove my car and after let me get in his. Let me tell you it is just kick ass. Way better than my 335i imho. Just like I expected the new m3 still had the track spirit driven precision handling with its beautiful na v8. So first off I test the car in s4 mode (usually s3-s4 typical normal driving) and gears were so smooth with no jerking, nada. Next was in automatic and once again no jerking, etc just perfect. Now the oil temp was perfect s6. The gearbox in any mode on the m3 is just perfect smooth shifts with no jerking etc but when driving aggressively in s6 holy shit is all I can say. You think the 335i can pull go into s6 and go to 8k rpm and press the lever and bam the na engines roars and the car is pulling like crazy. The launch control is the same setup on the m5/m6. Holds the lever down, it revs up, and floor it. The launch is perfect and is basically bullet proof. If you mess a computerized perfect launch, then I don't know what to say.

e46 M3:
My cousin's dad (same one with e92 m3) has the e46 m3 in smg. Now I had test drove many e46 m3s in the past both 6mt and smg but when I saw it and test drove it was the true shining star. No matter how I drove it, it me I just feel like the e46 m3>e92 m3 and always will. The design and engine are FLAWLESS and it's just a classic sports car now. I have no other words to describe an e46 m3, it's just perfect and I will always love it forever.

Other:
If I were to shop for my car again would I have gotten something different after today’s test drive and reminders? Yes and no. I remember when I signed off on my 335i I was originally going to sign off for a black/cinnamon e46 m3 coupe with every package I wanted and was MINT. They had a silver 335i with a bad fuel pump at the lot and without a test drive I immediately fell in love with the 335i and signed off on that on the very same day. but I still do love my 335i very much so i sometimes still look back at my purchase and picture myself in the m3 with the mods I intended .

For those who say 335i>e92 M3, you are automatically just wrong. M3 is a completely on another level of the 335i and for those who say you can put springs, etc on a 335i and it will be like an m3 no duh cause your modding it. Speaking of stock to stock, a 335i will never out run, out handle, etc anything M and the cars is really a different driving machine. Only way to find this out is to test drive one. Now if you are comparing modded cars that’s a different story. But I predict in the future modded e92 m3>335i and having the na engine is just . Imho I will still say that a modded 335i will never be able to outbeat and outperform a modded m3 (no war intended just my opinion).

Mod wise we all know the 335i has so many right now and with the benefits of creating easy power with the turbos what’s bad to say. But the e92 m3 will have future mods as well. These mods include all the cosmetics from the future csl from vorsteiner along with EAS, etc which I can't wait to see. Performance wise the e92 m3 will be simply amazing. Already having a v8 na engine the future performance mods would include a pulley, intake, ecu, and exhaust for the beginners followed by cams for the next level and for the ultimate the f/i solutions that AA, D/A, EMS, RMS, etc will be releasing. What interests me the most is what will happen when the CSL is out and the specs for that car and yes Kellener's sport package once the e92 m3 csl is out .

As you can tell I’m a hardcore m3 fan and still want one at heart . But after doing all of this thought, driving, etc today I still prefer the e46 m3 over the 335i and e92 m3. Stock wise and modded wise. You just can't beat an e46 m3 with csl conversion both exterior and interior along with c/f parts, ss exhaust, and engine mods (keeping it brief, don't want to list everything ).

Just wanted to share my experience. Hope you enjoyed and if anyone wants a full csl conversion, let me know. It will costs you the car plus about $100k and it will take me no more than 30 days to convert

[maximka]

nice post

damn i think your cousin has one of the first DCT M3s in the US!!! any pics?!?

excellent reviews too! the 335i and E92 M3 are extremely different beasts

[BK]

Originally Posted by nico335

damn i think your cousin has one of the first DCT M3s in the US!!! any pics?!?

+1 I didn't think the DCT was out yet.

[Ronin13]

Thanks for the info. Do you remember what RPM Launch Control launched at?

[murellus]

Yes, please tell wht RPM launch control operates at...

[rai]

[ybbiz34]

Hmm...

[gasman]

interesting...

[e92OMG]

Great review/comparison! Btw dct is out just not that many peaple have it. I believe gasman will be getting his tommorrow.

[malter2.0]

[gasman]

Originally Posted by e92OMG

Great review/comparison! Btw dct is out just not that many peaple have it. I believe gasman will be getting his tommorrow.

Yes sir...going to bed now so it will come that much sooner!

[nusevad]

Originally Posted by gasman

Yes sir...going to bed now so it will come that much sooner!

lol +1

My car is getting off the ship in a few hours. The sooner i go to sleep the sooner she will be on U.S. soil!

[murellus]

I feel as though we've been bamboozled

[ybbiz34]

So was his car already past the break-in to be able to use the launch control, etc.?

Hmm....

[skierman64]

Interesting, according to all our data here all the DCT cars produced the first week of production and heading to the NY port were shipped on and then delayed on the Elektra (except Fifth's which was delayed at the factory, and turned into a good omen). Any idea what ship your cousin's car was on? When did he take delivery? And what's the last 5 of his VIN? Any pics?

Thanks for the review. I'm curious about S-6 which I thought was disabled until the 1200 mile initial service. I think that's what Senior B had said.

[adamr]

yeah want some magazine DCT reviews ....