My New M3 - Pictures and First Impressions

[Filthy Monkey]

EDIT: Here is an updated review of the car after 1 week of ownership
--> http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83989


Well folks, I went to my dealer this afternoon, expecting to pick my car up tomorrow, and ended up driving home in it. How happy am I!!!

I've attached a few pictures to let you see ho Jerez Black really looks and will give you my first impressions after 60 miles or so in the car. I've also attached a picture of the demo car my dealer has. The red colour looks so much better in real life than in any of the pictures I have seen. if anyone has ordered it and is worried about how it will look, don't be. It's awesome!

So, let's start with the colour, as I see this has been talked about quite a lot on here recently. Jerez Black is definitely a bit of an enigma. It's definitely not a standard black and, in fact, ranges from glossy black under certain daylight conditions to a matt purple under forecourt lighting. When the sun shines on it you can definitely pick out the purple flecks in the black and it really does stand out. I'm really pleased with it and, having seen some other colours, think it was definitely the right one to go for. Now, more of a surprise to me was the Fox Red leather. I had no idea what it would look like in real life and took a real leap of faith in accepting this colour. In the photographs that I had seen it looked really bright, almost orangey, but in real life it just looks stunning! There is a lot of black in the interior - carpets, steering wheel dash etc., and this contrasts really well with the red. It is quite a deep red, darker than I was expecting. My next M3 is due around November, but is still spec. changeable, so I will definitely be losing the Silverstone with black and changing it to Jerez with Red again.

When I first drove the car it felt a little strange. I guess I still had the magazine reports in my head and so expected it to feel like it had lost its edge and, to be honest, that's exactly how it felt. The steering was a little vague and light, the suspension a little too soft and it just didn't feel like the wild child we’ve come to expect from BMW’s M division. I also found the throttle response to be a little vague. When I pressed the pedal, I wasn’t hit with the wall of acceleration I found in my M5 and M6. I knew something wasn’t right, so I ventured into the i-drive and configured the M-Drive settings. With the settings changed to my liking, I set off once again and immediately noticed the difference! Unlike its M5 and M6 stable mates, there is no increase in power when you hit the M button, but the other settings are there – dampers (assuming you specify EDC), DSC and a general change in the whole response of the car. You don’t see the same Jekyll and Hyde change that you experience in the 5 or 6, but it does still become a different animal! Suddenly there was response when I pressed my right foot and the steering seemed to give more feedback. I’m still on the run in period, so can’t go above 5,500 rpm, but there is a lot of power waiting to be unleashed. One thing I did find, though, is that you do have to keep the revs up above 4,000 to get the best from the engine.

Servotronic steering has had a lot of bad press in the past, but I have to admit, I like it. Although the feedback isn’t entirely natural, it is nice to have light steering at low speeds and more ‘feedback’ when going fast. This is also configurable in the i-drive and, from what I can tell, setting it to Sport mode causes the steering to become a fair amount heavier. It still feels a little artificial, but it is certainly not numb, as a few magazine articles have suggested. You do still get a reasonable degree of feedback from the road.

There are a couple of things I really miss in the car. SMG is one. This, for me, was one of the highlights of the M5 and M6. I would love to see it in this car as I have lost count of the number of times I have tried to change up a gear today, only to wash my windows instead! Another thing I really miss is the head-up display, but I guess I can live without it.

Without doubt, the highpoint of this M3 is, as always, the engine. Yes, it sounds a bit dull on start-up, but once you give it some revs, it really comes alive and roars back at you. It is a joy to listen to and is going to sound amazing through a tunnel at 8,000 revs! Acceleration, up to 5,500 revs at least, feels pretty linear, so you don’t get the shove in the back that you feel in, say, a 911 Turbo, but I get the feeling that, once the run-in period is out the way, there is a lot to come from the last few thousand revs. The brakes also feel up to the job, on the road at least. I’m still bedding them in, but they have a nice feel to them and do an excellent job of slowing you down. The only downside to the brakes is that the pedal is set a little high, making heeling and toeing quite tricky. Blipping the throttle on the downshift is not easy.

I haven’t really explored the handling to any great degree yet, although I did hang the back end out on one roundabout and managed to give myself a bit of a head rush as I flew round another and changed direction to exit. The EDC setting definitely makes a difference to the feel of the handling and the amount of warning you get before it breaks away. As with the M6, go for the stiffest setting and there is very little warning, but the car still feels very controllable. More on that when the tyres have had chance to bed in.

I still have to explore some of the entertainment options, like the DAB radio and the USB connection for music players, but the Logic 7 Hi Fi is definitely worth the money. The sound quality is amazing! I also love the adaptive headlights. They’re one of those options you don’t notice you have until you drive a car without them. Visibility in corners is fantastic.

Anyway, enough from me for tonight. I have to go put my daughters to bed, but I will write some more when I get the chance.

FYI – I will also be posting this on the M3 section of the M5Board.com

If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to send me a PM.

Cheers,

FM

[southlight]

Congrats and enjoy that car!

Best regards, south

[phoenixbmwlife]

That first pic is the best looking Jerez I have seen. If this is what it looks like then wow.

[andreas1234]

I Am Still Not Sure About The Interior...i Was Hoping To Be Able To Get A Nice Dark Brown...i Have Never Really Liked Those Bright Red Interiors But This One Looks A Bit Darker..can You Post Some Nice Pics Of The Interior And Some Pics Of The Rear I Would Love To See How Mean In Looks From Behind. Have You Seen It In Alpine White To See Wich Color Shows The Lines More And Looks More Agressive..thanks Waiting For More Pics...your Cars Looks Hot

[keanu1]

looks great! drive saftely!

[Filthy Monkey]

Hey Andreas, I will try to get some pics of the interior for you. In fact, I will probably do it tonight, as I think the colour will show up better in the dark and look more realistic.

As for White, I saw one at the Canary Wharf motor expo a few months back outside my office in London and, while I don't normally like white cars, this one looked amazing! Funnily enough, I also saw a new 911 GT3 in white and fell in love with that too. I guess my tastes must be changing! White will definitely show the lines better, especially at night in the city, but it's just not fashionable enough in the Uk to maintain sensible residuals, so I stuck with black this time around...

[lucid]

Thanks for the impressions, and enjoy the car for all us here in the US who won't be doing so for some time!

[devo]

Beautiful car. Congratulations!

[Steved]

Hey Filth Monkey, I remember you well from M5board when you added the M6 to your M5.

You will find that the engine torque improves once past 2000 miles, the engine is still a little green at the moment, so don't worry about any lack of low end torque.

If I were you I would be generous with those running in instructions, give it full throttle for short periods once the engine oil is warmed up, it really is a very strong engine in my experience and deserves to be treated firmly.

Whilst you noted a linearity to the accleration below 5000 rpm, it basically erupts from 6000 rpm until 8500 rpm. I was comparing it with an M5 and M6 a few weeks ago in wales and in my opinion the M3 accelerated harder in those last few thousand revs than either M5 or M6.

It's a great engine (the centrepiece of the car) so I look forward to hearing your reports once you bed it in.

Steve

p.s. just to add to your comments on Jerez Black, it is basically very similar to Carbon Black however there is more blue/purple than Carbon Black and therefore it has a stronger hue, particularly in sunlight.

Fox red looks exactly like the colour of a fox, so in some respects that makes it look like a brown with some red in it, rather than red with brown (if that makes any sense!)

[Epacy]

Very happy for you Filth!
Thanks for the write-up. Always good to hear personal impressions. Please feel free to expand on anything. I will eat it up!

Not sure I would have time to get on the internet after taking delivery of this thing.

[Filthy Monkey]

Makes perfect sense, Steve. Thanks for your comments, especially about the engine. I have to be honest, the chances of me staying below 5,500 once I get the first couple of hundred miles out of the way are pretty slim. I find you get more out of the car that way and that it loosens up quicker and, without the SMG gearbox oil to worry about this time around, I'm sure the engine will be fine. I'll look forward to letting you know how I get on with it...

[andreas1234]

Thanks For The Reply Filthy Monkey I Will Be Waiting For Those Pics...enjoy Your Powerfull Beautifull Machine

[MI6]

Damn you already got it!

You need to change your name to Lucky Monkey!

Anyways, thank you so much for your post and taking the time- especially when you have little ones!

[tdn760922]

what a lucky bitch!!!

[gasman]

Beautiful car....I may be changing from AW to Jerez. Impressive.

[nechronics]

Awesome report filthy, congrats on being the first on this board (as far as I can tell) to own this beautiful machine. I'm anxiously awaiting more on what you have to say....tho I don't blame u at all if you never get around to it

[Epacy]

Originally Posted by BOB Nevada

Grats, though i dont like jerez little too boring and old looking, but the red looks wicked

That's ok. Don't worry bout it Filth. Bob doesn't like anything that doesn't have 4 rings.

[schnell325]

NICE!!! You are very cool in my books! So is the car!

[ZuerstBMW]

So the M3 is already out in Europe? Im so jealous, that is one beautiful car, CONGRATS, NOW

[Lex]

Filth- You know what I think I like your review better than any I've seen in the car mags, its seems more real, great detail too.
Congrats your M looks sweeeeet !

[ILC32]

Congratulations!

[SS32]

jealous can't even describe how i feel right now. we're 4+ months away :mad: