predictions about Next month's drives

[m_bazeepaymon]

besides that review we are all dying to read, do you think we will have all the stats posted by the M3 testers?
Also, Will we finally know which car is over all better? (RS4 vs. M3)

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by m_bazeepaymon

besides that review we are all dying to ring, do you think we will have all the stats posted by the M3 testers?
Also, Will we finally know which car is over all better? (RS4 vs. M3)

The best car depends on your criteria. 0-60? 1/4 mile? Nurburgring? Drifting? Comfort? Commuting in snow? No, car magazine drive reviews only give us infomation to evaluate for our own needs and preferences. Any magazine test that ranks cars is based on a criteria that will not match many buyers'.

[m_bazeepaymon]

Originally Posted by GregW / Oregon

The best car depends on your criteria. 0-60? 1/4 mile? Nurburgring? Drifting? Comfort? Commuting in snow? No, car magazine drive reviews only give us infomation to evaluate for our own needs and preferences. Any magazine test that ranks cars is based on a criteria that will not match many buyers'.

People could evaluate which car is Overall Better

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by m_bazeepaymon

People could evaluate which car is Overall Better

Yes, but it all depends on what you include and how you weight each area--that's my point. If I don't care about NVH and it's given 5% of a score, that skews things. All I'm saying is that "best" is a nebulous thing when you are comparing close competitors.

[m_bazeepaymon]

Originally Posted by GregW / Oregon

Yes, but it all depends on what you include and how you weight each area--that's my point. If I don't care about NVH and it's given 5% of a score, that skews things. All I'm saying is that "best" is a nebulous thing when you are comparing close competitors.

do i really need to spell it out for you that we are looking for overall performance for the RS4 vs. M3?

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by m_bazeepaymon

do i really need to spell it out for you that we are looking for overall performance for the RS4 vs. M3?

You still don't get it! Okay, let's say reviewer 1 gives 50% credit for 0-60 times, and reviewer 2 gives the same 10%. Which is the correct criteria? It's all very personal. If you have read many magazine reviews the ones based on a scoring system are often decided by less than 1% difference in scores. The ones that are opinion-based depend on the reviewers' preferences. I'm just saying reviews require interpretation by each prospective buyer and will not result necessarily in a best car for everyone that is the same. Now if we get 10 reviews tha all rank the M3 as "best" then you have the start of something.

[REP1KRR]

Originally Posted by m_bazeepaymon

do i really need to spell it out for you that we are looking for overall performance for the RS4 vs. M3?

[lucid]

There is no such thing as overall best performer unless you are racing the thing on a given track or a series, where there is a clear cut and common objective. For most of us, as Greg is saying, it depends on how you select and weigh the performance criteria, and that's subjective. What it comes down to is: "you" drive the car, see what you think and feel, and decide for yourself.

[SS32]

RWD > AWD, there, that settles it

[JEllis]

Overall better? Very subjective...

I read one comparison between the 911, M3, and C6 Vette back in the day. The M3 won the comparison but it wasnt the best performer of the 3. The 911 got hit because it was expensive and had a back seat for looks only. The Vette got hit for having no backseat. If you are a Vette fan then you probably dont care about the backseat and know that in reality the Vette is performance bargain, yet in the article the M3 was ranked #1. If the performance of the new M3 and RS4 are similar then one magazine might give the RS4 the top ranking simply because it has four doors or has a roomier backseat. Another mag might give the RS4 top honors because you can drive it in the snow and still get great performance. Do I care about AWD and the number of doors...No! So, an article that has a grading system that awards cars for the numbers of doors they have doesnt really speak to me.

Saying overall better doesnt mean squat to me. Overall best performer..thats another story. But then again, they could throw "all weather performer" in the mix and the M3 would take a hit on that. I live in San Diego and I could care less that the RS4 performs better in the snow etc...

You see where I am going...

Jason

[esquire]

getting this thread back on track......


i think automotive magazines will laud the car as the heir apparent sports coupe. that being said though, i think reviews of the m3 won't be as glowing as they've been in the past, as a result of increased competition in the segment. among other things, i have a feeling that the M3's max torque output will be criticized, along with its brakes and interior. these reviewers are car enthusiasts much as many of us are , and their criticisms will probably reflect ours.

[SS32]

what makes you thinks the brakes will be criticized? b/c they're not ceramic?

[Epacy]

The M6 brakes were highly regarded and they weren't 6 piston ceramic mastiffs.

[JEllis]

i think automotive magazines will laud the car as the heir apparent sports coupe. that being said though, i think reviews of the m3 won't be as glowing as they've been in the past, as a result of increased competition in the segment. among other things, i have a feeling that the M3's max torque output will be criticized, along with its brakes and interior. these reviewers are car enthusiasts much as many of us are , and their criticisms will probably reflect ours.

I could have cut and pasted this quote from Bimmerforums back in 2001 when the E46 M3 came out. Ceramic brakes are too expensive and over rated (even Porsche magazines say so). And Torque...keep in mind that in almost every country besides the US the E46 HP and TQ numbers were not that impressive over the previous E36.

Jason

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by esquire

getting this thread back on track......

Thank you.

[esquire]

i can't think of how many articles on M cars i've read which despite applauding the bmw brake performance, simultaneously criticize bmw for their continued insistence on single piston calipers whose performance fades with continued use.. this goes for the M6 as well. i tend to agree to one extent or another, that in cars as performance oriented and expensive as M cars can be, brakes need to be better emphasized. but let's not get confused, the call of this thread was to speculate on what 3rd party magazines would possibly criticize on the new M3. i hope those criticisms don't come to fruition, and that magazines applaud the new M brakes as more than ample.