Motortrend: M3 Wins Again! Still Benchmark for RS5 and CTS-V

[M3 vert]

Comparison: 2013 Audi RS 5 vs 2011 BMW M3 vs 2011 Cadillac CTS-V
Where Eagles Dare: We Take America's Hottest New Performance Coupe Deep Into Enemy Territory

From the September, 2010 issue of Motor Trend / By Angus MacKenzie / Photography by Mark Bramley


Summary:

BMW's M3 is the oldest car of this trio, but like a good red wine, it seems to be getting better with age. Under the hood is the now-familiar 4.0-liter V-8 that develops 414 horsepower at a screaming 8300 rpm, and our Melbourne Red coupe is equipped with the lightning-fast seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission. It’s also fitted with BMW’s new Competition Package, a $2500 bundle of goodies that includes wider offset 19-inch alloy wheels, the ride height lowered by 0.4 inch, and reprogrammed Electronic Damper Control and Dynamic Stability Control settings designed to sharpen the car’s dynamic responses beyond the already scalpel-like ability of the regular M3.

BMW’s M3 has long been the segment’s benchmark, but it’s not perfect. Left to shift itself, the seven-speed transmission is clunkier than the Audi’s. The steering-wheel rim feels fat and clumsy, and these days Hyundais have better-looking interiors (our car’s all-black interior looked particularly cheap and nasty). But the M3 is still the most sharply focused driver’s car of this bunch, a scalpel among sledgehammers.

Each of these cars is seriously fast and highly desirable. That we could even contemplate putting a Cadillac up against the best from BMW and Audi and not have the thing left gasping and wheezing, brakes on fire and suspension turned to mush after three days of hammering around Bavaria shows how far Caddy has come from the days when most of its customers left their teeth in a glass by the bed at night. The RS 5 is a marvelous Grand Tourer, an elegant, classy two-door that will feel just as comfortable antiquing in the Hamptons as hustling over the Grossglockner Pass in an early autumn snowstorm. But when it comes to performance, passion, and pure driver appeal, the BMW M3 is still the benchmark.

1ST PLACE: BMW M3
The oldest car here, but like a good red wine, it’s getting better with age. Driver-focused powertrain and chassis make it a scalpel among sledgehammers.

Read more:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz0uvG9pdHW

[335rocket]

wowowowow!!! M sounded INSANE right at the end of the video when he hit the M button. M= King of the road

[Crazy Bimmer]

Nice find! I have no urge to ever dump the M3 for any of these cars.

[335rocket]

makes my 2 month wait even more painful

[pilot_bro2003]

Originally Posted by Jesal@Project 808

Nice find! I have no urge to ever dump the M3 for any of these cars.

[Kayani_1]

I really like M3 more then the other two and I am glad it won.

But I just can't deny the fact that CTS-V coupe has a lot of power under that hood and did I hear that right that it has a steering feel better then the M3. I have to say that if caddy loses some weight and uses that extra length and width for more roomy back seats. In addition to also improve its old 6-speed auto tranny. The CTS-V can be some thing really amazing.

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by Jesal@Project 808

Nice find! I have no urge to ever dump the M3 for any of these cars.

+ 1

[Mavrick151]

YAY M!

[kaykay]

Major repost

Two in one day!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=411419

[330CIZHP]

Sounds nice, but I cannot get over the god awful horrible slushbox sound of the DCT. Just too much like an automatic almost identical. Nothing crisp about it.

BAAAAAHHHHbaaaaaaaaaa

Yuck! Hate it!

Originally Posted by 335rocket

wowowowow!!! M sounded INSANE right at the end of the video when he hit the M button. M= King of the road

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by kaykay

Major repost

Two in one day!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=411419

Thats Car and Driver's Review, if you read

This is Motor-trend's Review

[DadzM4]

The M just sounds so sweet in that clip

[kaykay]

Originally Posted by M3 vert

Thats Car and Driver's Review, if you read

This is Motor-trend's Review

Haha, nice video!

With all the "BMW M3 is King" articles these past few days, it's getting overwhelming.

Man do I love this car.

[330CIZHP]

From MotorTrend:

"
BMW's M3 has long been the segment's benchmark, but it's not perfect. Left to shift itself, the seven-speed transmission is clunkier than the Audi's. The steering-wheel rim feels fat and clumsy, and these days Hyundais have better-looking interiors (our car's all-black interior looked particularly cheap and nasty). But the M3 is still the most sharply focused driver's car of this bunch, a scalpel among sledgehammers."

Ouch!!!!!

[kaykay]

Originally Posted by 330CIZHP

From MotorTrend:

"
BMW's M3 has long been the segment's benchmark, but it's not perfect. Left to shift itself, the seven-speed transmission is clunkier than the Audi's. The steering-wheel rim feels fat and clumsy, and these days Hyundais have better-looking interiors (our car's all-black interior looked particularly cheap and nasty). But the M3 is still the most sharply focused driver's car of this bunch, a scalpel among sledgehammers."

Ouch!!!!!

That's total bullshit, these guys are smoking crack. The E92 M3 has a great interior, my colleague has a brand new A5 loaded, premium package, friend next door has a brand new C63 loaded - both INFERIOR to the M3 interior.

The Novillo extended is gorgeous - what do they expect to see in these cars?

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by kaykay

That's total bullshit, these guys are smoking crack. The E92 M3 has a great interior, my colleague has a brand new A5 loaded, premium package, friend next door has a brand new C63 loaded - both INFERIOR to the M3 interior.

The Novillo extended is gorgeous - what do they expect to see in these cars?

rELAXX
he does mention in the end that the interior just lacks a tad bit on visual drama, but the rest of the sections on the car more then make up for it...

So obviously the M3 is not the perfect halo car, but in its segment and for that matter against all the cars it has ever been put up against, it always came on top overall, and thats true testament to what the M brand stands for

[mdosu]

this guy needs more prozac

[JCtx]

M3's interior is great. Not flashy, but great, especially with extended leather.
Wonder what his comments would have been if all 3 were manuals .

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

M3's interior is great. Not flashy, but great, especially with extended leather.
Wonder what his comments would have been if all 3 were manuals .

I agree, I went with a black interior so cant tell so much.

But I also wonder if all three were manuals it would have been very interesting indeed

[termigni]

How embarrassing for the Audi RS5... the thing didn't even come out yet and gets beat by a 3 year old car... so sad.

[991brothers]

I am proud to say I am an owner of the M3!!!!

[srt8/bmw]

this is a good, fair and balanced review in my opinion.

It reinforces my decision to get the CTS-V sedan, which I did, back in late 08 when the 09 V came out. Interestingly--I had narrowed it down to the M5 and the V, and I wouldn't have thought to compare it to the M3 (Maybe because I already have a highly modified 335 that runs 11s).

But It may be a good comaparison (the M3 and the V) when your talking about the V coupe.

the factual stuff is easy--the V wins the performance part handily. The subjective part is highly a matter of opinion....but I can see how the M3 does so well being the owner of a BMW myself. All in--if I were buying now--I would take the V again. Just too fast and agile to say no to.

My two cents....