Autocar Review...

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Mattac

I've had a deposit down for the new M3 since December 05 and am due to go in to my dealer on Tuesday to pick specification for delivery this year but I have to say, this & the review in Car magazine are making me think twice about switching from my Cayman S...

http://www.autocarmagazine.co.uk/Car...4.0-V8/226432/

What was the reason you wanted to switch? Was the cayman underpowered?

[RussianM3_dude]

The GT3 engine is not THAT expensive to develop. It's just a modified base 3.6 engine. Also BMW would have the economies of scale.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by The CSL

If Porsche can get 415bhp from a six, why can't M?

Because they have more displacement to work with. The S54 is already oversquare so you can't really stroke it and maintain 8000RPM redline, and there's not enough space left between cylinders for a bigger bore either.

911 GT3: 415 / 3.6 = 115.3
E46 CSL: 360 / 3.2 = 112.5

BMW has stretched the motor almost as far as Porsche has. Personally, I am glad they went with a V8 rather than just give us the motor from the E46 M3 CSL.

Oh and yes BMW could build a bigger I6 (they used to have them - Google Senior 6 or E34 M5), but they are too long to fit in the engine bay while meeting modern crash regulations.

[The CSL]

Thanks for the explanation. I thought it may have been because of the boxer configuration as opposed to inline.

[Mattac]

Originally Posted by bobbo

What was the reason you wanted to switch? Was the cayman underpowered?

Not at all.

I put my M3 deposit down when I still had my S4, thinking that I'd keep the Audi until BMW's release. Last November a friend of mine offered me a really good price to take the S4 off my hands so I took the cash and on the same day, whilst pondering what to drive for the next 12 months I tripped and fell in to a Porsche dealership.

One test drive and a huge grin later, I was the proud owner of an ex-demo Cayman S. I've always wanted an M3 so my initial plan was to keep the CS for a year and then swap it for the more powerful, more practical (I have 2 kids) BMW however, the fact that the CS has given me so much joy coupled with the mixed reviews of the M3 have made me decide to keep the CS.

A huge shame considering I've just been told I can have September delivery!

[adamr]

Originally Posted by mudd786

i have read all mag reviews just as u have, either all of them have discussed the review before writing it, or it really is not that impressive, i for 1 am disapointed, they should have not carbon fibred it and mad it look slighlty diffrent to the 335i and called it a 340i, and then for the people who want the bragging rights of an M and what should be the outright heartpounding adrenalin charged breathtaking car should have made what is going to be the CSL the M3 forget all this CSL malark!! just make a all fire breathing M3 no halfways, its so embarissing for the M department to bring something new to the table which barely outperforms previous models and the 335i, and barely can match the competition, audi MB porsche will be breathing a sigh of relief that the so much hyped M is a 0, sure the CSL may just wipe the floor with the competition but for how much?? £65k- £70k i dont like mercs but id rather av that C63 than a halfway M3! and i have driven the RS4 that from my experiance compared to the reviews is a better car!! obviously will have to drive the M before making that judgement.

+1 ... mixed reviews on this car ... somehow its not a unanimous: "the m3 is the king.... period" ... but thing is most prob will still pull the trigger on one .. .

[The CSL]

Having read a bit of the full report in today''s Autocar, it is revealed that the new M3 doesn't show it's true sporting character until above 5,500rpm, so M have made it shine when above this rev-limit, which seems like a particularly enthusiast-aimed idea and pleases me no-end.