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      09-13-2012, 09:27 PM   #1
jeremyr4
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My Impressions - From 2006 E46 M3 Convertible to 2013 E93 M3 Convertible

I just picked up a new 2013 E93 M3 Convertible over the weekend and I was VERY sad to see my E46 M3 Convertible go. My car had only 34k miles and was mint, fully loaded, and my favorite color combo: Silver Gray / Black. I didn't want to keep my old car any longer, as my Inspection II was due in 500 miles and I was worried about some other potentially expensive maintenance.

Letting go of my E46 M3 Convertible was literally a gut wrenching experience for me, as I loved the car. I was lucky enough to own 3 of them (01, 04, 06), the last two of which had SMG. So I know that model extremely well and it was clearly the end of an era for me. I am writing this quick review to help others who might be in the same boat, as I was worried that I was going to lose the "raw" feeling of my E46 to a more refined E93, which would essentially equate to a less fun day-to-day driving experience as a DD.

With that in mind, here are my Pros / Cons of my new E93 after only a few days of owning it. In all fairness, I am still in the break-in period but I don't think the experience is going to change that much (except for when I floor the car), as I have still been driving pretty aggressively, with most of my shifts at around 3.5-4.5k RPMs.

Anyhow, if you're thinking about moving from an E46 M3 Convertible to an E93 M3 Convertible and you like the "rawness" of the E46 then I'm hoping this Pros / Cons list will help:

Pros of E93 M3 vs E46 M3 Convertible
- Faster. The E93 is clearly faster, both statistically and thanks to its torque. It also seems to rev through the RPMs more quickly, which also seems to help. The acceleration feel reminds me very much of a 996 Turbo, in that it needs to get up to 2500 RPMs to really kick in but is VERY fast after that.
- Engine noise is fantastic, ESPECIALLY with the roof down. The V8 is an amazing sound, even more so when the roof is down. I find myself taking the car for a spin every night because of the engine noise, which is a big plus compared to the E46.
- Engine is truly special. Hard to put this in words but you would understand if you spent 60+ mins driving an E93. This engine feels special and exotic compared to the E46. I wasn't expecting that and it's certainly a great thing.
- More fun to drive with the roof down. This is one of the biggest positive surprises for me. I find this car is more fun to drive with the roof down, due to the amazing engine noise + exhaust compared to the E46.
- More refined suspension. This is definitely a Pro in certain situations, as the clear is clearly smoother than the E46.
- Nicer Interior - The interior is a clear and huge step up compared to the E46 in terms of refinement. The iDrive, while complicated, is also clearly better than the E46 Nav.
- Configurable - Being able to set the steering, suspension, Sport, etc is really great (I have EDC).
- Nav/Radio/Tech - All big improvements (ie. newer tech) than the E46, although the iDrive is a little complicated (overly complicated if you only do a few things on a regular basis, like listen to radio + Sat radio). Also, the Enhanced Premium Sound is better than the Harman Kardon in the E46 (although not by a huge margin but still noticeable).
- Smoother transmission - DCT is obviously much smoother than SMG, which can be nice in certain circumstances (ie. traffic).
- Hardtop look and noise reduction - These are both pluses and are clear improvements over the E46.

Cons of E93 M3 vs E46 M3 Convertible
- Loss of road feel and being connected to the car - This is my biggest complaint and is clearly a product of evolution over time. The E93 is more refined, which means that you don't feel the same level of road feel in the steering wheels and you're not quite as connected to the engine as your are in the E46 (at least in less spirited driving). The best comparison I can come up with is the difference between driving a 911 Carrera and a 911 GT3. If you've driven both then you'll probably understand. This is the feature I miss most from my E46 and unfortunately it's the end of an era. Of course, people who owned the E36 have the same complaint about the E46, so this is not surprising.
- Need to drive it in Sport or Sport Plus for a really engaging drive - When I first test drove the E93 I feel like it wasn't very engaging at all. Then I realized the key to the car is to keep it in Sport or Sport Plus. The reason being is that the first 2500 RPMs are VERY flat - almost like turbo lag - especially with the DCT transmission. The great thing about using Sport Plus is that the throttle is so sensitive that you're up into the 2500+ range in no time, which is where this car really likes to be. Because it's not that engaging in Normal power mode, I always drive it in Sport Plus (or at least mostly) and that really changes the character of the car. Some have also said they think it's a little louder in Sport Plus and I agree...
- Not as fun to drive with the roof up - While I like the E93 better than the E46 with the roof down, I think the E46 was more fun with the roof up because there was less sound proofing so you can hear the engine better in the E46, especially at lower RPMs. This is my second biggest gripe about the E93 after the one above. All of that being said, driving in Sport Plus does help to make the car more fun with the roof up :-)
- DCT too smooth! As an enthusiast, I appreciate the speed of the DCT shifts but I find it too smooth and not involving enough. That's coming from someone who actually LIKED SMG - I am one of only few people that I know who liked it - because it made me feel very connected to the car.
- Heavier and a little bigger - You can definitely feel both of these when cornering and I think it's exacerbated by the reduction of road feel. But the E93 clearly feels heavier and bigger than the E46. My E46 feel extremely nimble and this feels less nimble (although still more nimble than an E60 M6 Convertible).
- Brakes. Speaking of heavier and bigger, the braking distance seems to be noticeably longer in the E93, I'm guessing due to the increased weight. I really liked the brakes on the E46 - they were very impressive. Hopefully my E93 brakes will "break-in" and improve over time.
- Tire noise at highway speeds (Contis) - Like I have read in some F10 M5 reviews, the tire noise at highway speeds is MUCH worse than I expected. I have no idea whether it's the Contis (I used to have Michelin Pilot Super Sports on my E46) but it's quite annoying.
- Truck space/design - Clearly the cover that in the truck that houses the roof is annoying and makes the car a little less practical with the roof down.

Final Conclusion: The E93 is no doubt an improvement in pretty much every aspect of typical car evolution - It's more refined, much nicer inside, has better tech, is more configurable, and is faster than the E46. But all of these improvements definitely come at the expense losing road feel and rawness in general, which is a tough pill to swallow for an enthusiast.

The engine in this is car is really special. Notice that I said the engine very specifically. I think the E46 as a CAR is very special, while the E93's engine is very special. I bonded with my E46 and felt like I was one with my machine. I expect to bond with the E93's engine (and I have to a large extent already bonded with it) but I doubt I will ever bond with the E93's steering. The E93's suspension and steering are ok but not special, as you're much more disconnected from them compared to an E46. For example, the E46's steering feel is much more communicative from the road and is really dead on, while the E93's steering in Sport mode is VERY good but lacks that additional level of communication.

As a final note, I do think the engine in the E93 is so special and really at a much higher level compared to the E46 that it will probably outweigh the lack of communication in the E93 vs the E46. I would HIGHLY recommend that you try this car in Sport Plus if you're considering one, as it really changes its personality entirely compared to Normal power mode. I guess the best way to describe it is that the E93 is already making me grin (BUT ONLY when I push it and/or in Sport Plus) more than my E46, while the E46 satisfied me even at very low RPMs. So I will very much miss my E46 in general, as it was a better car in some ways, especially in terms of road feel, but the M Buttom + Sport Plus will probably keep me satisfied and happy until the next gen M3 comes out, as long as I'm willing to keep it above 2500 RPMs! I clearly still have mixed emotions about trading up to the E93 and I'm hoping they will go away with time...

I hope this helped those who are considering making the move. Feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions, as I would be glad to help.

Jeremy
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      09-13-2012, 10:14 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeremyr4
I just picked up a new 2013 E93 M3 Convertible over the weekend and I was VERY sad to see my E46 M3 Convertible go. My car had only 34k miles and was mint, fully loaded, and my favorite color combo: Silver Gray / Black. I didn't want to keep my old car any longer, as my Inspection II was due in 500 miles and I was worried about some other potentially expensive maintenance.

Letting go of my E46 M3 Convertible was literally a gut wrenching experience for me, as I loved the car. I was lucky enough to own 3 of them (01, 04, 06), the last two of which had SMG. So I know that model extremely well and it was clearly the end of an era for me. I am writing this quick review to help others who might be in the same boat, as I was worried that I was going to lose the "raw" feeling of my E46 to a more refined E93, which would essentially equate to a less fun day-to-day driving experience as a DD.

With that in mind, here are my Pros / Cons of my new E93 after only a few days of owning it. In all fairness, I am still in the break-in period but I don't think the experience is going to change that much (except for when I floor the car), as I have still been driving pretty aggressively, with most of my shifts at around 3.5-4.5k RPMs.

Anyhow, if you're thinking about moving from an E46 M3 Convertible to an E93 M3 Convertible and you like the "rawness" of the E46 then I'm hoping this Pros / Cons list will help:

Pros of E93 M3 vs E46 M3 Convertible
- Faster. The E93 is clearly faster, both statistically and thanks to its torque. It also seems to rev through the RPMs more quickly, which also seems to help. The acceleration feel reminds me very much of a 996 Turbo, in that it needs to get up to 2500 RPMs to really kick in but is VERY fast after that.
- Engine noise is fantastic, ESPECIALLY with the roof down. The V8 is an amazing sound, even more so when the roof is down. I find myself taking the car for a spin every night because of the engine noise, which is a big plus compared to the E46.
- Engine is truly special. Hard to put this in words but you would understand if you spent 60+ mins driving an E93. This engine feels special and exotic compared to the E46. I wasn't expecting that and it's certainly a great thing.
- More fun to drive with the roof down. This is one of the biggest positive surprises for me. I find this car is more fun to drive with the roof down, due to the amazing engine noise + exhaust compared to the E46.
- More refined suspension. This is definitely a Pro in certain situations, as the clear is clearly smoother than the E46.
- Nicer Interior - The interior is a clear and huge step up compared to the E46 in terms of refinement. The iDrive, while complicated, is also clearly better than the E46 Nav.
- Configurable - Being able to set the steering, suspension, Sport, etc is really great (I have EDC).
- Nav/Radio/Tech - All big improvements (ie. newer tech) than the E46, although the iDrive is a little complicated (overly complicated if you only do a few things on a regular basis, like listen to radio + Sat radio). Also, the Enhanced Premium Sound is better than the Harman Kardon in the E46 (although not by a huge margin but still noticeable).
- Smoother transmission - DCT is obviously much smoother than SMG, which can be nice in certain circumstances (ie. traffic).
- Hardtop look and noise reduction - These are both pluses and are clear improvements over the E46.

Cons of E93 M3 vs E46 M3 Convertible
- Loss of road feel and being connected to the car - This is my biggest complaint and is clearly a product of evolution over time. The E93 is more refined, which means that you don't feel the same level of road feel in the steering wheels and you're not quite as connected to the engine as your are in the E46 (at least in less spirited driving). The best comparison I can come up with is the difference between driving a 911 Carrera and a 911 GT3. If you've driven both then you'll probably understand. This is the feature I miss most from my E46 and unfortunately it's the end of an era. Of course, people who owned the E36 have the same complaint about the E46, so this is not surprising.
- Need to drive it in Sport or Sport Plus for a really engaging drive - When I first test drove the E93 I feel like it wasn't very engaging at all. Then I realized the key to the car is to keep it in Sport or Sport Plus. The reason being is that the first 2500 RPMs are VERY flat - almost like turbo lag - especially with the DCT transmission. The great thing about using Sport Plus is that the throttle is so sensitive that you're up into the 2500+ range in no time, which is where this car really likes to be. Because it's not that engaging in Normal power mode, I always drive it in Sport Plus (or at least mostly) and that really changes the character of the car. Some have also said they think it's a little louder in Sport Plus and I agree...
- Not as fun to drive with the roof up - While I like the E93 better than the E46 with the roof down, I think the E46 was more fun with the roof up because there was less sound proofing so you can hear the engine better in the E46, especially at lower RPMs. This is my second biggest gripe about the E93 after the one above. All of that being said, driving in Sport Plus does help to make the car more fun with the roof up :-)
- DCT too smooth! As an enthusiast, I appreciate the speed of the DCT shifts but I find it too smooth and not involving enough. That's coming from someone who actually LIKED SMG - I am one of only few people that I know who liked it - because it made me feel very connected to the car.
- Heavier and a little bigger - You can definitely feel both of these when cornering and I think it's exacerbated by the reduction of road feel. But the E93 clearly feels heavier and bigger than the E46. My E46 feel extremely nimble and this feels less nimble (although still more nimble than an E60 M6 Convertible).
- Brakes. Speaking of heavier and bigger, the braking distance seems to be noticeably longer in the E93, I'm guessing due to the increased weight. I really liked the brakes on the E46 - they were very impressive. Hopefully my E93 brakes will "break-in" and improve over time.
- Tire noise at highway speeds (Contis) - Like I have read in some F10 M5 reviews, the tire noise at highway speeds is MUCH worse than I expected. I have no idea whether it's the Contis (I used to have Michelin Pilot Super Sports on my E46) but it's quite annoying.
- Truck space/design - Clearly the cover that in the truck that houses the roof is annoying and makes the car a little less practical with the roof down.

Final Conclusion: The E93 is no doubt an improvement in pretty much every aspect of typical car evolution - It's more refined, much nicer inside, has better tech, is more configurable, and is faster than the E46. But all of these improvements definitely come at the expense losing road feel and rawness in general, which is a tough pill to swallow for an enthusiast.

The engine in this is car is really special. Notice that I said the engine very specifically. I think the E46 as a CAR is very special, while the E93's engine is very special. I bonded with my E46 and felt like I was one with my machine. I expect to bond with the E93's engine (and I have to a large extent already bonded with it) but I doubt I will ever bond with the E93's steering. The E93's suspension and steering are ok but not special, as you're much more disconnected from them compared to an E46. For example, the E46's steering feel is much more communicative from the road and is really dead on, while the E93's steering in Sport mode is VERY good but lacks that additional level of communication.

As a final note, I do think the engine in the E93 is so special and really at a much higher level compared to the E46 that it will probably outweigh the lack of communication in the E93 vs the E46. I would HIGHLY recommend that you try this car in Sport Plus if you're considering one, as it really changes its personality entirely compared to Normal power mode. I guess the best way to describe it is that the E93 is already making me grin (BUT ONLY when I push it and/or in Sport Plus) more than my E46, while the E46 satisfied me even at very low RPMs. So I will very much miss my E46 in general, as it was a better car in some ways, especially in terms of road feel, but the M Buttom + Sport Plus will probably keep me satisfied and happy until the next gen M3 comes out, as long as I'm willing to keep it above 2500 RPMs! I clearly still have mixed emotions about trading up to the E93 and I'm hoping they will go away with time...

I hope this helped those who are considering making the move. Feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions, as I would be glad to help.

Jeremy
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      09-13-2012, 10:43 PM   #3
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Great comparison!
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      09-13-2012, 10:51 PM   #4
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Selling a car due to maintenance coming up is silly if you ask me. Especially since your e46 M3 had such low miles. Plenty of independent BMW shops that you can take it to that wont rear end you.

Wait till the 1200 mile service and report back. I think your review a bit premature.
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      09-13-2012, 10:53 PM   #5
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I think your review a bit premature
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      09-13-2012, 11:06 PM   #6
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Well we all have our opinions. Did you test drive before making the switch? Sounds like you like the e46 a lot and if it only had 34k miles why get rid of it? $500 plus a few grand or something is nothing in comparison to a $75k new e93. Anyway, hope you enjoy your new ride!
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      09-14-2012, 12:38 AM   #7
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you didn't see anything yet wait until after the 1200 miles service.....
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      09-14-2012, 01:01 AM   #8
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Thanks for everyone's quick replies. I honestly didn't expect to get any replies - I figured this would be for future reference for others.

Given the feedback, I am going to post an update AFTER the 1,200 mile service, as I figure that sounds fair and my review might be premature. The thing is, I can't see anything being much different after 1,200 EXCEPT for getting over the 5,500 RPM barrier. And, as you can see from my impressions, the thing I like the most about the car is the engine, so I'm thinking the shortcomings I listed won't go away after the break-in period. One thing is crystal clear - the engine is very, very special and is just amazing.

To be clear, I'm not telling anyone whether they should or shouldn't buy an E93. The E93 is probably a BETTER choice than the E46 M3 Convertible for MANY people. But so far I don't think it's clear that it's the better choice for someone like me (I'm still not sure either way).

A couple of quick responses to points above:

- I don't think that shifting at 3,500-4,500 RPM is aggressive. But I do think that NEVER shifting below that range is aggressive when I'm constantly driving in 30 zones around town! Trust me - I drive more aggressively than the average person. My last E46 read 13.2 MPG very consistently because I never shifted below 3,500-4,500. On a similar note, M3s aren't designed to be shifted below 3,500-4,500, at least not if you used them as they were intended :-)
- I'm not going to bore anyone with the details but with likely clutch work (according to the yellow light on the dash that came up a couple of times over the past couple of weeks before I sold my car), brakes, and Inspection II, plus further depreciation, getting the new E93 wasn't necessarily a bad financial decision. I am a full-time investor and I have an MBA from a Finance focused school so I ran various scenarios on a spreadsheet before I made the decision. When you take everything into account, keeping the E46 might have had me come out slightly ahead in terms of $$ but the unknown other potential issues that would eventually come up over the next 3 years (ie. roof and who knows what else) made me pull the trigger on selling the car. Plus the thing I want to do is spend on any item on having a car in the shop, etc. The risk just didn't pencil out for me because of the opportunity cost of missing work, etc.
- I did test drive before making the switch and I didn't like the car NEARLY as much during the test drives as I do after owning it for a few days. But I wanted a convertible so my options were limited. I tried a 911, Audi S5, and M3. I honestly thought a Porsche 991 Carrera S Convertible was the best choice for me, as it had more of the traits that I liked about my E46, but I didn't want to take on the additional cost and depreciation and I thought it was the wrong time to buy a used 997 w/PDK, as they haven't depreciated enough yet from the full effect of the new body style. The Audi S5 was too soft for me, which I knew would be the case. I'm hoping to revisit the 991 once my lease is up in 3 years, at which point I will likely be deciding between the new M3 Convertible and a 991

BTW, this thread wasn't meant to cause any wars. I specifically took the time to write all of this to help others who are considering the change, as I figured it would be helpful, especially since I didn't find any long/detailed comparisons when I was doing my research before I bought my E93. It's just one person's opinion that I am hoping will help others... I definitely like my E93 - I just got home from another awesome drive with the room down!
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      09-14-2012, 07:17 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeremyr4 View Post
Thanks for everyone's quick replies. I honestly didn't expect to get any replies - I figured this would be for future reference for others.

Given the feedback, I am going to post an update AFTER the 1,200 mile service, as I figure that sounds fair and my review might be premature. The thing is, I can't see anything being much different after 1,200 EXCEPT for getting over the 5,500 RPM barrier. And, as you can see from my impressions, the thing I like the most about the car is the engine, so I'm thinking the shortcomings I listed won't go away after the break-in period. One thing is crystal clear - the engine is very, very special and is just amazing.

To be clear, I'm not telling anyone whether they should or shouldn't buy an E93. The E93 is probably a BETTER choice than the E46 M3 Convertible for MANY people. But so far I don't think it's clear that it's the better choice for someone like me (I'm still not sure either way).

A couple of quick responses to points above:

- I don't think that shifting at 3,500-4,500 RPM is aggressive. But I do think that NEVER shifting below that range is aggressive when I'm constantly driving in 30 zones around town! Trust me - I drive more aggressively than the average person. My last E46 read 13.2 MPG very consistently because I never shifted below 3,500-4,500. On a similar note, M3s aren't designed to be shifted below 3,500-4,500, at least not if you used them as they were intended :-)
- I'm not going to bore anyone with the details but with likely clutch work (according to the yellow light on the dash that came up a couple of times over the past couple of weeks before I sold my car), brakes, and Inspection II, plus further depreciation, getting the new E93 wasn't necessarily a bad financial decision. I am a full-time investor and I have an MBA from a Finance focused school so I ran various scenarios on a spreadsheet before I made the decision. When you take everything into account, keeping the E46 might have had me come out slightly ahead in terms of $$ but the unknown other potential issues that would eventually come up over the next 3 years (ie. roof and who knows what else) made me pull the trigger on selling the car. Plus the thing I want to do is spend on any item on having a car in the shop, etc. The risk just didn't pencil out for me because of the opportunity cost of missing work, etc.
- I did test drive before making the switch and I didn't like the car NEARLY as much during the test drives as I do after owning it for a few days. But I wanted a convertible so my options were limited. I tried a 911, Audi S5, and M3. I honestly thought a Porsche 991 Carrera S Convertible was the best choice for me, as it had more of the traits that I liked about my E46, but I didn't want to take on the additional cost and depreciation and I thought it was the wrong time to buy a used 997 w/PDK, as they haven't depreciated enough yet from the full effect of the new body style. The Audi S5 was too soft for me, which I knew would be the case. I'm hoping to revisit the 991 once my lease is up in 3 years, at which point I will likely be deciding between the new M3 Convertible and a 991

BTW, this thread wasn't meant to cause any wars. I specifically took the time to write all of this to help others who are considering the change, as I figured it would be helpful, especially since I didn't find any long/detailed comparisons when I was doing my research before I bought my E93. It's just one person's opinion that I am hoping will help others... I definitely like my E93 - I just got home from another awesome drive with the room down!
The bolded part really doesn't make sense.

You don't HAVE to shift below those RPM's at all if you don't want to on this car. I don't know what you're trying to say. Of course during break in they recommend you don't rev the engine too high, but once that's over you can let it rip.
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      09-14-2012, 07:27 AM   #10
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Great write up and comparison. For those of us not lucky enough to have experienced the magic of the E46 it is especially meaningful. It does seem like there a quite a few posters so far that were having a bad Thursday evening - witness the negativity. And your response to the negativity was admirably restrained.

For those of us legitimately interested in your comparisons, please do post after your 1200 mile break in.

I will bookmark your post for more in depth reading after my morning coffee.

And thanks again for the post.
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      09-14-2012, 07:41 AM   #11
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Guys & Gals - We all know that after the BI that many things are going to improve. But, having made this same conversion in coupe format, one thing that will not is the steering feel of hydraulic vs. assisted electric. If it makes the OP feel better, even Porsche has bought in to this with the 991 and it seems to be the only consistent complaint those cars receive. Having said that, here are some thoughts/suggestions to the OP that have helped me learn to get over this.

First, enjoy the fact that with diminished feel that a pothole won't pull you towards an interstate median barrier at 80 mph. I almost bought it once in my E46 because of that...there are positives to having electronic assist. What can be a problem is that with the drastically reduced weight to achieve an input that you may tend to oversteer the car on turns. Particularly coming from an E46 which I believe had a greater tendency towards understeer. The steering pull from the car to right itself past the apex is there. I have found that releasing the wheel (with hands hovering) as you give it the beans will help prevent unnecessary oversteer (and the attendent system intervention) when you are trying to get after it a bit. The steering is very accurate...you have to trust it and learn to love the bomb. May you have many sunny days to listen to that V8 at 8k.
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      09-14-2012, 07:59 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twinpipes View Post
Great write up and comparison. For those of us not lucky enough to have experienced the magic of the E46 it is especially meaningful. It does seem like there a quite a few posters so far that were having a bad Thursday evening - witness the negativity. And your response to the negativity was admirably restrained.

For those of us legitimately interested in your comparisons, please do post after your 1200 mile break in.

I will bookmark your post for more in depth reading after my morning coffee.

And thanks again for the post.
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      09-14-2012, 08:34 AM   #13
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Just curious, did you trade in your E46 or sell privately? I'm looking to get an E46 M3 Vert. PM me if you like.

EDIT: Oh and congrats on the new ride

Last edited by Ghetto2315; 12-28-2012 at 08:23 AM..
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      09-14-2012, 08:53 AM   #14
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haha, I agree with you on the SMG trans. I actually liked it.
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      09-14-2012, 09:13 AM   #15
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Wait until you are past break-in and then report back. If you havent gone above 4.5k rpm then you havent seen anything yet. I had a z4m before my M3 and actually thought it had better low/mid range power than the s65. But in the M3 once you get past 6.5k rpm look out!
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      09-14-2012, 02:37 PM   #16
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I really, really want to add a a silver E46 M3 coupe to my collection. They look "so choice" (as Ferris would say). When I go hunting for one, I dearly hope I can find a mint 2006 MT with 34K on the clock.
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      09-14-2012, 05:57 PM   #17
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Good to see you've dropped Magic the Gathering , and joined the varsity team
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      09-14-2012, 05:58 PM   #18
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Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by chmura View Post
Wait till the 1200 mile service and report back. I think your review a bit premature.
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      09-14-2012, 06:04 PM   #19
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Great review, thanks for posting.

I had an E46 ZHP prior to the 328i that I sold to get the M3. Man I loved that car.
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      09-14-2012, 06:21 PM   #20
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Did you have stock suspension, or coilovers in any of your e46 M3's? I would really like to know the difference in feel between an e46 and e92 M3, if both have coilover suspension on a hard setting. I wonder if the e46 M3 would still feel much more connected..
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      09-14-2012, 07:00 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Transfer View Post
Well we all have our opinions. Did you test drive before making the switch? Sounds like you like the e46 a lot and if it only had 34k miles why get rid of it? $500 plus a few grand or something is nothing in comparison to a $75k new e93. Anyway, hope you enjoy your new ride!

Agreed. I kicked myself the past few years from moving from an E46 M3 to E86 M coupe and now to the E92 M3. I can say the exterior of the Z4MC was more raw of the 3 and now having the E92 M3 looking the way I want it, it surpasses the E46 M3 in every aspect in the looks department, power delivery, acceleration, etc.. The E86 M is a little closer but still after getting what I wanted on my E92 M3 I wouldn't look back.

It did take me awhile to get over a modified Z4MC but me being tall it just wasn't practical.
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      09-14-2012, 07:32 PM   #22
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I had 2004 E46 vert and now have 2011 M3 vert.....no comparison. The new one is so much better. No regrets. The E93 - love the sound of the engine, handling, steering, the interior, comfort, the ride and DTC transmission is incredible compared to SMG.

After your 1,200 mile service it gets even better trust me. Love this thing....no regrets.
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