Egmont Sippel drives BMW's new M3

[888]

http://www.wheels24.co.za/Wheels24/N...153749,00.html

[Phoenix 21st]

nice review!

[x5love]

sure made me smile!

[esquire]

his take on the exhaust note is a divergence from the other articles i've read, where they say that the exhaust note starts timid an increases in ferocity to a shrieking wail near the redline. instead he characterizes it as an unchanging note throughout most of the range.

also, his writing style is horrible.

[m_bazeepaymon]

Originally Posted by 888

http://www.wheels24.co.za/Wheels24/N...153749,00.html

I felt like he was talking to me lol

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by m_bazeepaymon

I felt like he was talking to me lol

That dude has some writing talent..!!

[cncmastr]

Originally Posted by Garrett

That dude has some writing talent..!!

Except when it called it a beemer...

[Epacy]

I'm not sure I really gained much from reading that.

[v1p3r]

I read his reviews every week in our Afrikaans Sunday newspaper in South Africa.

He does have a style like an author...

I pick up a slight bit of anti-BMW bias in favour of the 4 rings and three pointed star sometimes, citing petty things as problems when the overall dynamic and package is clearly superior and better value for money...

Like when he can't find much to moan about he still has to sneak something negative in and then play it down again: "That's a road rather than car dependant feature, of course. "...i mean come on

Like epacy said it's hard to get something from the review, and i agree with esquire's post RE the engine note too

What I don't like is that fact that people criticize the ///M3 interior while the RS4 dash is clearly more dated and blandly styled (as can be seen in the square dash pics in the EVO mag pics). While i concede the ///M car has little to distinguish it from the normal Coupes it is hardly ugly.

[consolidated]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

What I don't like is that fact that people criticize the ///M3 interior while the RS4 dash is clearly more dated and blandly styled (as can be seen in the square dash pics in the EVO mag pics). While i concede the ///M car has little to distinguish it from the normal Coupes it is hardly ugly.

People seem to be easily taken with a few bright silvery bits of trim and a flashy, square bottom steering wheel. We just sold an A4, I don't get it, it felt so cramped inside, the center console hit your knee and there are switches for the sake of switches. It was a good interior but truly looked one generation old compared to the new A6 and our X5.

I bet if BMW would have taken the low road and added some superficial silver hootis, a glitzier steering wheel and racier seats these comments would have been silenced.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by consolidated

People seem to be easily taken with a few bright silvery bits of trim and a flashy, square bottom steering wheel. We just sold an A4, I don't get it, it felt so cramped inside, the center console hit your knee and there are switches for the sake of switches. It was a good interior but truly looked one generation old compared to the new A6 and our X5.

I bet if BMW would have taken the low road and added some superficial silver hootis, a glitzier steering wheel and racier seats these comments would have been silenced.

I wouldn't say A4 interior's are necessarily any better than 3-series interiors, but I wouldn't say the new 3-series interiors are anything special either. I actually prefer BMW's somewhat minimalist approach compared to the bells and whistles Audi approach, but I really don't know what went wrong in BMWs industrial design studio with the recent redesigns across all product lines (I find the Z4 interior to be the only exception in the sedan/coupe lineup). A few years ago, the BMW chief designer was being pressed on this issue in a magazine interview, and he simply dismissed it all by claiming that they are so far ahead that people don't get it and it will take time. Yeah, right, when facing valid concerns, just say the public's tastes haven't caught up to your superior aesthetics. What a dumb statement to make for a car designer. It's been years, and people are still voicing the same concerns; so much for the we are ahead of the times rationale. Or, maybe people will start falling in love with the current BMW interiors in 20 years, and these cars will be worth their weight in gold. Having said all this, current BMW interiors are not unattractive spaces, but they definitely are not inspiring--at least not to me—and one expects more, or actually, better, for what one is paying for.

[JEllis]

Keep in mind that a car review is an opinion from an imperfect man or woman that most likely keeps a bias for a certain brand or nationality (erm Jeremy Clarkson) and has a certain amount of expectations for what he/she likes.

None the less, this review was awesome. Hits on points the BMW always struggles with and gold stars where most of us really want them. My favorite quote....

This car, this animal, this beast, is alive and well and living right on top of the performance-&-pleasure heap. New M3 is the oversteer, tail-happy king of unadulterated, flat-out, feel-good fun. As a ferocious monster backed-up by delicate, subtle and pliable dynamics, there is nothing to beat it.

[nusevad]

nice review, glad to see more positive ones.

[F32Fleet]

I'd say a good, but not glowing review. With all the electronic gimmicks, it just confirms that the M3 has moved into the realm a GT Cruiser. Not necessarly bad, but once you start paying that kind of money, there's more competition than just Audi.

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by lucid

I wouldn't say A4 interior's are necessarily any better than 3-series interiors, but I wouldn't say the new 3-series interiors are anything special either. I actually prefer BMW's somewhat minimalist approach compared to the bells and whistles Audi approach, but I really don't know what went wrong in BMWs industrial design studio with the recent redesigns across all product lines (I find the Z4 interior to be the only exception in the sedan/coupe lineup). A few years ago, the BMW chief designer was being pressed on this issue in a magazine interview, and he simply dismissed it all by claiming that they are so far ahead that people don't get it and it will take time. Yeah, right, when facing valid concerns, just say the public's tastes haven't caught up to your superior aesthetics. What a dumb statement to make for a car designer. It's been years, and people are still voicing the same concerns; so much for the we are ahead of the times rationale. Or, maybe people will start falling in love with the current BMW interiors in 20 years, and these cars will be worth their weight in gold. Having said all this, current BMW interiors are not unattractive spaces, but they definitely are not inspiring--at least not to me—and one expects more, or actually, better, for what one is paying for.

BMW style is what I dislike. The textures and meterials are great along with the seats and instruments. But....

...those are all pretty much superficial compared to why BMW removed their driver-centric design (e30 e46) of having the interior face the driver. The radio and climate control buttons where all slightly slanted in your direction. The passenger, was just that... a passanger! This new Worl Cup sailboat interior with the Sails themselves being woven into every curve of the new e90's interior....sucks. Not only does the front dash NOT encompass the driver, it gives an glasshouse feel to the cabin. Like I am on a porch swing!

Uninspiring at best...!





-Garrett

[The CSL]

The interior looks much better without the seperate iDrive screen, imo. Sadly UK drivers won't be given the choice.

[Epacy]

Originally Posted by The CSL

The interior looks much better without the seperate iDrive screen, imo. Sadly UK drivers won't be given the choice.

I would like to have that problem.

[The CSL]

Problem of what? We're beiing given standard iDrive.

Whereas it should be a no-cost option, so those who want it can have it anyway.

[nechronics]

Originally Posted by Epacy

I would like to have that problem.

agreed...and I don't see why people think the idrive screen is so ugly. It certainly would look more cohesive and unintrusive if it was somehow integrated into the dash like Audi's rather than bulging out the top...but without it the interior looks more bland and drab than it already seems.

I wish it came standard in my car too.

[Epacy]

I don't like the Audi's. You have to look a good bit down to find it.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Garrett

BMW style is what I dislike. The textures and meterials are great along with the seats and instruments. But....

...those are all pretty much superficial compared to why BMW removed their driver-centric design (e30 e46) of having the interior face the driver. The radio and climate control buttons where all slightly slanted in your direction. The passenger, was just that... a passanger! This new Worl Cup sailboat interior with the Sails themselves being woven into every curve of the new e90's interior....sucks. Not only does the front dash NOT encompass the driver, it gives an glasshouse feel to the cabin. Like I am on a porch swing!

Uninspiring at best...!

-Garrett

Agreed that the quality of materials is not the issue. Also agreed that the e30 and e46 designs had much more of a clear intent and purpose. See below the E30 M3 dash/interior--one of the most purposeful and clean dashes/interiors ever designed in my opinion. And, most will find this a bit of a stretch, but it actually hinges on the traditional German take on minimalistic aesthetic and functionality that goes all the way back to German machine design of the 30s and 40s, which, unfortunately, was highly focused on military equipment at the time (as an example I am posting the cockpit of a Focke Wolf 190, one of the most effective fighter planes of that era--check out the resemblance between the two geometries and use of straight strong lines as opposed to the meaningless curved surfaces of the E9x that do nothing but confuse you and indeed give you the feeling you are on a boat!) That approach seems all lost in the E9x lineup...

[The CSL]

I'd say the E36 dash is even more purposeful, not having superfluous clutter on the centre console as opposed to all those buttons in one area on that E30.