Review and photos of M3 coupe from The Ultimate Drive event

[Jason]

from 6MTGirl

A lot of people have been asking for pictures in other threads, so I thought I would share a few from the annual BMW Ultimate Drive. It kicked off this past week in South Florida where the E92 M3 and X6 made their US debut. While the X6 was sitting in the showroom as a signature vehicle, the M3 was available for test drives, and what a test drive that was! After the event at Braman Motors Miami, 25 of us participated in the vehicle transport to the next stop of the event in Naples.

I am horrible at writing reviews, but here are my quick impressions after spending 30 min in the car and being around it all day. My first reaction: this car isn't as big as appears in the pictures. The exterior still has a little growing on me to do, but looks are subjective. The rear fender flares are almost non-existent, while the front ones are quite wide - but 350Z wide - not as defined and muscular as they are on the E46. I think the car would look great in darker colors because they seem to make the big front cooling ducts less pronounced. The wheel offsets aren't as aggressive as I hoped and the paint on the OEM 18's seems pretty fragile (it was chipping already with 1,100 miles on the odo). Other than that, the car looks quite impressive in person. I actually happen to like the back end sans the oversize muffler. That would be the first thing I would address because, much like the M5, the exhaust sound is barely audible inside the cabin.

The E92 doesn't look, feel, or drive like a big car. I was expecting something in between a boat and a tank, only to find out how well it hides its weight. Compared to the E46 M3 it has lost a lot of edginess, but refinement and smoothness are on a whole new level. The seats are unbelievably comfortable, headroom is abundant compared to the E46, and there are more creature comforts available than I can ever possibly need in a car.

It still drives like an M car, but more so like a smaller M5. The clutch, shifter, and steering all felt disappointingly light. Both the clutch and throttle are very sensitive to driver inputs. The servotronic steering has to always be in "Sport" mode to provide any kind of steering feedback. The brakes felt great, without having had a chance to slam on them from 150mph. The car is geared for highway driving, 3 through 6 are very tall. Even as a diehard manual driver I'd be very inclined to get M-DCT because I wasn't blown away by the 6MT. The E92 is considerably torquier than the E46 and power delivery is outstandingly smooth... so smooth it doesn't feel fast until you look at the speedo.

The car feels very solid and confidence-inspiring, very planted to the road. EDC is superb, on the softest EDC setting it really drives like a Cadillac. Coming from a GC-equipped E46 M3, the handling really impressed me once I got to take the car out to a twisty back road off of I395. Body roll is minimal with EDC set to stiff. That being said, I probably wouldn't opt for it. There is so much gadgetry fitted into the E92 already, if I bought one I wouldn't want one of those maintenance nightmares once out of warranty.

Gas mileage won't exactly be a selling point. The car went through 1/2 tank in exactly 130 miles while being transported from Miami to Naples (or ~15.6mpg all highway... provided, um, that the speed limit might have been exceeded a couple of times). The car was driven by another member on here, he can add tons more to my review since he got to spend a lot more time driving the car.

All in all, the new M3 is the grown up GT that the E46 never was. It's a night-and-day different driving experience and doesn't share much with its predecessor other than the name. It is a brilliant car on so many different levels, it is that the M letter stands for Microsoft and not so much for Motorsport these days... natural evolution I guess. If the E92 CSL makes it state-side, that would be a whole different story...

HERE IS AN OPPOSING REVIEW:

Originally Posted by SCBMW02

Interesting comments on the new M3, here are mine. I spent 3 days last Oct driving the new car on the Nurbergring F1 track and got to take a ride on the 13 mile Nordschleife with one of the instructors at speed. (yes you do go airborne at phlantzgarten!)I have owned an E36 and E46 M3 and have driven both on the track. Let me just say this car blows them away in every way! Have you seen the numbers from Road and Track? 0-60 4.1 / 1/4 Mi 12.5 / Grip 0.98g

Forget what you might think about weight, this car feels much lighter than the E46. We did numerous exercises with the car including a ton of hot laps. Understeer? Forget it .You can toss this thing with ease. We did some autocross type drills and this car is balanced and changes directions with a flick of the wheel. Acceleration is brutal and braking is typical M3. Steering may have been a tad light, but I think it is overblown and you won't notice it 99% of the time. One tidbit, the German guys like to run the normal suspension mode because that adapts to changing loads, whereas in sport setting it is fixed which may not be the right setup for every section of track. You will have to play with it and set the M Drive for what you like best.

Don't know how many of you have heard this thing in person at speed, but believe me you won't be disappointed! Not a GM v8, but more F1 or GTR. I am sure there will be aftermarket systems for those that need to draw even more attention (I had a Borla on my E46)

I thought the 46 was as good looking as it gets, but that really looks dated next to this. Obviously this is subjective, but in person everything is just right. The fenders are flared just like the 46. I would like a different style wheel and probably will look to change this as I did with the E46.
Seats are great and I never felt like I was coming out of it even in the 140mph sweeper on the back straight. Much more headroom, htough this is probably because there is no sunroof.

Bottom line. This thing is sick, much more of a sports car than the E46. It is quite simply the perfect GT. Already ordered mine. Hope this was informative.

[apw2607]

Thanks for the write up ..... You don't have any pictures of the seats do you ;-)

[badfish]

Originally Posted by apw2607

Thanks for the write up ..... You don't have any pictures of the seats do you ;-)

[Jinxter]

Originally Posted by apw2607

Thanks for the write up ..... You don't have any pictures of the seats do you ;-)

lol that was my first thought

[Jason]

Originally Posted by apw2607

Thanks for the write up ..... You don't have any pictures of the seats do you ;-)

[nechronics]

seats....

[M-Maika]

Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures.

Alex

[BMWI6]

reading this review made want to cry....why is this car so soft?????????? i want it to be like the e46....the m3 has been my dream car since i was like 3...and now it isnt anymore.... what a dissapointment... i hadnt commented on it before, but now that is was here on my local dealership, i have lost all hope. soon it will not even include an lsd..mark my words.

[kuruptracing]

nice write up!

[JEllis]

Originally Posted by BMWI6

reading this review made want to cry....why is this car so soft?????????? i want it to be like the e46....the m3 has been my dream car since i was like 3...and now it isnt anymore.... what a dissapointment... i hadnt commented on it before, but now that is was here on my local dealership, i have lost all hope. soon it will not even include an lsd..mark my words.

Dont be too upset. The reviewer is giving us his critical review and it was a good one overall. Faster, torquier, better power delivery, awesome handling (compared to an E46 on GC's)... all really good selling points. He even used the words "natural proggression" which is being used a lot in car reviews (read EVO X, WRX STI). We live in a golden age where speed and handling doesnt have to mean raw and bumpy...(A new Lotus will satisfy those cravings)...

Jason

[FifthStreetz]

Great write up, thanks for the pics!

[RandyB]

The steering comments continue to be my worst fear about this car, especially since I won't have access to the sport setting without MDM. Hopefully it will be all for naught and the steering will be fine.

[BMWPower06]

When BMW claims they built the chassis to be faster than the engine, they really mean it. Go watch the Top Gear review of the C63 AMG vs. RS4 vs. E92 M3, the M3 is tied for lowest hp with the RS4, yet is faster than BOTH cars around a 2 min 30 sec track by ~5 seconds.

CLEARLY the M3 is still the car it always was.

[the_stranger]

Thanks for the review. You didnt seem to like this car, did you? I am really scared after hearing so many people complaining about the steering.

[BMWI6]

Guys don't get me wrong. This car may well be faster than the old m3, but it does not feel that way. Il put it to you this way, i have a very rich friend who is 18 and his dad offered to buy him an e63 amg which is way faster than an e46 m3 and my friend still preferred the m3 because of the way it felt. He didnt want a fast luxury car he wanted an edgy sports car.So the new m3 lost its raw edge. so even though this car is probably even a better car than the e46, it will never feel the same way. Another example was my 2005 330zhp; it feels so much firmer than my 335 and it makes me feel like i am in a real sports car even more than my chipped 335i which is literally so much faster.. I don't know, i just hope that the m3 can be tuned to sound louder inside the cabin, or that they come out with a csl version. Oh and by the way, dont think i am hating on the new m3, it is still an awesome car. I just think bmw has to tweak it a bit more .

[asaulo1]

great pics... can't wait to see it in person here in So. Cal.

[asaulo1]

any pics of the X6?

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by asaulo1

any pics of the X6?

Now there's a vehicle that makes no sense.

[mkoesel]

Great pics! You guys in FL and Georgia are damn lucky to get this so early.

Jason, what thread was this review quoted from?

[K3N R3D]

Love the pics thanks for sharing Jason.

[marcos]

Nice review. Are the 18's representative of those on the US cars? I thought the US models would have the shiny finish. Any thoughts??

[ruff]

The mileage the m3 is getting is atrocious. It makes a hemi, with it's size and mass, look like a green engine. The 530 hp and 505 lb ft of torque Gt2 is apparently efficient enough to avoid the gas guzzler tax altogether. "Efficient dynamics" should be changed to very inefficient dynamics.

The fact that BMW wastes millions on R&D by producing a car that has what seems like an infinite number of gimmicky driver settings and at the same time they produce a light, state of the art, compact ,4 litre engine that when babied can't get 20 mpg on the highway, coasting down hill with a tail wind, is in itself a stunning achievement.