How many of you came from an N54 before your M?

[catserfp]

Came from a 335i 08, M3 s got better brakes, much better suspension, much more solid feel (chasis), better steering feel (quite a lot better, actually), better engine feel (v8 for starters), dct, + steering wheel, better engine/exhaust sound, etc., etc., etc...

[LeifW]

Originally Posted by 335rocket

how did you have a 335is and get rid of it so fast? That car just practically came out

+1


Leif W.

[NYCM3ryder]

i came from a moddified e90 335xi... like everyone says yeah the low end torque was great but ever since driving my m3 i have never even thought to look back!! i dont know its just something about that M button thats bring a smile to my face hahaha

[zibawal]

Me too! But I miss my N54 still lol

[Gmstevenson]

Originally Posted by 335rocket

how did you have a 335is and get rid of it so fast? That car just practically came out

It is somewhat of a long story but the dealer who sold it to me failed to disclose that my supposedly "new" car had been repainted (the hood and front fenders). I took the car in to be detailed and the detailer informed me that the car had been to a body shop and that the paint job was of very poor quality (lots of fish eyes and sanding marks that I didn't notice on the lot). When I took it back to the dealer the dealer eventually (took some work) admitted that they had done a non-certified repair to fix some "lot damage" which was required to be disclosed at the time of sale but was not. I opted to rescind the deal and took my business elsewhere (and ended up getting the M3 instead of the IS).

[Gubbins]

Originally Posted by hammick

[u2b][/u2b]

My wife hates driving my M3 and often makes fun of me for talking about my car too much. She would drive my 335i quite often.

I kind of hope this happens to me. I had a 335i a couple of years ago and my wife would often drive it. And scratch it. And sometimes even dent it. My 2011 E90 M3 is on its way and I am hoping my wife hates it...

[335rocket]

how is the IS? Is it alot quicker than the standard 335?

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by 335rocket

how is the IS? Is it alot quicker than the standard 335?

I'm going to probably get flamed here, but I don't see the point in the 335iS at all. If you look at the price, you can actually get an M3 sedan for not that much more.

A loaded 335iS will run you $61k-62k

The base MSRP for an M3 sedan is $55k. Sure, add options and you'll probably go above $62K but isn't it worth it for the M badge?

I'll take the M3 sedan over the 335iS any day of the week.

The 335i regular has great value, but the 335iS is overpriced in my opinion.

As you might expect, the 335iS has performance between the 335i standard and M3 in a straight line. I don't know about track figures.

[335rocket]

the IS is actually a gorgeous looking car and is loud as hell. I saw an IS vert at the dealer in white w/ brown interior. I got to say; its hottt. I actually dont like how the exhaust sounds that much tho. Very raspy. I'm sure its extremely torquey.

[Dntlvet]

I have both

[WCM3]

I sold my 07 335i coupe for an 09 M3 coupe. It's definitely a better car all the way around.

[quiksi]

I didn't exactly come from the N54 - I was shopping for a 135i and decided to make the jump instead... although the N54 cars were very very nice

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by Crazy Bimmer

While its nice to have that low end torque.. theres still something special about a V8 that rev over 8k rpm.

Sadly just test driving an M3 doesnt even show half of the giddy feeling you get after its really broken in.

Just so. And the OP's really talking about torque not hp, clearly.

[Neon01]

Originally Posted by Laszlo

...I personally think the N54 mass-Target-shopper-consumer motor is shit.

Come on...the S65 is great and all, but there is nothing wrong with the N54. After all, the N54 was among Wards 10 best engines in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Granted, the S65 doesn't qualify for that award since it's not available in a vehicle under $54k MSRP, but what's interesting is that the N54 did win the International Engine of the Year award in 2007 and 2008, an honor never bestowed upon the also-eligible S65. The S65 did, however, win the 3.0 to 4.0 L Displacement Engine of the Year award for 2008-2010, in the same competition. The N54 also took the 2.0 to 3.0 L Engine of the Year award from 2007-2010.

At the risk of turning this into a FI vs. NA discussion, the fact is that plenty of pure-bred racing venues have featured forced induction engines for many years (including Le Mans, Champ Car, IndyCar, SCCA World Challenge, and even F1). The N54 was never intended to be a racing engine, but it doesn't diminish the fact that it's a marvel of engineering.


To the OP: I made the switch from a '09 335i coupe to a '09 M3 sedan about 2 weeks ago. After an initial test drive of the M3 and comparing it to my 335i about a month ago, I came away thinking that the M3 wasn't for me. It just felt lacking, and I went so far as to say the car didn't feel feel fast enough. Then I went on a better test drive where I could really put the M3 through it's paces, used sport mode and set it up for quick shifts and firm ride. Nothing in this world (that I've driven) felt better than the way the M3 handled in the turns, and when I got that engine into a boil about about 4k RPM, I found the torque was substantial. When I operated the M3 that way, I once again found that elusive control the torque gives you. You know...where you can seemingly just roll your foot forward and almost experience the same thing in the car itself. If you drive the M3 at 2-3k RPM all the time, you'll roll your foot forward, hear more sound from the engine, and the speedo will slowly creep clockwise. A lot of people say that this makes the M3 an inferior daily driver. Oddly enough, now that I own the M3, not only do I not miss the torque (maybe I'm just telling myself this...), but I find it to be a more controllable car for daily driving. Power is still there when you really need it, and you get that intoxicating sound to top it off.

The other thing I noticed about the N54 when I test drove the M3 (and the S4 too - for my comparison between the M3 and S4, see the "M3 vs..." subforum) is that it actually does have a decent amount of turbo lag. It always felt nearly absent to me since I've owned other FI cars in the past ('88 RX7 TII, '02 Audi S4 2.7T, and others), but after driving the S/C S4 and the M3, it's very noticeable. It's nice to have that gone.

Overall I think you can't lose with either car, but I can honestly say I'm much happier with my M3. As others have posted, I do miss the phenomenal gas mileage of the N54 (though I seem to do better on mileage with the M3 than most seem to), and the fact that you can make it a straight line monster for less than $2500 - I was waiting until warranty ran out for that to happen.

[335rocket]

how much quicker does the M3 feel after break in?

[bmw13]

Originally Posted by Laszlo

First, I'd like to say, without offending you, you're obviously not an M owner, or don't quite understand our madness... so to be fair, I personally think the N54 mass-Target-shopper-consumer motor is shit. Second, you could get your hands on a 1M, which IMO, has a low production number because the car will be an M3 killer... and BMW would be stupid to produce high-quantities of this model and have them running around everywhere blowing our M3s away when there's another two-years of margin left. Third, although it may blow the M3 away, it ain't an NA motor and will never have the pedigree that Ms have had for 15-plus-years. Newbies will love it as well as the next M-gen cars. I on the other hand will be abandoning BMW completely. Lets just say those who frown on this turbo-trend likely feel BMW has unfortunately sold out the M-brand... starting with the X-M models.

you did offend me, the N54 is a great motor for what is can do, but reliability/ consistency sucks; trust me i am an m driver at heart; i loved my e46 but was 16 and had no driving exp. now i drive based on th traction i feel under me not the open road and power capability at hand.. so many factors come into play. and i am not ignorant to those factors.. like i said i like pushing g's through a corner vs straight-line performance. i can push my car too its limit around turns and i can handle much more.. and thats why i feel a need an m car, i dont want to have to change the car at all except some minor cosmetics here and there maybe an exhaust but thats it.. i love what m stands for.. its the perfect balance..
good talk though

[Hunter399]

I have an E90 325, an E92 335 both fully modded.

My E90 M3 blows both of them out of the water. All around package can't be beat.

That being said the 335 is a fantastic car and I would highly recommend it.