Anyone with a 2012-2013 wish they waited for the M4?

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by dmk08

How are they fake? The car is actually popping its not the ASD.

Did you have ASD disabled? Because thats key.

I agree with you on the M2 though. Such an overrated car. I drove one expecting a lot after all the reviews and was very let down. M3/M4 ZCP is much better.

M2 is incredibly overrated. It would have to weigh much less than the M3/4 to be competitive given its massive power disadvantage.
To make matters worse, it's engine is completely maxed out. The M3/4 is a breath away from 500hp all day long.

I did not have ASD disabled. Let me clarify that the ZCP M3/4 sounds way better than the regular one, that is for sure. Still, it's making a comparison of two pretty bad things.

The pops and burbles are not created by the ASD, they actually occur, but it is generated by the ECU and is not a natural product. This is also what Porsche does on the old Cayman S, that has an absolutely ridiculous amount of pops and burbles.

It is entertaining, but it still does little to address that the car does not sound good anymore. Better, but still not 'good'. If we take into account that we live in a brave new world of turbocharged everything, the M ZCP is a pretty good effort. For me however, it was easy to just buy another E9X (Yes, I am aware the M4s will pass me up at the track)

Overall, even though I'm unhappy at the turbocharging in the M3/4, if I were buying a new car I would not even consider something else. The M3/4 continues to be the raciest, most track ready of its competitors by a long shot.

[Coldeskimo]

Test drove the M4 and loved the updated interior and harder external lines which I must admit makes it look more aggressive.....but the sound!!! Couldn't bare the twin turbo tawny sound. Convinced me to stay with my 2013 M3

[Ezio]

Originally Posted by dmk08

ZCP cars sound pretty good actually. But I guess you're stuck in 2014.

Nah they sound like trash, stock or with ANY aftermarket setup. only people who think they sound good are owners, or BMW fan boys. (those guys who think a modded 335 is the king or kings)

When you put the sound against cars like a Porsche 6 cylinder or AMG v8s. Anyone with a non bias view point should clearly pick a winner.

[Mspired]

E92 M3 owner here. Purchased early summer of 2015. While I like and enjoy the car, I don't love it. I'll be looking into a M4 zcp soon.

[G80indy]

My next M car will be a hybrid, with instant get up and go
May take them a few years to get it right.....
;-)

[Seattle M3]

I made the switch to an M4 and now back to an E90. You cannot fault the M4, yet they lack the soul that the E90/92 has. To me the E90 is my forever car.

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by hayes180

Went to a meet in the Bay Area yesterday and there was about 30 cars or so. Nothing crazy. I had the only E92 M3 (2013) and about 10-15 of the cars were the F8X.

Glad I did not move get the new series, hate the way they sound, and I am a fan of a N/A engine.

Sidebar: Maybe it is just me but there seems to be a lot of F80/2's up for sale and people getting out of them quicker than I thought (no real number to gage this, just what I've been seeing).

I noticed too. A ton of low mileage ones for $55k

[Mspired]

Originally Posted by hayes180

Sidebar: Maybe it is just me but there seems to be a lot of F80/2's up for sale and people getting out of them quicker than I thought (no real number to gage this, just what I've been seeing).

A lot of first year F8x buyers traded up for ZCP cars. The E9x M3 didn't offer any substantial changes worth trading up as the M3/M4 does. I'm sure this has contributed to the amount of 2015s you see for sale.

[hayes180]

Originally Posted by Mspired

A lot of first year F8x buyers traded up for ZCP cars. The E9x M3 didn't offer any substantial changes worth trading up as the M3/M4 does. I'm sure this has contributed to the amount of 2015s you see for sale.

Fair enough.

[Rajmun340]

The M4/M3 was a disapointment when it came out for the press not sponsored by BMW and is still getting mixed long term loaner reviews now. No doubt the E9x M3 shining popularity has created a shadow for the 335is successor from an engine point of view that the F8x M4/3 is .

car and driver /M4 long term review.

August 2016
“This is a nice car and the power and response are intoxicating, but I’m never really sad to get out of it and I never miss it.”
—Mike Sutton

"bone-jarring ride that cannot be ameliorated, even by switching the adjustable suspension into Comfort mode."

"muffler does its best impersonation of a garbage disposal filled with rocks when we start the car in the morning. It means that by this time in our test, some editors are as tired of the car as the car is tired."

"the M3’s inline-six not only sounds like a ragged inline-three..."

"Then there is the issue of the exhaust sound inside the car, where BMW’s Active Sound technology causes it to emanate from the speakers. This bothers us to the point that we have, on occasion, pulled the fuse for the entire audio system"

"disappointed by the clinical nature of its thrills"

Car Magazine is probably even more to the point :
01 October 2015

"Critics return and again and again to the engine and the apparent discord between the precise, feelsome front end and the car’s fairly wayward rear. True, the engine is an odd fish. Its curious noises and ultra-grunty, almost über-diesel delivery don’t encourage the kind of wild proclamations of love inspired by, say, most AMG engines. The F80 M3 is an easy car to admire but a harder one to love. "

"We've lived with our BMW hotshot for a few months now and I'm afraid I still haven't warmed to it. The latest M3 seems to have lost some of the magic connection of earlier models"


"It's all about the cylinder decapitation: from the very moment you thumb the starter button, the straight six moos and whirrs and grates with a harsh, guttural clatter, where its V8 predecessor sang. When cold, the noise is startlingly uncharismatic and while the rattle subsides a little when warmed-through, it's poles apart from the E92 long-termer CAR magazine was lucky enough to run last time around. "

"It's just the way it goes about its business, the fact you know longer chase the redline with a 4.0 V8 willing you on, the noise... It's a common downsizing complaint and I think this is a rare BMW hiccup. I'm afraid I'm in the 'BMW M3 Not As Good As It Used To Be' camp."

there is no way you would find such bad press on the E9x M3 at 3 years of production. It goes without argument that the E92 M3 >> F8x M4/3 from a popular success point of view.

[Helmsman]

Yeah, yeah, I know the horse already is beaten to dead but couldn't help to notice yet another input from an actual owner, forward to 3.00:

[last1left]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Yeah, yeah, I know the horse already is beaten to dead but couldn't help to notice yet another input from an actual owner, forward to 3.00:

Wow he got bored with it

[MCBlue]

I drove the M4 before I bought my E92. I owned an e92M3 a couple years back and sold it. I couldn't stop thinking about my old MC Blue M3 Manual. I thought the new M4 was the answer. Unfortunately the car has no passion. It is like driving around a sledgehammer. IMO the best cars are a joy to drive when going slow as much as when going fast. The M4 lacks that unquantifiable aspect. Maybe it's the steering feel or maybe it's the instant torque or maybe it's the fake sound but it is sterile and no longer a vehicle that is like an M3 of old. I have owned a 97,98, and 99 M3. Those were great cars. The E92M3 is better and has soul and passion and performance that can be enjoyed at all speeds on everyday roads. E92 all the way!

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by MCBlue

I drove the M4 before I bought my E92. I owned an e92M3 a couple years back and sold it. I couldn't stop thinking about my old MC Blue M3 Manual. I thought the new M4 was the answer. Unfortunately the car has no passion. It is like driving around a sledgehammer. IMO the best cars are a joy to drive when going slow as much as when going fast. The M4 lacks that unquantifiable aspect. Maybe it's the steering feel or maybe it's the instant torque or maybe it's the fake sound but it is sterile and no longer a vehicle that is like an M3 of old. I have owned a 97,98, and 99 M3. Those were great cars. The E92M3 is better and has soul and passion and performance that can be enjoyed at all speeds on everyday roads. E92 all the way!

You had a MCB E9X? I looooove mine, best color ever

[BrewRifle]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

You had a MCB E9X? I looooove mine, best color ever

Same here, I wish mine was a 2013 with < 20,000 miles.

[911Driver]

Originally Posted by MCBlue

I drove the M4 before I bought my E92. I owned an e92M3 a couple years back and sold it. I couldn't stop thinking about my old MC Blue M3 Manual. I thought the new M4 was the answer. Unfortunately the car has no passion. It is like driving around a sledgehammer. IMO the best cars are a joy to drive when going slow as much as when going fast. The M4 lacks that unquantifiable aspect. Maybe it's the steering feel or maybe it's the instant torque or maybe it's the fake sound but it is sterile and no longer a vehicle that is like an M3 of old. I have owned a 97,98, and 99 M3. Those were great cars. The E92M3 is better and has soul and passion and performance that can be enjoyed at all speeds on everyday roads. E92 all the way!

I did this except I bought a M4. After a year I sold it and bought another e92.

[jaehshim]

did more than a test drive on a new f80 m3, drove about 250 miles highway + city

unnecessarily rough ride, hedious sound that is actually worse than a 335i/340i stock exhaust, that active sound drives back passengers crazy on a long highway drive, not much of a difference in terms of cornering/handling compared to the e90, def faster with 100 more torque but don't see that much of a difference in performance overall, it's just not a unique M3 anymore mechanically and overall.

does it have a crazy interior, sound, engine as the new current c63? No.
Is it a better, pleasing (after all, this is a luxury brand) to drive on daily basis than c63? No
Is it a dramatic light weighted compared to the old gen? unlike what the BMW advertises, same option to option, E9x vs F8x weight difference is less than 50~70kg. so No.
so then, does it have the performance to prove over American counterparts these days on a track? No.
is it a dramatic update from the e90 series in terms of styling, mechanicals and peroformance? No.
so what is it then???
On a paper with spec this car looks great, major upgrade from the previous gen.
But after actually owning/driving the vehicle and getting the experience out of it, this is where a lot of people struggle (like I did with multiple test drives). Even the 1999 E36 convertible 5MT was more dramatic and exciting than this car when I first experienced it

currently, there's so many f80 used out there in the used market only after ~2yr of production it's not even funny...and the price is going down like crazy... 6 months ago my friend bought a mint f80 m3 less than 7K miles with a great dal which can be found at $6000 or less now. I sort of get it though, every time I drive my car and every time I pass by the current C63s, GT350s, seeing the new guila...

[Bucki14]

NO regrets here, I love the design of the F8X and the wider presence the car has. I definitely wont say it isn't a better performer but, as a daily driver and weekend warrior I prefer the e9x all day, every day. Better sounding car, better feeling steering, better power band in regards to understanding how to place the car. Those are what are most important to me...not 0-60 and lap times.

P.S. nearly every m4 owner I know has driven my car and walked away saying the same thing.. the power band is amazing...just pulls and pulls and is so predictable to drive hard. Mind you I'm also at 650HP

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

I noticed too. A ton of low mileage ones for $55k

just sold mine for 49k but it had 50k mi. on the hunt for an e90/ f80zcp or a 991

[loveskiing]

The m4 has BMW's Active Sound Technology? I guess that's semantics for "we've harnessed the unique acoustics of a runaway lawn mower and piped it into the car to enhance the driving experience..."

[Rajmun340]

not my first post in this thread but answering the question as directly as possible:
Yes, i waited until June 2013 to have the maximum information about the powerplant in the m4. When it was clear that it was a modified generic 3.0 L engine shared with all non-M models with added turbos that can not deliver that premium high revving engine sound and power band, only then, and in full knowledge of what the F8x M4/3 was did I happily order a factory E92 M3. I also knew it would be my first and last BMW as I am not interested in the more mainstream direction bmw took.
When more details emerged from F testdrives i was annoyed by the artificial sound fiasco that was giving a bad name to M cars. When fans destroyed the M4 on it, bmw marketing response was bad. They retorted to criticizing the E9x in order to make the F look acceptable something they never had to do for previous generations. So... yes i waited and it sucked so i ordered an E92

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by JoeM3SSII

not my first post in this thread but answering the question as directly as possible:
Yes, i waited until June 2013 to have the maximum information about the powerplant in the m4. When it was clear that it was a modified generic 3.0 L engine shared with all non-M models with added turbos that can not deliver that premium high revving engine sound and power band, only then, and in full knowledge of what the F8x M4/3 was did I happily order a factory E92 M3. I also knew it would be my first and last BMW as I am not interested in the more mainstream direction bmw took.
When more details emerged from F testdrives i was annoyed by the artificial sound fiasco that was giving a bad name to M cars. When fans destroyed the M4 on it, bmw marketing response was bad. They retorted to criticizing the E9x in order to make the F look acceptable something they never had to do for previous generations. So... yes i waited and it sucked so i ordered an E92

I also waited until 2013 to order mine new

I still see myself buying M3s in the future because I'm emotionally attached to the brand, but I know I won't like them as much as the E9X generation.