German Car Forum

BMW M3 - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk

The new M3 is a big joke to me

And the steering never scores more than six out of 10 no matter where or how you drive the car. Nor do the brakes, which suffered from fade on the road and went away badly on the track. Or the fuel consumption, which was regularly down in the mid-teens on roads on which the old car would have hit well over 20mpg.

M3 could be too refined for its own good - - the M3 still a king? haha you guys must be joking, its not even a prince.

Both you and Autocar can fo!

WHAT!!!



It seems BMW (like Audi with the A5) is going the American way. Softer suspension , less steering feedback , easier to drive overall for the unexperienced driver.

We might end up with Lexus handling standards if they continue this way!

they have such a good car as the base to build on.... how did they manage to ruin it?

Two reviews and it's already ruined? Lol! Be serious, please...

You guys honestly think M division screwed their icon? Not in the million years!

that would be a nightmare.

i read the whole report, they didnt ruin it, but not very m3-like, more amg like perhaps. so now we have c63 trying to be the m3 and m3 trying to be the c amg.

Ja so? Were we expecting anything better than what Sutters had to say about the car? Given that he is one of the most experienced and talented motoring journo's out there, it's understandable that he's being highly critical of such an eagerly anticipated car.

Steering with a 6 out of 10? Not the end of the world - this could just be a pre-production model and they're using the journalists to gauge dynamic appeal. As with all previous M models, they initially garner a little flak from the motoring press for not being what they might have expected. Then, with time and familiarity the M3 shows its true colours once more.

Of course the fuel consumption was going to be in the high teens - it's basically an eight cylinder S85 for Moses' sake. If you want the horses, you must feed them.

I am starting to feel a bit disappointed with this new M3. The Autocar review is similar to the CAR review. The new M3 has gone soft.

Martin, would you agree that we should wait EVO, MotorTrend, R&T and SportAuto to get their hands on it to get a little bit clearer and better pic about M3?

BMW need to offer a CS package immediately, just like AMG is offering a 030 performance package for C63.

We should wait. Period. Cars with such immense depth of ability take time to unfurl their great talents - layer by layer.

I'm unfazed.

Yeah,One magazine after the another,the wait will go on.The BMW fans will never admit that this M3 is not what they had hoped it will be.

If it was brilliant we would have know it by now.It is good but not good enough.

I agree! Both reviews so far weren't the real test drives and in depth analysis of the car and everything about it.

Is it the same guy from M-division as before or have they hired someone from AMG?

I have a feeling M3 is a S4 competitor and not the RS4 competitor we hoped for.

Andreas, you are going hysterical!



Take some Valium pills before it's too late, for Lord's sake.

I 'm sure that M3 is an excellent car.

The problem is the high anticipation of new M3. Everybody expected something spectacular yet the result is definitely not as good as expected because BMW engineers were obviously given instructions to make the car softer and less hardcore than the previous generation.

Bad reviews are due to high hopes and expectations, not because the M3 is bad.

BMW are just following market demands. They are producing cars to please the majority of customer base, not the car journalists. Eg. same case with eg. Audi A5 (could be more dynamic, but customers wanted typical Audi), or C63 (could be more tame, but customers wanted more "ricey" appearence). Offer what market wants - yet in your own specific way.

Customers want less raw M3 - especially the major part of US M3 customer base. The car is definitely more capable than E46 M3, but not as raw anymore. But that was already the case with E30 M3 vs E36 M3, E36 vs E46, and now E46 vs E90. M3 is going less & less raw. It will be the same case with new E89 Z4 M.

Cars going upmarket --> more all-rounded they become. Even in M variant. That's a sad fact.

But for true enthusiasts M1 & Z2 M will be offered. True raw cars in manner of E30 M3.

Entry M cars were always the rawest ... And M3 is set to be entry M model no more. M1 will take that role. Same case with Z4 M vs Z2 M.

So, the king is dead (M3), long live the new upcoming king (M1).

Absolutely right.Whats with your avtar?Audi dumped

Nice post Eni, but...

...you're soooo wrong about that...

I saw Just_me's new avatar and got jealous. There is no reason for the mods to be boring. We can have our moments of fun too.

I read on mbworld.org that US has sold more M3's than the whole AMG range. Sounds to me like the market want a raw and hardcore M3, I dont see how the market has changed.
Only explanation I see for the M3 becoming softer is becuase of its size and weight and the upcoming M1. I cant see what the market has to do with M3, they could have made it raw as M3 E46 and it would still sell....a lot.

Really? Well, let me see what can i come up with... I ain't gonna touch my avatar, that you can forget, but whining does inspire me i must admit...

I'll wait for the other tests (EVO, SportAuto, Auto Zeitung, Auto Bild, AMS, R&T, Motor Trend, C&D, Fifth Gear etc.) before my conclusion but so far it isn't what was expected...

hmmm. disappointing so far ... But in the end its personal driving experience that matters and I'm sure it will be plenty raw from most drivers around th world