M3/M4 [Reviews] BMW M3 Saloon & M4 Coupe

[martinbo]

I have to say, I love this new Twitter embedding function.

 

[Rolf]

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Thanks for posting this video I actually enjoyed it, the guy was quite thorough with his evaluation of the car even before driving it and despite the heavy sauerkraut accent he pretty much explains everything well in detail. The car certainly looks and sounds more impressive in this video than other s I have seen on the Internet. I like the way that in this video you can actually see the look and colour change of the carbon fibre on the roof, engine and also interior panels. The engine sounds good in some shots but too me there still is something missing it doesn't have that spine tingling sounds of both the E46 straight six or the E92 V8. Maybe BMW will address this in the facelift in a few years time. As a family man the M3 impresses me more and would be my choice!

 

[Rolf]

I have to say, I love this new Twitter embedding function.

some interesting bits and bobs from monkey's twitter feed:

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I love these photos of the cars suspension from underneath you can see the detail that BMW M put into the manufacturing all the suspension arms have the M logo cast into them!

 

[klier]

Bring it on Chris, bring it on. Many are waiting for your review!!!

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Bring it on Chris, bring it on. Many are waiting for your review!!!

Chris's video is coming soon. He spent two days with the M3.

In his blog he does provide some notes on the M3.

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=30002

Engine
Weird noise to begin with. No word of a lie, I laughed out loud when trying to define it - all I could think was 'mapped 335d'. It's less musical, lower frequency and less clearly straight-six than the M235i I'm currently driving. At first I didn't like it much, then it became a non-issue and after thrashing around a circuit for a while I almost liked it. But it's a million miles from the E46 and E92. Would I buy an everyday car on the basis of noise? Probably not. Radio 4 and ZZ Top will always overcome.

So, he's saying that he didn't like it at first and then it was irrelevant as in an every day car he'd put the radio on anyway. Oh dear. This is an M3!


Is the motor special enough? For a quick track blast and a few hours on the road, to impress a few hacks? Probably not, especially in light of the deranged V8 model's zap and DTM blare beyond 7,500rpm. But for everyday use, the torque, the sheer speed and the range make the new gizzards - for me - far more appealing.


Chassis
Flipping good. As in, I'm not sure how much more you can expect from a car of this type. We had 19-inch wheels (standard in the UK) running the standard Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Incidentally, that's a completely new tyre with a bespoke aramid belting and compounds specific to this car only. Front axle grip is alarming at first - you push, it grips, you play silly, and it still grips. On very technical roads, nothing in the class would see where it had gone (in the dry) for that reason alone.


Would you?
Absolutely. I loved my E92, but it was surprisingly limited as my daily driver. Opportunities to enjoy that motor beyond 7,000 were predictably limited, the lack of torque left you exposed to turbo hot hatches and, well, you know my thoughts on the range.


This car rights all of those wrongs. In isolation, the motor gets blown into next week by the current C63 507 for pure noise and theatre, but on the road the BMW's fuel consumption and massive torque would swing it for me. Sounds boring, but that's what matters in a daily driver.Not to mention the transmission which makes the Merc's feel pretty antiquated now. And I still think the powertrain feels special enough for an M car.

The rest of the package is BMW M at its best. I think it's a truly special car. It made me smile for the two days that I drove it. When the video comes out in the next few weeks, watch the section where we talk through the level of modification over standard 3er. This car is 50 per cent new.

It's a blinder. I'll have the saloon, the dampers, the big brakes, the DCT, and probably the baby blue. So exactly the car I drove on the launch then.

Chris

 

[martinbo]

Thanks for sharing Betty. All it takes is one decent journo - like Evo's Meaden back with the E92 to stick his neck out and tell it like it is...

Not saying some of the others aren't decent - but the perception shift will come again for the F80/F82. Especially when judged against its contemporaries rather than forebears.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

I have to say though, even though I'm obviously clear in my disappointment about the noise coming from the new M3 and M4, everything else about it sounds brilliant and it wouldn't put me off buying one. In fact, I fully recognise that this new M3/M4 is better suited to my situation now than the E92 would have been. It would be my daily driver along with the VW Up, so good fuel economy when you want it is very desirable. I have the V10 in my garage for when I want to wake up the neighbours.

 

[martinbo]

And lookee here...

Performance? Scorching. The manual will hit 100mph in nine seconds dead, the DCT in 8.7 seconds. It hardly feels turbocharged and the torque is all-consuming. Real-world, this car is miles quicker than the old E92, and the torque means the rear axle loads up much earlier in a given turn, meaning you have the sensation of controlling the car's attitude with your right foot far more than you did before. But that should come in the chassis section. Doh.

I didn't have any problem with the throttle response. In comfort the throttle is long and a little lazy - normally I like that, but the shorter sport and sport-plus settings worked better in this car for me. In the latter the speakers mess around with the intake noise some more. Compared to, say, an E46 you lose a tiny amount of instant zap, but considering it has two turbochargers, you can take several stabs mid-corner to trim your line and the response is always there. It's worth revving out to 7,500rpm too.

Colleagues have given it real flak, with the insinuation that it isn't special (dry sump, forged crank anyone?) but I'd buy this car because of the motor, not in spite of it.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Interesting that Harris says it's worth revving to 7,500rpm when other journos said you have no incentive. I put my trust in Harris.

 

[martinbo]

And this...

The clever locking differential is essentially lifted from the F10 M5 - it can slacken itself to a fully open setting under brakes and at high speed, and then lock to 100 per cent on the exit of a turn. It's possibly the most complete unit of its type I've driven and certainly contributes to that searing turn-in and agility on the road.

Of course it's a drift expert - it's an M3. You can choose any angle and pretty much any speed. The tyres can handle quite a beating in this mode. Handy information for that morning commute

Dammit to hell. I must have one! Soon... but not too soon. It's all a question of timing. And wife approval.

Interesting that Harris says it's worth revving to 7,500rpm when other journos said you have no incentive. I put my trust in Harris.

Well, the power graphs do lend credence to his assertion. This is a turbo engine that still does meaningful work as the revs climb beyond 7000 rpm. Yes, torque is tailing off - that's normal for volumetric flow-restricted turbo'd cars but the rate at which it tails off is important here as the engine continues to make maximum power over a section of the top-end rev range.

What more would I want? I can pootle in comfort mode with my family in the car or relish in the torque slug of the mid-range or wind it out to the limit for maximum attack mode.

Oh, and if it's my money I'd also be buying it with an M-DCT 'box. My heel-n-toe days are gone - there's a better way to do things now...

 

[ACE]

And this...



Dammit to hell. I must have one! Soon... but not too soon. It's all a question of timing. And wife approval.

...and the small matter of parting with a million bucks.

 

[martinbo]

...and the small matter of parting with a million bucks.

Oh shuddup you nasty!

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Dammit to hell. I must have one! Soon... but not too soon.

Maybe you could make do with an "M3" tattoo in the mean time?

 

[Kowalski]

I have to say though, even though I'm obviously clear in my disappointment about the noise coming from the new M3 and M4, everything else about it sounds brilliant and it wouldn't put me off buying one. In fact, I fully recognise that this new M3/M4 is better suited to my situation now than the E92 would have been. It would be my daily driver along with the VW Up, so good fuel economy when you want it is very desirable. I have the V10 in my garage for when I want to wake up the neighbours.

That sounds fun!

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Dammit to hell. I must have one! Soon... but not too soon. It's all a question of timing. And wife approval.

Just get the car...and if she disapproves....

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[martinbo]

Maybe you could make do with an "M3" tattoo in the mean time?

Dammit, nothing's private anymore.

 

[Mr Robert]

Dammit, nothing's private anymore.

Sharing Martins privates...

...I'll show myself out now.

 

[martinbo]

You do just that Dr pink pants...

 

[Mars1965]

Maybe you could make do with an "M3" tattoo in the mean time?

Or ask Scott for a miniature.

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Or ask Scott for a miniature.

Miniature privates? ....