Autocar big homie Steve Sutcliffe drives the new M3

[12,000 RPM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUniIUJ2PwQ

*EDIT* No embedded videos???

[Catman]

Car is awesome.  Why does every test video have to be dominated by foolish drifting?

[68_427]

Does it sound like shit?

RASP

[hotrodalex]

New 425bhp turbocharged BMW M3 tested


Has to be http not https

[MexicoCityM3]

Car is awesome.  Why does every test video have to be dominated by foolish drifting?

+1. Who drives like that all the time?

Thing I love most about my cars is the precision and adjustability at the limit. That's not the same as endless drifting.

RE this new M3, as you can imagine I have by now read all the first drives. C&D, R&T, MT, Car, Evo are all up on their websites.

Overall impressions are good. A bit of complaints about the engine character/noise in a couple, a bit of whining about the electric steering in a couple others. But overall everyone loves it. It seems the chassis is magnificent.

On the whole I like it but I am not as excited for this gen as I have been for the previous two. I am sure to drive it on a track at a BMW Mexico event somewhat soon and we'll see.

In part my priorities are changing, shifting towards having two more specialised cars instead of one that does it all which is what the M3 excels at.

[MexicoCityM3]

[12,000 RPM]

I'm glad they dropped the weight on it. It's only about 3470lbs which is pretty damn good all things considered. Still though shame about the engine character. As much as people here love to write shit like that off it's important.

[MrH]

If only it could have the character of the beloved IS250 engine!  Woe is me.  Could you get a more formulaic greek tragedy than this beautiful vehicle being ruined by such a characterless dud.

[MexicoCityM3]

I'm glad they dropped the weight on it. It's only about 3470lbs which is pretty damn good all things considered. Still though shame about the engine character. As much as people here love to write shit like that off it's important.

Yeah, it's about the same weight as en E46 M3 or a 1M. This will easily be the best handling M3 ever IMO. Most fun I'll know when I drive it. Maybe maybe not.

[12,000 RPM]

If only it could have the character of the beloved IS250 engine!  Woe is me.  Could you get a more formulaic greek tragedy than this beautiful vehicle being ruined by such a characterless dud.

Hey, Steve and various other automotive professionals with more qualified opinions than your said it, not me. I can only how difficult it must be for folks whose experience/knowledge you have to defer to to come to conclusions that don't jive with your perpetual fetishizing of technology and objective progress

[MrH]

Hey, Steve and various other automotive professionals with more qualified opinions than your said it, not me. I can only how difficult it must be for folks whose experience/knowledge you have to defer to to come to conclusions that don't jive with your perpetual fetishizing of technology and objective progress

Thanks for your psychoanalysis, Chicken Little.

I for one am really excited about this vehicle I know little about so far.  The more enthusiast options, the better.  Sorry for withholding my poo-pooing on it because of it's supposed "lack of powertrain character".

[SVT666]

Powertrain character is very important to me.

[12,000 RPM]

Thanks for your psychoanalysis, Chicken Little.

I for one am really excited about this vehicle I know little about so far.  The more enthusiast options, the better.  Sorry for withholding my poo-pooing on it because of it's supposed "lack of powertrain character".

Who is Chicken Little here? Look at your first post in this thread  I'm sure the car is great, its just a little bit of a shame the engine is not as perfect as everything else in the car.

[MexicoCityM3]

Well I think this is a lot like comparing the M3 (V8) and the 1M.

The M3 has the much more characterful engine. The 1M has the much more characterful chassis.

For fun on any given day, I reach for the keys to the 1M. It is a lot more fun anywhere except on the track, "crappy" turbo engine notwithstanding.

For a balls out session at the track, they are even. The 1M's better chassis offsets the better, more responsive engine in the M3 by about the same.

This new M3 has an engine that is in between those two. Not as characterful as the E90 V8 but definitely better then the N54 in the 1M. And it seems it has a better chassis than either. So I am pretty sure it will trump both. After and only after I test it I *might* go bonkers and trade both for a new M3.

[MexicoCityM3]

Also: would it have been lovely to have everything perfect? Yes. But this is not a perfect world. For that, you need more money to get something like a 911S for about 50% more money. And still: less practical.

So - such is life. The M3 will STILL be the best all-around car for the price IMHO.

[Xer0]

So I am pretty sure it will trump both. After and only after I test it I *might* go bonkers and trade both for a new M3.

I feel that for the sake of your wallet, you're better off not driving this car 

[12,000 RPM]

Well I think this is a lot like comparing the M3 (V8) and the 1M.

The M3 has the much more characterful engine. The 1M has the much more characterful chassis.

For fun on any given day, I reach for the keys to the 1M. It is a lot more fun anywhere except on the track, "crappy" turbo engine notwithstanding.

For a balls out session at the track, they are even. The 1M's better chassis offsets the better, more responsive engine in the M3 by about the same.

This new M3 has an engine that is in between those two. Not as characterful as the E90 V8 but definitely better then the N54 in the 1M. And it seems it has a better chassis than either. So I am pretty sure it will trump both. After and only after I test it I *might* go bonkers and trade both for a new M3.

What about the 1M with the V8?

Doesn't really matter though. This thing is an incredible value. 911 Carrera or base C7 performance with 4 real seats for C7 money. I respect that.

[hotrodalex]

1M with the V8 would probably upset the characterful chassis.

[Laconian]

I feel that for the sake of your wallet, you're better off not driving this car 

For the sake of keeping the forum interesting, I hope he drives it.

[12,000 RPM]

1M with the V8 would probably upset the characterful chassis.

V8 is only 22lb heavier than the I6..... and it's shorter too.

[MexicoCityM3]

1M with the V8 would probably upset the characterful chassis.

The V8 would have added about 10K to the 1M's price rendering it a lot less attractive. Like I said, not a perfect world.

[MX793]

Does this one have the fake engine sound pumped into the cabin via speakers like so many other Bimmers these days?  Kind of sounds like it from the video (in-car engine sound doesn't sound much like the out-car sound).

[MexicoCityM3]

Does this one have the fake engine sound pumped into the cabin via speakers like so many other Bimmers these days?  Kind of sounds like it from the video (in-car engine sound doesn't sound much like the out-car sound).

Yep. They all do now.

I've driven an M5 and also an M135i with this feature/bug (depending on your point of view). Frankly I couldn't care less. Both sound great and 99.9% of people wouldn't notice it if not told. I don't.

[12,000 RPM]

I don't know. Imagine you bang a hot chick, and then you find out she's a post-op. Some people are into that stuff, but I'm not. I want the real thing.

[MexicoCityM3]

I don't know. Imagine you bang a hot chick, and then you find out she's a post-op. Some people are into that stuff, but I'm not. I want the real thing.

This is more like fake tits. Been there done that and I don't care one bit either.

[Lebowski]

I'm really interested in this car as well.  Overall I like what I've read/seen so far.

[Lebowski]

Doesn't really matter though. This thing is an incredible value. 911 Carrera or base C7 performance with 4 real seats for C7 money. I respect that.

It's about $10k-$15k more than the c7 similarly equipped, at least as I've configured them.

[Lebowski]

The engine change, to my understanding was due to emissions regulations, so I don't really see the point of bitching about it or faulting BMW for it.  They didn't have much choice.

[12,000 RPM]

Plenty of companies are building engines like their old V8 well into the future in all the same markets. Ford has a similar engine in a Mustang that costs nearly half the M3's price.

I think the V8 was a break from tradition fueled by the horsepower wars and the semi-bubble of the early 00s. As "much" flack as this engine is getting it is a 100% return to tradition, and I'm sure is also a huge cost savings for BMW as well which is enabling them to keep the price low profitably. However, BMW then runs the risk of the normal 3s and the M3 being very close in character. Chassis wise they have definitely stepped it up, and the DCT is a nice differentiator for the transmissions... but the powerband sounds dangerously similar to the 335i's, which can be brought up to these levels for a couple hundred dollars

BMW 335i Does 0-60 in 3.6 seconds

[MrH]

So what's the cost difference between this and the v8?