Lebowski's Next Car Thread, and Farewell to the C6

[r0tor]

I think the greatness of the e90 is very over exaggerated.   When I ride or drive my friends, I love the na I6, I love the well sorted suspension...  however to be truthful, the steering is no better then my rx8 and the chassis flexes noticeably more - so much in fact you can here interior panels creak during hard cornering and odd chassis flexing undulations... which I dont hear in my car.  The shifter feels OK, but I like a more mechanical feel.

So the e90 is certainly nice, but IMO not all that great.

[12,000 RPM]

I think the greatness of the e90 is very over exaggerated.   When I ride or drive my friends, I love the na I6, I love the well sorted suspension...  however to be truthful, the steering is no better then my rx8 and the chassis flexes noticeably more - so much in fact you can here interior panels creak during hard cornering and odd chassis flexing undulations... which I dont hear in my car.  The shifter feels OK, but I like a more mechanical feel.

So the e90 is certainly nice, but IMO not all that great.

Everything is relative. I was happy to get back in my Z after test driving a 335i sedan, but I wouldn't call it a bad car. I still prefer the G to it, but besides that it was easily the best sports sedan of its time. I look at it less like a huge revelation and more like a Corolla for people who like nice things and driving fast.

[ifcar]

I think the greatness of the e90 is very over exaggerated.   When I ride or drive my friends, I love the na I6, I love the well sorted suspension...  however to be truthful, the steering is no better then my rx8 and the chassis flexes noticeably more - so much in fact you can here interior panels creak during hard cornering and odd chassis flexing undulations... which I dont hear in my car.  The shifter feels OK, but I like a more mechanical feel.

So the e90 is certainly nice, but IMO not all that great.

A lot of that speaks more to your car being awesome than the 3-Series not being so.

[MexicoCityM3]

To add a little motivation. Chris Harris' notes on the new M3:

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.

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.

Throttle response.
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.

More engine..
Proper M engine, turbos and all? Yup Fuel economy at a cruise is miles better than before - a genuine 30mpg - whereas I used to see 19mpg in my E92. The M3 badly needed some range, it now has it. This is perhaps the most important improvement over the outgoing V8.

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.

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.

Chassis
Flipping good.

Steering
Leave it in comfort. The other two settings simply add weight, and I disliked them both. The 3 Series electric steering rack has been comprehensively re-engineered for this car, at vast expense. Does it feel like a conventional hydraulic rack? Nope. Is it exceedingly accurate? Yes. And the world really does have a short memory if it cites the last two M3s as being steering paragons. The E46 was light but accurate, the E92 lacked initial response off-centre. Neither were great.

This is not steering to savour, but it gives the driver instant confidence, and that is a brilliant trick when allied to all that front axle grip. For a big car, you can place the M3 with uncanny accuracy.

Gearbox
I only drove a DCT, and the manual would need to be somewhere near a late NSX in shift quality to persuade me to not have the two-pedal car. The dual-clutch is fast, smooth in town, gives extra fuel economy and it just suits the power and torque delivery of the motor. Fast shifts give a decent exhaust crack too.

Brakes
We had the optional carbon ceramics, which will make prospective owners look away because they're too expensive. Well, BMW is talking about €7,000 for them, and they're plain superb. If I was going to use this car as intended, I'd have them, and normally I always advise the cheaper steel option. I'm saying that partly because with the standard Super Sport rubber and those ceramic stoppers, you have something instantly track-able.

Cabin
Single piece front seats are spot-on. Steering wheel still too thick, hi-fi very good, iDrive still baffling. Just the right amount of bespoke touches to make it feel that much more special than an F30 3 Series. Incidentally, geeks like me are rejoicing that this car gets its own internal designation - F80. The coupe is F82.

Looks
Not mine to judge really. But if the M3, in that baby blue colour (which is actually a metallic on closer inspection) isn't the best looking M3 since the 1990 Sport Evolution, then I'll call all those E46 CSL owners Jessies. Actually, the CSL is a belting looking thing, isn't it. Look, the F80 has such a sexy rear axle set-down on the road, that people like us will point and grin at them.

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.

[68_427]

Here's a thread with tons of info/pics/videos from the owner that uploaded the acceleration video.

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976284


Just remember.  Silverstone or individual. 

[68_427]

From NYIAS

[Lebowski]

The silverstone sure looks good but so does the alpine white. I wonder, would either look bad w/ the silverstone interior?  I don't really want another black interior and that orange is too much.

[68_427]

Estoril Blue would work with Silverstone interior.  I don't think white would go well with it at all.

I would love speed cloth.  I can deal with ambient temps of my interior being hot for a few minutes if the seating surfaces aren't.

Silverstone interior would take a lot of commitment though.

[MexicoCityM3]

The silverstone sure looks good but so does the alpine white. I wonder, would either look bad w/ the silverstone interior?  I don't really want another black interior and that orange is too much.

If you go white, I suggest the orange/red interior. Keeping that silverstone interior in good shape will be hell IMO. I also prefer mineral white to alpine white.

[Lebowski]

I need to get a good look at mw in person, but think I prefer alpine. I like stark white vs pearl.

That silverstone interior looks a lot lighter/whiter in the pic than on the configurator.  I don't think I can do the orange regardless of exterior, just isn't me. Shit, may end up w/ black interior after all (never been a big beige fan).

[68_427]

SPEED CLOTH 

[SJ_GTI]

I need to get a good look at mw in person, but think I prefer alpine. I like stark white vs pearl.

That silverstone interior looks a lot lighter/whiter in the pic than on the configurator.  I don't think I can do the orange regardless of exterior, just isn't me. Shit, may end up w/ black interior after all (never been a big beige fan).

I actually think Beige goes with white the best, although that may be too common. 

I think white + Silverstone would be fine.

And FWIW (since someone mentioned that it would be hard to maintain the interior), I have the "Lunar Silver" interior in my S4, which looks very similar to the Silverstone on the BMW. It has held up pretty good in the ~4 years I have had my car. The driver's seat has a bit of wear, but its minor IMHO. The other seats have almost no wear and tear (stains or that type of thing).

I will also add that, for me, the interior color is more important than the exterior color. When I bought my car I absolutely had to have this interior color, but was willing to compromise on exterior color (even though in the end I did find the exact combination I wanted). The exterior is what other people see the most, but the interior is what YOU will see the most.

By the way, I am not changing my suggestion that you should get the M3, but...

This weekend as I was driving around I had a couple of occasions to really hit the acceleration hard. I still have a hard time getting my head around cars this size with 400+ HP. My 330 HP just seems to be far and away more than I would ever need. The 335i is essentially the same as the S4 in this regard, and really the S4 has the advantage of AWD to keep things a little more tame. I'd imagine a 335i would be able to break loose pretty easily if you wanted. Its hard for me to even visualize how much faster I could drive an M3...or even if I could do so.

[Lebowski]

I do think beige goes with white best and am starting to lean that way. The interior of the m3 is more of a two tone w/ black carpet, trim etc not sure if that looks as good as all beige.  The 335i I test drove was beige and it looked good, different shade of beige though and less black trim (only black on 335i was from the steering wheel and above, w/ the m3 just about everything but the seats, door inserts etc is still black).

I don't have anything against beige, just never owned it before as it's not what I gravitate to. But am getting there by process of elimination - don't think I want another black interior, the orange is too much, and the silverstone, while I like it, is really light to go with a white exterior (looked great w/ the blue exterior IMO).

Your comments on 335i are why this isn't an easy choice for me, and why I'm asking for input. Thanks for yours.

[MrH]

Sack up!  Get a brothel-red interior!

[Lebowski]

I'm not in the NBA.

[MrH]

I'm not in the NBA.

[MexicoCityM3]

Your comments on 335i are why this isn't an easy choice for me, and why I'm asking for input. Thanks for yours.

I think the greatness of the e90 is very over exaggerated.   When I ride or drive my friends, I love the na I6, I love the well sorted suspension...  however to be truthful, the steering is no better then my rx8 and the chassis flexes noticeably more - so much in fact you can here interior panels creak during hard cornering and odd chassis flexing undulations... which I dont hear in my car.  The shifter feels OK, but I like a more mechanical feel.

So the e90 is certainly nice, but IMO not all that great.

A 335i is very different from an M3 both in the previous and current generations. Don't worry. The feel of the car is very different. I've driven them back to back (E90).
50% of the parts are different - at least. The entire suspension/steering is different, shares virtually nothing.

Also: look at the orange interior in person. It's not as pimpy as you think.

[Lebowski]

I'm sure the orange looks good in person, it just isn't me.

[SJ_GTI]

I'm sure the orange looks good in person, it just isn't me.

I've always pictured you more as a purple velvet interior type of guy, myself. 

[Lebowski]

Here's a pic of the beige. I like it, but not sure I like the two tone w/ all that black vs a normal beige interior like the 335i.

[SJ_GTI]

Here's a pic of the beige. I like it, but not sure I like the two tone w/ all that black vs a normal beige interior like the 335i.

Huh, I actually like that a lot. I dig the two tone effect.

[Lebowski]

I guess come to think of it, they're all 2 tone except for black.  They all have black carpet, dash, console etc. Just biege stands out to me more since my brain is used to seeing beige carpet etc w/ a beige interior.

The 4runner was like this too. The black was all black, the beige just looked like they shoved beige seats into a black interior and it just seemed kinda half assed to me (I ordered black). BMW executes it much better, I think it looks ok just looks different to me vs say the 335i all biege.

I've typed the word beige too many times today, sorry guys.

[68_427]

Sounds like you're a Camry guy.

Would the two tone change depending on what interior package you get?  for example extended or full leather?

[Lebowski]

The full leather basically adds a strip of the seat color just under the dash.  I think it also adds seat colored stitching to the black leather portions.  The bimmerpost link 68_427 posted showed full leather in the orange.

Full leather also a $2650 up charge vs extended leather. I will prob just get extended, I like BMW interiors and the textured plastics they use don't bother me.

[Raza]

I like the Yas Marina blue.  It's not as over the top as the Laguna Seca blue from the E46 M3, but it works.  Mineral gray exterior is probably the best all around color. 

Surprisingly, I'm liking the "orange" interior best (looks more red in the photos). 

[Lebowski]

I like both the blue exterior and orange interior too (though not together), just think I'd tire of something that loud rather quickly.  I've always gone for more subdued colors.

[68_427]

I think you'll tire of Yas because of how pastel the color is in the sun due to have white/silver pearl to it.

Estoril blue however...

[68_427]

I like the design of the base wheels, but they look TINY in the front.



They are forged though.



Also has the tan interior.  Looks great with Mineral Gray.

[68_427]

Looks like this may be all exterior and interior colors at this event

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=985530

[r0tor]

Just because I didn't hear this mentioned... If you don't want to (or can't do) European delivery, do delivery at the Spartenburg plant in SC.  You and a friend get a full day of driver training on a similar M3 at their test track, you get a tour of the X3/5/6 plant, and your car gets nicely detailed and you get the staff to fully go over things...

Its a good experience.