Autocar M3 vs D3 test

Autocar M3 vs D3 test

Author
Discussion

craigjm

Original Poster:

17,907 posts

199 months

rassi

2,447 posts

250 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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Very interesting comparison!

That D3 looked and handled fantastic!

philmots

4,630 posts

259 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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I'd take the D3 too. As a touring.

So much better looking IMO.

ZX10R NIN

27,490 posts

124 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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philmots said:
I'd take the D3 too. As a touring.

So much better looking IMO.
It'd be the D3 for me to the re sale will be stronger, the running cost lower & the smiles will be just as big I think I'll be looking for a low mileage one next year.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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ZX10R NIN said:
It'd be the D3 for me to the re sale will be stronger...
No way the resale will be stronger!!

To get the D3 to match the M3 spec it will cost you £52,000, no discounts.
The M3 is £56k and you will get it for £52k no problem.
So initial price is the same.

In 4 years time with 48k miles on it the M3 will be around £30k but I bet the D3 will be £25k at the very best.

That is £5000 more in depreciation.


The M3 will see an average of 28mg, the D3 will see an average of 40mpg. (You may be up or down on those but that is the sort of gap).

£10,000 of fuel for the M3 at £1.30 a litre.
£7,000 of fuel for the D3 at £1.30 a litre.


That leaves you with £2000 to spend on servicing for the M3 to get back to them costing you the same.


Obviously the D3 may well be the car to change Alpina depreciation forever, but I doubt it.
£55,000 for a 3 series diesel is not going to appeal to everyone, and the fact only a few Alpina fans have ordered it tells you this.

It will depreciate like every other Alpina before it, horrendously!! wink

I reckon the M3 will be cheaper overall to run for 4 years and 48,000 miles.

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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I knew the D3 would be a quick car but I didn't honestly believe it would that close to the M3. Love the looks of both.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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The B3 is the one I would go for, .5 seconds quicker to 60 than the D3 and a much more fitting engine for a £55,000 3 series.



Edited by gizlaroc on Saturday 26th July 12:47

converted lurker

304 posts

125 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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D3 for me every time even if it was more expensive than the M3.


Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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Doesn't matter which is actually the best the best thing is say is that these cars are actually being made superb cars for car enthusiasts.

For these to be so close as to make no real difference in performance terms is a really good engineering effort.

Wills2

22,663 posts

174 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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I specced a D3 and M3 to as close as you can get, D3 55k M3 60k no discounts on either are available I asked my local dealer a couple of weeks ago on the M3 and checked broadspeed.

So I doubt the two would be miles apart after 3 years as it stands.


Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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Is the f30 m3 came with the 4ltr v8 instead of current offering would that be a hands down winner for the M3 rather than this situation where its not clear.



Also isn't the D3 as quick if not quicker than the E92 M3?

Lastly it looks like the D3 is mid 9 seconds to 100mph with only 32bhp more than the 335d. As there is no official 0-100mph time for the 335d only owners posts does this mean that the 335d is not an 11 second car instead its low 10's to 100mph?

philmots

4,630 posts

259 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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As a road car the Alpina looks to fare better.. Be it D3 or B3.

The B3 looked good when Chris Harris drove it.

Personally I think the M3 is a bit OTT to look at, Alpina looks classy, effortless, cool.. All IMO of course.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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philmots said:
As a road car the Alpina looks to fare better.. Be it D3 or B3.

The B3 looked good when Chris Harris drove it.

Personally I think the M3 is a bit OTT to look at, Alpina looks classy, effortless, cool.. All IMO of course.
I remember that test B3 looked stunning great noise and 190mph... Bonkers. Clearly destroys the M3 is it much more than the M3/D3?

roofer

5,136 posts

210 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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D3 with the M3 wheels for me as a work tool, M3 on the weekends.

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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Wow, impressive stats on the D3 - 516 lb.ft from 1500rpm!!!

M3 does sound good from the outside (imo).

Do like the new updated Alpina multi-spoke alloys. Lovely. cool

Both are scandalously quick. eek

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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g3org3y said:
Wow, impressive stats on the D3 - 516 lb.ft from 1500rpm!!!

M3 does sound good from the outside (imo).

Do like the new updated Alpina multi-spoke alloys. Lovely. cool

Both are scandalously quick. eek
How much quicker is the B3 over these two?

smashy

3,030 posts

157 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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Gizze I allways think you underplay the petrol/deisel differential. I have seen a report on that D3 where they drove "normally" and achieved 50mpg........I suggest your 28 for the M3 may be just a tad lower ??? lol

gaz1234

5,233 posts

218 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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M4, 5 or 6

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
quotequote all
smashy said:
Gizze I allways think you underplay the petrol/deisel differential. I have seen a report on that D3 where they drove "normally" and achieved 50mpg........I suggest your 28 for the M3 may be just a tad lower ??? lol
I got 27 average from the CSL (I was using it as an every day car btw) and 26 from the SMG M3 E46.
They are saying the new M3 is considerably better.

My mapped 335i auto touring saw 27mpg average too, and would often see 37mpg sat on long journeys at 80mph.

I think the problem with the M3 is a lot of people will be put off because it is petrol, many won't be aware that 35 on a run is pretty easy, so they simply bypass it as a car to do 20k miles a year in, so you get skewed figures. Many owners have it as mainly a toy car that is still comfortable when needed, rather than a motorway mile muncher that is pretty raw when needed.

I think if you say the D3 will get 40% better economy than the M3 you will be pretty close, which is 28 vs 40mpg.

I am sure you can get 50 on a run in the D3, but at the same time I think on that same run if you got 50 from the D3 you would see 35 from the M3 no problem at all, keeping that 40% better ratio.


I'm not saying I wouldn't take the Alpina D3 over the M3, a D3 Touring with LSD in Melbourne Red with extended beige leather sounds like the sort of car I could see myself in for a very long time. But I wouldn't buy it and try and convince myself I was saving a huge wad of money over the M3 or B3.

smashy

3,030 posts

157 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
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While your on here Gizze you may recall my 120d auto like yours well the timing chain went yesterday ,the turbo 18 months ago the engine is finished.... 115K ...knew it would happen what a pile of... that N47 engine is.