RE: BMW M3 farewell diary
Tuesday 4th February 2014
Goes without saying that we're excited about the new BMW M4 and relieved that the celebrated M3 badge lives on in its four-door brother. Having seen both last week at a sneak preview the saloon is more than worthy of carrying the torch too, perhaps cooler in some ways than the coupe. But in with the new means out with the old and, subsequently, a farewell to the V8-powered E90-series M3. Having built 40,000-plus coupes, near-on 10,000 saloons and 16,000 convertibles it's been a big car for BMW and saying farewell is an emotional moment for M fans.
Tuesday
So, I've had to give the M3 back. And with a heavy heart too - it's been quite a week. All good stories should end on a cliffhanger though and in the case of this one it's the question of what the M4 has to measure up to.
BMW M3 farewell diary: Tuesday
M3 goes back to BMW but not before we get to shoot it together with the M4
Not only the last true M3 coupe but also, in all likelihood, the last normally aspirated M car too. That fabulous V8 needs a proper send-off. And over the next week that's what we'll be doing.
So, I've had to give the M3 back. And with a heavy heart too - it's been quite a week. All good stories should end on a cliffhanger though and in the case of this one it's the question of what the M4 has to measure up to.
To complete this send off in suitable style and knowing that BMW UK has both a new M3and M4 in the country (because I'd seen them only the other week) I rang the press office on the off chance we might be able to shoot the E92 beside its F82 successor.
It's always interesting putting cars of succeeding generations together and musing on the differences and similarities. The first thing that hits you is the M4's size; we know cars are getting bigger but the E92 looks like a 1 M Coupe against the M4. This was just a static shoot so unfortunately comparisons will have to remain aesthetic for now but it's clear the M4 carries over the M3's pumped up looks and is significantly more aggressive looking than 'our' M Sport embellished 435i long termer.
The F82 is indeed longer overall than the E92 but only by 26mm - the 50mm wheelbase stretch and 16mm lower roof together with significantly increased width (43mm for the non-M 4 Series over the equivalent 3 Series Coupe) all adding up to a greater difference to the eye. Impressively though for all that extra metal and the added complexity of the twin-turbo engine the M4 is a significant 83kg lighter than the M3, comparing like for like manual coupes. It's a smidge under 1,500kg as a result - the DCT M3 like 'ours' is a porky 1,655kg - and that and the 38 per cent increase in torque should answer those who've complained about the V8 car only really coming alive in the top end of the rev range.
But, boy, when it does... Those fleeting moments when you do get a chance to extend the V8 remain something truly special, perhaps the more so because they are hard won and require a determined effort. The M4's considerable talents are going to be much easier to access but the fact you have to work the M3 is, to me, what makes it special.
Looking back at yesterday's comparison with the C63 it'll be interesting to see whether its turbocharged replacement is closer in character to the M4 or whether the M division has maintained some of that more manic power delivery that's traditionally separated products from M and AMG.
So yes, we're excited about the M4 and M3 saloon. But it's also been a real treat to rediscover the V8 car and savour what makes it so unique. If all this has whetted your appetite we've got a full buying guide coming later in the week but for now I'll sign off with a few more pics from this morning's brief encounter.
Dan
Previous updates:
Tuesday - M3 gets dropped off, Dan gets excited
Wednesday - Sideways fun in the M3 at a skiddy Bedford Autodrome
Thursday - Our M3 versus the bright orange M3 GTS
Friday - M3 owning PHers share the love
Weekend - Comparing the market at M experts Munich Legends
Monday - M3 versus C63 AMG, decisions decisions
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Discussion
Two of the things you liked about it Dan were the two things I didn't.. you mention like a 1 series but it was its size & weight I disliked most & as for the tickover the sound from the exhausts as standard is pretty much a non event for a V8.
The engine is a masterpiece though & its chassis is the best I have experienced in any car I have owned or driven & took by the scruff of the neck the M3 is to be enjoyed but for the rest of the time I didn't feel it offered much more over lesser models if used as a daily driver.
I think if I had used mine as a second car it would have felt a little more special but it soon became very ordinary to drive for me but I still adore the M3 lineage & I cant wait for the next one but the E92 for me will be remembered as the grown up comfort version of the M3.
The engine is a masterpiece though & its chassis is the best I have experienced in any car I have owned or driven & took by the scruff of the neck the M3 is to be enjoyed but for the rest of the time I didn't feel it offered much more over lesser models if used as a daily driver.
I think if I had used mine as a second car it would have felt a little more special but it soon became very ordinary to drive for me but I still adore the M3 lineage & I cant wait for the next one but the E92 for me will be remembered as the grown up comfort version of the M3.
Wills2 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I was happy I got to own a E92 M3 & long term I can see it being missed by many...it wasn't without flaws in my opinion though.
Cerb, would you like a new record? 
Wills2 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Wills2 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I was happy I got to own a E92 M3 & long term I can see it being missed by many...it wasn't without flaws in my opinion though.
Cerb, would you like a new record? 
My bro in law still has his & he loves it to bits & no matter what I say to him makes any difference! I still love seeing them on the road too...I think its me on my own with my views!!
dele said:
cerb4.5lee said:
The engine is a masterpiece though & its chassis is the best I have experienced in any car I have owned or driven & took by the scruff of the neck the M3 is to be enjoyed but for the rest of the time I didn't feel it offered much more over lesser models if used as a daily driver.
Amen to that, i really think it should be every petrolheads mission to try own an E9x M3 just to experience the engine at some pointItsallicanafford said:
The Bad: Overtaking a convertible version on a dual carriageway who suddenly decided he didn't want to be overtaken by an MX-5, he floored it and just made it out before he would have clattered into the back of athe truck infront of him. You could feel the engine struggling to shift the weight of the thing (and i backed off the gas abit to let him out to avoid an accident)
It seems crazy to suggest that over 400bhp struggles with the weight of the car but that will always be a lasting memory for me & on many occasions I genuinely thought the engine struggled with the weight & that seems mad & maybe I need help!! daz05 said:
Cerb must you ruin every thread on the M3, give it a rest 6 posts on the first page, you just sound very bitter to me.
Not bitter daz just sharing a few flaws I thought the E92 M3 had in my experience, I have already stated how awesome the engine & chassis is & said I am grateful to have experienced one plus I have said I am in the minority with my views its just my take on things.Still cant wait for the next one to launch but I appreciate I must sound like a broken record as Wills has already stated...I apologise for not saying the E92 M3 is the best car in the world.
tomvcarter said:
daz05 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I apologise for not saying the E92 M3 is the best car in the world.
You miss my point, you seem obsessed with putting your rather lame point across in every single related M car post(you have to rev an M car - that's the point) get over it and buy that turbo GTR you lust after so we dont have to endure any more of it.I sold my E92 M3 after 2 years in search of something more. Having been via a tuned C63 AMG and a Porsche GT3... i have since returned to an E90 M3, as nothing comes closed to it as an all rounder. What else can you drive every day with so much performance, with so few limitations? The only thing it needs in my opinion is an Akrapovic! (Maybe a BBK if you track it).
Sure it does not have much torque low down, but if you are low down in the revs you are not driving it properly! It needs to be revved hard; the DCT box will tell you the same; if you suddenly require more power, just stamp on the gas, and the DCT will leap straight to 5000 rpm, where you will have plenty!
We all like different things & there isn't anything wrong with that imo, I do agree with you regards the DCT because mine was a manual & even though it pains me to say it the V8 is better suited to the DCT gearbox I reckon.
jamespink said:
daz05 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I apologise for not saying the E92 M3 is the best car in the world.
You miss my point, you seem obsessed with putting your rather lame point across in every single related M car post(you have to rev an M car - that's the point) get over it and buy that turbo GTR you lust after so we dont have to endure any more of it.I preferred the power delivery in my V8 4.8 X5 more than I did in my E92 M3...I cant see me being a big fan of Honda`s VTEC engines either but that's not to say there is anything wrong with them i just generally prefer a lively low end rather than having to wait for an epic top end.
daz05 said:
NORTS said:
I'm not quite getting the noise around the E92s weight - 1580kg vs. 1537kg of the M4. Not a lot in it at all. I guess the difference of the weight of a child?
This is a good point. I came to the M3 from the Z4MC and initially it felt a bit big and refined in comparison and to be fair so did the E46. However, When the revs started to rise and I got my first proper experience of the chasis I realised how great it was. An exhaust modification will make a big difference to the refinement and bring a lot of smiles it's talk of the town on M3cutters. It's also a victim of its flexibility in a way, drive it in comfort mode and it won't overwhelm you, you have to drive it for what it was intended for to appreciate all its strengths.I predict the M4 will be technically very good but I think it will be missing that certain something.... I could be wrong, time will tell but I guarantee that the Playstation crowd will be over the moon with it.
///Mike said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I think if I had used mine as a second car it would have felt a little more special but it soon became very ordinary to drive......
This is true. Its why I carried out the OEM exhaust modification and bought myself a 175K mile E34 Touring. I drive the touring most days. The M3 could never compete with comfort factor offered by the E34 which is like driving your living room down the motorway. That said, when I do drive the M3 with the M button settings dialled into stiff and responsive I get a real kick out of it. I love it!
If anyone likes the engine note but thinks the exhaust noise is a bit tame then I seriously suggest you check out the OEM modification. It doesn't disappoint! I can't imagine my neighbours feel the same way as its a bit asbo on a cold start cycle but its worth the embarrassment.
I loved the cold cycle even on the standard exhaust I bet it does sound lovely & offensive with the OEM mod!!
g3org3y said:
Iirc, Chris Harris (working for Autocar at the time) bought an E92 M3 as soon as it came out. Took it to the 'Ring very soon after.
Would be interested to get his opinion on living with it as a daily.
You are spot on & I enjoyed watching his vids with it & I made my mind up after watching those that I wanted one in white too, he spoke very highly of it when I followed his long termer write ups in Autocar. Would be interested to get his opinion on living with it as a daily.
joscal said:
I think the DCT may have been better suited?
I am a die hard manual fan & I went with the manual for mine...but the engine does suit the DCT better as it helps remove the slight lack of low down shove I think & virtually all the cars I see on track on youtube are DCT. Edited by joscal on Tuesday 28th January 22:10
joscal said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I am a die hard manual fan & I went with the manual for mine...but the engine does suit the DCT better as it helps remove the slight lack of low down shove I think & virtually all the cars I see on track on youtube are DCT.
Completely understand, but if all the power was available low down do you think people would be able to harness it? I am not a fantastic driver by any means but the most exciting cars I have owned in the past are my old 200sx & Cerbera & they never bothered with traction control just a LSD & I managed to keep them out of a field in over 10 years combined ownership...
The M3 is a different beast nowadays to what it once was I feel & I have experienced that first hand but that certainly isn't to say it cant be an exciting car when it wants to be.
LoonR1 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
If you are used to powerful RWD cars then yes! but I have never really understood why the latest M3`s have traction control as well as a LSD as I never drove mine with the traction on as a LSD gives you all the control & grip you need without the intervention of electronics anyway.
I am not a fantastic driver by any means but the most exciting cars I have owned in the past are my old 200sx & Cerbera & they never bothered with traction control just a LSD & I managed to keep them out of a field in over 10 years combined ownership...
The M3 is a different beast nowadays to what it once was I feel & I have experienced that first hand but that certainly isn't to say it cant be an exciting car when it wants to be.
You're braver than me. I turned everything up to 11 and planted it in the rain. It snapped through 90 degrees in a split second and without any TC a slight correction turned it another 180 the opposite way. That's was not fun and it got dialled back immediately. I still overtook the car I was aiming too, although the driver had a look of horror on his face when I went past. I am not a fantastic driver by any means but the most exciting cars I have owned in the past are my old 200sx & Cerbera & they never bothered with traction control just a LSD & I managed to keep them out of a field in over 10 years combined ownership...
The M3 is a different beast nowadays to what it once was I feel & I have experienced that first hand but that certainly isn't to say it cant be an exciting car when it wants to be.
Wills2 said:
Rudeboy350Z said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Wills2 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Wills2 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I was happy I got to own a E92 M3 & long term I can see it being missed by many...it wasn't without flaws in my opinion though.
Cerb, would you like a new record? 
Deep said:
cerb4.5lee said:
It seems crazy to suggest that over 400bhp struggles with the weight of the car but that will always be a lasting memory for me & on many occasions I genuinely thought the engine struggled with the weight & that seems mad & maybe I need help!!
I have to agree. I test drove one about two and a half years ago. It felt underpowered, the engine was very 'peaky'I drove a C63 AMG a day later and that engine felt far more muscular with a more uniform and useable power band. The M3 also had very poor steering feel. All in all it did not feel like a very special car.
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