130i vs E46 M3

[Terminator X]

On the way home tonight I pulled out on to a dual carriageway and the car behind me immediately moves to the outside lane, instantly recognisable as a M3. I gave the 130 some beans as you would and the M3 buzzed past me sounding quite tbf! Can I expect to stick with a M3 in my lowly 130 or should I simply grovel and retreat to a safe distance?

TX.

[S3_Graham]

Terminator X said:

On the way home tonight I pulled out on to a dual carriageway and the car behind me immediately moves to the outside lane, instantly recognisable as a M3. I gave the 130 some beans as you would and the M3 buzzed past me sounding quite tbf! Can I expect to stick with a M3 in my lowly 130 or should I simply grovel and retreat to a safe distance?

TX.

80hp difference, i'd expect you to loose.

[Rahul uk]

Just sold my 130i and have an E46 M3. No competition. Expect to lose, but that is actually a good thing. You can more of a chance to get a good look at the best M car BMW made.

[AdamD]

The 130i sport is a cracking car and will keep a Z4M honest until the M car has opportunity to stretch its legs in 3rd... So up to NSL it's going to be decided by who is in the right gear

[D15CO D4VE]

Sorry I don't believe that ^^^

[(steven)]

You will lose, but it will be a lot closer than the M3 boys would like to admit (although a straight line sprint is not the fight to pick).

To quote pistonheads own review of the 130:

Pistonheads.com said:

BMW has let it slip in casual conversation that this little animal has lapped the test track of the gods, the Nordschleife, in a time that certainly would not disgrace an M3.

I purchased a 130 two weeks ago and took it out on Bedford GT circuit last week. It will keep an E36 M3 honest and the e46’s aren’t a lot quicker.

It’s also a lot more practical and subtle than the e46 m3.

[Heathwood]

The 130i is a great little car but, as far as speed and thrills go, it falls some way short of an M3.

[nottyash]

Ive driven a Z4 with that 265bhp engine, and owned 2 e46 M3's. The performance difference is huge, mainly when your opening up the M3 in third gear, fourth gear etc. In wet and needing some traction, the M3 with a LSD will be in another league too.
0-100 is 15.3 in a 130 and 11.5 in a M3, and that's not the M3's trump card, its the mid range, and performance over 100 is superb.

Edited by nottyash on Wednesday 24th April 19:48

[Terminator X]

Lsd is on the cards epic cars the M's

TX.

[Urban Sports]

AdamD said:

The 130i sport is a cracking car and will keep a Z4M honest until the M car has opportunity to stretch its legs in 3rd... So up to NSL it's going to be decided by who is in the right gear

Utter tripe.

[HurryUpAndWait]

Urban Sports said:

AdamD said:

The 130i sport is a cracking car and will keep a Z4M honest until the M car has opportunity to stretch its legs in 3rd... So up to NSL it's going to be decided by who is in the right gear

Utter tripe.

I think it's closer than many would think. I currently own a 130i, and whilst I owned my E46 M3 CS had a friend with an automatic 130i. Though the M3 was faster, it wasn't by that much in all honesty. It did sound much better, but with only about 15-20% higher bhp/tonne, it didn't disgrace the 130i either. In actual fact, looking at the torque curves, around 3000rpm, they are nearly the same. The E46 revs higher, so develops more power eventually, so across the first half of the rev range, the 15-20% higher power-to-weight would be much smaller. So utter tripe it is not. Up to NSL, the right gear will mean everything. The gearbox, after all, is simply a torque converter.

HTH

[Urban Sports]

HurryUpAndWait said:

Urban Sports said:

AdamD said:

The 130i sport is a cracking car and will keep a Z4M honest until the M car has opportunity to stretch its legs in 3rd... So up to NSL it's going to be decided by who is in the right gear

Utter tripe.

I think it's closer than many would think. I currently own a 130i, and whilst I owned my E46 M3 CS had a friend with an automatic 130i. Though the M3 was faster, it wasn't by that much in all honesty. It did sound much better, but with only about 15-20% higher bhp/tonne, it didn't disgrace the 130i either. In actual fact, looking at the torque curves, around 3000rpm, they are nearly the same. The E46 revs higher, so develops more power eventually, so across the first half of the rev range, the 15-20% higher power-to-weight would be much smaller. So utter tripe it is not. Up to NSL, the right gear will mean everything. The gearbox, after all, is simply a torque converter.

HTH

Nope it's still utter tripe.

A 130i will not keep an E46 M3 'honest', unless of course honest means a league behind in terms of performance.....

HTH

[HurryUpAndWait]

Urban Sports said:

HurryUpAndWait said:

Urban Sports said:

AdamD said:

The 130i sport is a cracking car and will keep a Z4M honest until the M car has opportunity to stretch its legs in 3rd... So up to NSL it's going to be decided by who is in the right gear

Utter tripe.

I think it's closer than many would think. I currently own a 130i, and whilst I owned my E46 M3 CS had a friend with an automatic 130i. Though the M3 was faster, it wasn't by that much in all honesty. It did sound much better, but with only about 15-20% higher bhp/tonne, it didn't disgrace the 130i either. In actual fact, looking at the torque curves, around 3000rpm, they are nearly the same. The E46 revs higher, so develops more power eventually, so across the first half of the rev range, the 15-20% higher power-to-weight would be much smaller. So utter tripe it is not. Up to NSL, the right gear will mean everything. The gearbox, after all, is simply a torque converter.

HTH

Nope it's still utter tripe.

A 130i will not keep an E46 M3 'honest', unless of course honest means a league behind in terms of performance.....

HTH

Righto, Chief.

[Urban Sports]

HurryUpAndWait said:

Urban Sports said:

HurryUpAndWait said:

Urban Sports said:

AdamD said:

The 130i sport is a cracking car and will keep a Z4M honest until the M car has opportunity to stretch its legs in 3rd... So up to NSL it's going to be decided by who is in the right gear

Utter tripe.

I think it's closer than many would think. I currently own a 130i, and whilst I owned my E46 M3 CS had a friend with an automatic 130i. Though the M3 was faster, it wasn't by that much in all honesty. It did sound much better, but with only about 15-20% higher bhp/tonne, it didn't disgrace the 130i either. In actual fact, looking at the torque curves, around 3000rpm, they are nearly the same. The E46 revs higher, so develops more power eventually, so across the first half of the rev range, the 15-20% higher power-to-weight would be much smaller. So utter tripe it is not. Up to NSL, the right gear will mean everything. The gearbox, after all, is simply a torque converter.

HTH

Nope it's still utter tripe.

A 130i will not keep an E46 M3 'honest', unless of course honest means a league behind in terms of performance.....

HTH

Righto, Chief.

No worries.....? Indian???

[rm163603]

HurryUpAndWait said:

I think it's closer than many would think. I currently own a 130i, and whilst I owned my E46 M3 CS had a friend with an automatic 130i. Though the M3 was faster, it wasn't by that much in all honesty. It did sound much better, but with only about 15-20% higher bhp/tonne, it didn't disgrace the 130i either. In actual fact, looking at the torque curves, around 3000rpm, they are nearly the same. The E46 revs higher, so develops more power eventually, so across the first half of the rev range, the 15-20% higher power-to-weight would be much smaller. So utter tripe it is not. Up to NSL, the right gear will mean everything. The gearbox, after all, is simply a torque converter.

HTH

I've got both a 130 and e46 m3.

I'd agree with the above, yes the m3 is quicker but you'd need to use all the revs to make it decisive.

At higher speed I think the difference would be more noticeable.

[magnum555]

As good as a 130i is its no match to an E46 M3.

[gizlaroc]

rm163603 said:

I've got both a 130 and e46 m3.

I'd agree with the above, yes the m3 is quicker but you'd need to use all the revs to make it decisive.

At higher speed I think the difference would be more noticeable.

You now sound like a diesel owner "in 4th a 330d is as quick as an M3 in 4th!"

But the M3 driver would drop to 3rd and leave you for dead!!!



The 130i is petty good, but the M3 is at another level, but you have to keep it on tap, 4000rpm and up, but why wouldn't you??

[AdamD]

HurryUpAndWait said:

I think it's closer than many would think. I currently own a 130i, and whilst I owned my E46 M3 CS had a friend with an automatic 130i. Though the M3 was faster, it wasn't by that much in all honesty. It did sound much better, but with only about 15-20% higher bhp/tonne, it didn't disgrace the 130i either. In actual fact, looking at the torque curves, around 3000rpm, they are nearly the same. The E46 revs higher, so develops more power eventually, so across the first half of the rev range, the 15-20% higher power-to-weight would be much smaller. So utter tripe it is not. Up to NSL, the right gear will mean everything. The gearbox, after all, is simply a torque converter.

HTH

I wonder if the poster bothered to see what car is on my profile first..... I have been impressed by a local PH members 130i and it takes effort to pull away from it decisively; I stand by my comment and will go back to lurking in the M sub forum.

[Urban Sports]

AdamD said:

HurryUpAndWait said:

I think it's closer than many would think. I currently own a 130i, and whilst I owned my E46 M3 CS had a friend with an automatic 130i. Though the M3 was faster, it wasn't by that much in all honesty. It did sound much better, but with only about 15-20% higher bhp/tonne, it didn't disgrace the 130i either. In actual fact, looking at the torque curves, around 3000rpm, they are nearly the same. The E46 revs higher, so develops more power eventually, so across the first half of the rev range, the 15-20% higher power-to-weight would be much smaller. So utter tripe it is not. Up to NSL, the right gear will mean everything. The gearbox, after all, is simply a torque converter.

HTH

I wonder if the poster bothered to see what car is on my profile first..... I have been impressed by a local PH members 130i and it takes effort to pull away from it decisively; I stand by my comment and will go back to lurking in the M sub forum.

The poster

It's a difference of opinion lad, one man's huge is another's small

[Crackie]

Z4M 343PS 338Hp/1490Kg 226Hp/T 27% higher than 130i
E46 M3 343PS 338HP/1570Kg 215Hp/T 21% higher than 130i
E36 EVO 321PS 317HP/1471Kg 215Hp/T 21% higher than 130i
E36 M3 286PS 282Hp/1460Kg 193Hp/T 8.5% higher than 130i
130i 265PS 261Hp/1460Kg 178Hp/T

I'm sure some will question these figures but they're the best power to weight figures I could find with a few searches. A 130i is fairly quick and might just live with an old non EVO E36 but imho its completely delusional to consider a 130i is even close to the top 3.

Edited by Crackie on Thursday 23 May 19:14