Test drove an 07 e92 M3 today
Discussion
And very sadly I was underwhelmed..........
I am currently looking at at 2+2 coupe, manual, fast and fun to drive type car and the M3 is something I have always fancied trying. I test drove the previous model and thought it was superb, fast and handled superbly! A 997 C2S is also on the list as I have owned a 996 C2 in the past and know how good they are.
I expected this one to be better but it just felt a little limp. The throttle response was pretty poor, the gearbox didn't feel very tight/sharp and the steering was really light and a little unresponsive. On the positive side it is a nice place to be, is a superb looking car and the sound is pretty nice. It was also fairly fast when pushed quite hard but didn't feel as quick as I expected.
So I am missing something?
One thing I didnt check was if there was a 'M' button that improves everything and I also didnt get time to mess about with any of the cars settings. I am not slagging the M3 off in any way I am just really disappointing as I was hoping to be blown away and wasnt but am fully prepared to believe that it might have been me as I cant imagine everyone else is just wrong (in saying how superb they are!!).
Thoughts?
Cheers!
I am currently looking at at 2+2 coupe, manual, fast and fun to drive type car and the M3 is something I have always fancied trying. I test drove the previous model and thought it was superb, fast and handled superbly! A 997 C2S is also on the list as I have owned a 996 C2 in the past and know how good they are.
I expected this one to be better but it just felt a little limp. The throttle response was pretty poor, the gearbox didn't feel very tight/sharp and the steering was really light and a little unresponsive. On the positive side it is a nice place to be, is a superb looking car and the sound is pretty nice. It was also fairly fast when pushed quite hard but didn't feel as quick as I expected.
So I am missing something?
One thing I didnt check was if there was a 'M' button that improves everything and I also didnt get time to mess about with any of the cars settings. I am not slagging the M3 off in any way I am just really disappointing as I was hoping to be blown away and wasnt but am fully prepared to believe that it might have been me as I cant imagine everyone else is just wrong (in saying how superb they are!!).
Thoughts?
Cheers!
Tbh you have to be at 6000rpm plus for them to feel fairly quick & really work the gearbox, the M button does help as it sharpens the throttle response in sport plus pretty well & you can tighten the steering up aswell.
Some days I feel flat about mine & then other days I think it's the mutts nuts!
The problem is they feel like a comfy cruiser & I only really enjoy driving mine on country lanes as everywhere else it just doesn't feel that quick, but as an allrounder & I use mine as my daily I think it takes some beating.
Some days I feel flat about mine & then other days I think it's the mutts nuts!
The problem is they feel like a comfy cruiser & I only really enjoy driving mine on country lanes as everywhere else it just doesn't feel that quick, but as an allrounder & I use mine as my daily I think it takes some beating.
Pole84 said:
AndrewD said:
You definately needed to have pressed the M button, or put power on highest setting. Otherwise yes it feels sluggish
Think its on full power whether or not you push the M-botton no? Unlike the M5... The M-button just sharpens up throttle responses...FamilyDub said:
Pole84 said:
AndrewD said:
You definately needed to have pressed the M button, or put power on highest setting. Otherwise yes it feels sluggish
Think its on full power whether or not you push the M-botton no? Unlike the M5... The M-button just sharpens up throttle responses...AndrewD said:
FamilyDub said:
Pole84 said:
AndrewD said:
You definately needed to have pressed the M button, or put power on highest setting. Otherwise yes it feels sluggish
Think its on full power whether or not you push the M-botton no? Unlike the M5... The M-button just sharpens up throttle responses...
Or move your foot further without the M button being pressed 
I can't stand the "sharper throttles", you just end up losing adjustability.
If you thought the e46 was fast and great, then your own vehicle appreciation has moved on since you last drove on. I swap between an E46 and E92 sometimes, and the E92 is by far the better car.
I can't stand the "sharper throttles", you just end up losing adjustability.If you thought the e46 was fast and great, then your own vehicle appreciation has moved on since you last drove on. I swap between an E46 and E92 sometimes, and the E92 is by far the better car.
cerb4.5lee said:
Some days I feel flat about mine & then other days I think it's the mutts nuts!
This! Some days it's too fast for the road others it's well meh....Thankfully it's going through a fast period at the moment.
You need to give the engine its head I generally find it does its best work above 5500rpm+ and that takes some getting used to if your not used to having 8300rpm to play with.
When on song that engine is just superb though.
Edited by Wills2 on Tuesday 4th June 23:27
Zanderman said:
I think I need a little more time with it to have a play with the settings etc.
Shouldn't a car like this float your boat immediately though?? Surely you should just know.........
When I test drove one back in 2008 I fell for it straight away tbh & didn't really drive it hard I just knew I wanted one at some stage, but I can totally understand why some people find it underwhelming at first when you are sat in it it's just like a normal 3 series which doesn't help.Shouldn't a car like this float your boat immediately though?? Surely you should just know.........
The engine does need working hard to get the best from it but the engine is a masterpiece imo & for such a relatively heavy car it amazes me how much fun & capable it is to blast down country lanes, as I have said before as an allrounder it's pretty much spot on.
Wills2 said:
Not the car for you then buddy, plenty others to choose from perhaps a c63? They have lots of instant satisfaction with the low down grunt.
This is a great comment & the M3's slightly lazy low down pull can make it feel very ordinary & my money would have been spent on a C63 everytime over the M3 if they made it with a manual box, I just love big engines so much & that 6.2 would put me on 
I have to say if you're nottaken to a car straight away you'll be browsing classifieds on no time. Think of the waste of cash.
If you liked the E46 why not consider one? I know they're older etc but in all honesty it doesn;t ruin my drive at all. Get the engine on song and wahey! smiles all day.
And I don't understnad the sport button. Why not always have it sharp? It's terrible without it on imo
If you liked the E46 why not consider one? I know they're older etc but in all honesty it doesn;t ruin my drive at all. Get the engine on song and wahey! smiles all day.
And I don't understnad the sport button. Why not always have it sharp? It's terrible without it on imo
joema said:
And I don't understnad the sport button. Why not always have it sharp? It's terrible without it on imo
I don't understand the sports button. Why not just move your foot more when you want to go faster... I'd rather have 100% of the throttle movement giving me 100% of the adjustability, instead of losing 45% of travel just so the car feels more responsive...jon- said:
joema said:
And I don't understnad the sport button. Why not always have it sharp? It's terrible without it on imo
I don't understand the sports button. Why not just move your foot more when you want to go faster... I'd rather have 100% of the throttle movement giving me 100% of the adjustability, instead of losing 45% of travel just so the car feels more responsive...joema said:
And I don't understnad the sport button. Why not always have it sharp? It's terrible without it on imo
It's to make the M3 feel like an executive saloon at slower speeds. Aston Martin have been slated for doing the same thing with throttle response, they have a term for it which I can't remember right now!I agree though, the default throttle is dull on the M3 but it does make a nice contrast when you change it.
Every M3 I've test driven I've noticed the salesman puts it into sport/power first!
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