Discussion
davey68 said:
Good luck, its a car i'm tempted by. May be last chance to own a high revving n/a V8!
My sentiments exactly - have the noise, the smell and the fun while you can. Next we will be whirring along in electronic cars with none of the visceral thrill of an internal combustion engine!Congratulations OP they are a great allrounder & pleased you have joined the manual box club!
I am 10k miles in since I got mine in feb this year & they really come into their own at high revs but I personally fancy more power now as you soon get used to it & you do spend plenty of time in the petrol station!
Enjoy picking it up & the E90 is super rare.
I am 10k miles in since I got mine in feb this year & they really come into their own at high revs but I personally fancy more power now as you soon get used to it & you do spend plenty of time in the petrol station!
Enjoy picking it up & the E90 is super rare.
ArmaghMan said:
What's it like at low revs. Seriously tempted but love the shove from tick over of the E39 M5. I know that at the top end they sound historic, but are they a bit gutless low down?
I think mines gutless low down to be honest but over 1650kgs is plenty to lug around, I am always cog swapping in mine as its a manual which I don't mind be I've been told the DCT is far better for getting rid of the sluggish low down nature as you can drop down the box so quickly. 
What a car! What a noise!
Arguably the best road car I've ever driven - comfortable enough on the motorway at a cruise in comfort setting, then press the M button and have fun on the lesser roads. And the exhaust sounds amazing. Took my 65 year old mum out in it this morning and she loved it!! I managed 22 mpg on the way back - and I wasn't driving particularly conservatively. Got into town and local roads I know well in the dry this morning and I'm down to 17 mpg. About what I expected - I'm a happy owner!
Arguably the best road car I've ever driven - comfortable enough on the motorway at a cruise in comfort setting, then press the M button and have fun on the lesser roads. And the exhaust sounds amazing. Took my 65 year old mum out in it this morning and she loved it!! I managed 22 mpg on the way back - and I wasn't driving particularly conservatively. Got into town and local roads I know well in the dry this morning and I'm down to 17 mpg. About what I expected - I'm a happy owner!
M3greg said:
rossb said:
good call mate - got a 58 manual e90 m - 20k miles later - still really enjoy driving it. get oem exhaust mod done - prepare for pleasurable ownership experience
Previous owner fitted an AC Schnitzer exhaust. Will post my opinion when I've driven it properly.
Congrats!
I test drove an e92 M3 convertible DCT this morning. Felt good, but I couldn't help thinking of the weight penalty (around 200kg I believe) for not having a roof. Like having 3 passengers constantly with you in the car.
Bit of a dilemma, because wife insists that next car must be a convertible and at least a 2+2. Trying to avoid having two cars as it doesn't make financial sense in London, but it's not easy to find a car which matches those criteria and isn't compromised in some way.
I test drove an e92 M3 convertible DCT this morning. Felt good, but I couldn't help thinking of the weight penalty (around 200kg I believe) for not having a roof. Like having 3 passengers constantly with you in the car.
Bit of a dilemma, because wife insists that next car must be a convertible and at least a 2+2. Trying to avoid having two cars as it doesn't make financial sense in London, but it's not easy to find a car which matches those criteria and isn't compromised in some way.
Ok, so had a bit of a poor week with the M3.
Last Friday the engine warning light came on (amber), and my local dealer were unable to get it in until this Tuesday morning for diagnostic work. Turns out the ignition coil on cylinder 2 was FUBAR, which explained why it had started sounding like a 60's Mustang. They didn't have the part in stock, so kept it overnight and did the work on Wednesday. Then I get a call saying the offside rear suspension was cracked and needed replacing. Cue another night without the car, but I did get a courtesy car (520d). By 3pm today all was done and I was back in the M3. Drives brilliantly again and so good to be back in it. Best thing was all the above was done under warranty! Gotta love AUC!
Wollaston BMW in Northampton were great, can't fault them.
Hopefully get some miles under my belt now and enjoy it.
Last Friday the engine warning light came on (amber), and my local dealer were unable to get it in until this Tuesday morning for diagnostic work. Turns out the ignition coil on cylinder 2 was FUBAR, which explained why it had started sounding like a 60's Mustang. They didn't have the part in stock, so kept it overnight and did the work on Wednesday. Then I get a call saying the offside rear suspension was cracked and needed replacing. Cue another night without the car, but I did get a courtesy car (520d). By 3pm today all was done and I was back in the M3. Drives brilliantly again and so good to be back in it. Best thing was all the above was done under warranty! Gotta love AUC!
Wollaston BMW in Northampton were great, can't fault them.
Hopefully get some miles under my belt now and enjoy it.
Great car, enjoy.
MPG not as bad as a lot of people make out either unless you only use it around town.
I did nearly 300 miles in mine on Tueday. Av Speed over 60mph - 29.1mpg. Thats with a good amount of time spent making good progress and some time with the revs up in the exciting part of the range.
Can't think of a better allrounder.
MPG not as bad as a lot of people make out either unless you only use it around town.
I did nearly 300 miles in mine on Tueday. Av Speed over 60mph - 29.1mpg. Thats with a good amount of time spent making good progress and some time with the revs up in the exciting part of the range.
Can't think of a better allrounder.
I hope you had a serious rant at the dealership as it sounds like the AUC checks weren't carried out correctly before delivering the car. The cracked spring should have been picked up as a preparation cost and this way they get to claim it off of the warranty insurer (Allianz - i think).
Glad it hasn't tarnished your view of the car!!!
Glad it hasn't tarnished your view of the car!!!
ArmaghMan said:
What's it like at low revs. Seriously tempted but love the shove from tick over of the E39 M5. I know that at the top end they sound historic, but are they a bit gutless low down?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embed...I think this 'lack of torque' is probably overstated. I haven't driven the M3 but I've seen a graph showing the torque curve of the S65 and it's not dissimilar to the S62 in the e39, which, incidentally, also requires some stick to get the absolute best out of it, it's the nature of a very linear power delivery.
Yes the S65 has less torque but then the M3 is about 150kg lighter than the e39 M5 so I wouldn't expect them to feel too different- it's probably just more pronounced because the the top end is so strong with the S65.
Patrick Bateman said:
ArmaghMan said:
What's it like at low revs. Seriously tempted but love the shove from tick over of the E39 M5. I know that at the top end they sound historic, but are they a bit gutless low down?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embed...I think this 'lack of torque' is probably overstated. I haven't driven the M3 but I've seen a graph showing the torque curve of the S65 and it's not dissimilar to the S62 in the e39, which, incidentally, also requires some stick to get the absolute best out of it, it's the nature of a very linear power delivery.
Yes the S65 has less torque but then the M3 is about 150kg lighter than the e39 M5 so I wouldn't expect them to feel too different- it's probably just more pronounced because the the top end is so strong with the S65.
Speaking as an owner of an M3 (and having done 7500 miles in it so far) I completely agree with the comments above, that the lack of low down torque is annoying. You need to consider how long the gearing is - in my manual apparently you could hit nearly 115mph in 3rd gear if you wanted to...
With long gearing and a real powerband higher up the rev range, you can be caught out at times. e.g. if you come off a roundabout at about 25-30mph in 3rd gear and put your foot to the floor, bugger all happens. For a decent overtake from 50mph you could really do with dropping it into 2nd gear, which can be annoying.
Probably queue a few comments about not driving it properly etc, but at 2000rpm with your foot to the floor, it only makes approx 100bhp, and 4000rpm only makes 200bhp - coupled with a 1650kg weight and long gearing, it can be a bit lacklustre - you can't drive everywhere at 6000rpm!
Apart from that, it's an excellent car. The top end is brilliant, and the chassis even better. I had a real love hate relationship with it at first (documented on M3 cutters) but am really starting to gel with it now.
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