E46 M3 and E46 330ci-not that different at all really
Discussion
Having owned many BMW's and only selling my E46 M3 last night (gutted) how anyone can think a 330i is as good as an M3 is beyond me....
A 330i is a great car but it is like having an M3 with a mute button permantley on, it just is not in the same league. Get an M3 fully warmed up, sport switched on, hit some great twisty roads and drive it properly and the M3 will really come alive in a snarling animal kind of way the 330i never ever will.
A 330i is a great car but it is like having an M3 with a mute button permantley on, it just is not in the same league. Get an M3 fully warmed up, sport switched on, hit some great twisty roads and drive it properly and the M3 will really come alive in a snarling animal kind of way the 330i never ever will.
billywhizzzzzz said:
The feel of a 3 series is defined by its engine. The dominant experience of a 6 cylinder is that turbine smooth engine - not the seats or whatever else. They're utterly unlike 318s
Op said character. I'm not saying the engine doesn't make a difference, but it's only one part of a complex picture. And if you aren't using the power then all e46's feel like e46's regardless of the engine. 
Patrick Bateman said:
How many cars feel special all the time though?
Not that many.
I think many/most sports and muscle cars often attain this.Not that many.
For example sitting in a TVR Chim is pretty special, even when not moving. An Elise I think also ticks this box.
And while the interior isn't in the same league my Camaro doesn't do too badly either at feeling special, the big rumbly V8 and the general feel of the car, laydown seating, long contoured bonnet.
300bhp/ton said:
I think many/most sports and muscle cars often attain this.
For example sitting in a TVR Chim is pretty special, even when not moving. An Elise I think also ticks this box.
And while the interior isn't in the same league my Camaro doesn't do too badly either at feeling special, the big rumbly V8 and the general feel of the car, laydown seating, long contoured bonnet.
Exactly, none that have much in the way of subtlety about them.For example sitting in a TVR Chim is pretty special, even when not moving. An Elise I think also ticks this box.
And while the interior isn't in the same league my Camaro doesn't do too badly either at feeling special, the big rumbly V8 and the general feel of the car, laydown seating, long contoured bonnet.
300bhp/ton said:
Who said they did?
My point is that cars that excel at the boring stuff and the fun stuff tend to be much less of an event when not thrashing it compared with the sort you mentioned.The M3 falling into the former category. At the end of the day, it's a faster, more focussed 3 series, you'd be asking a lot for it to feel 'special' when pootling around in the same way as something like a TVR or muscle car.
Patrick Bateman said:
My point is that cars that excel at the boring stuff and the fun stuff tend to be much less of an event when not thrashing it compared with the sort you mentioned.
The M3 falling into the former category. At the end of the day, it's a faster, more focussed 3 series, you'd be asking a lot for it to feel 'special' when pootling around in the same way as something like a TVR or muscle car.
I agree The M3 falling into the former category. At the end of the day, it's a faster, more focussed 3 series, you'd be asking a lot for it to feel 'special' when pootling around in the same way as something like a TVR or muscle car.
But in my first post I said I wouldn't expect an M3 to feel all that different unless you are making use of the M3 performance. I have no problem with the M3 being brilliant yet ordinary to drive at lower speeds.
No-on expects an M3 to feel like a Ferrari, it's far too much of a "jack of all trades"; but they have done a fairly good job of distinguishing it from the lower 3-series models. Patrick Bateman said:
Captain Muppet said:
Do M3s feel special when pootling around? I'd love an M3, but it has to feel special all the time, rather than boring unless thrashed.
How many cars feel special all the time though?Not that many.
Basically if it only comes alive when fast it's a waste on money for me because most of my journeys are on roads with traffic on them. Nuts.
The only way that the thread subject line is anywhere near right is in the sense that, keeping them both below 4500 rpm, there is not a huge degree of difference between the two in absolute performance (although there is quite a difference in terms of sharpness of response, sound, etc).
But you will realise, when using the full rev range, that the 330 has just a reasonable amount of additional shove over its remaining 2000 rpm, whereas the M3 (which has a whole 3500 rpm still to go) is just starting to come alive at that point and has a huge amount left to give.
Amongst the 3 litre, 200-250bhp coupe segment of the market at the time it was released, the 330ci was a pretty impressive offering especially in Sport guise with a manual box, but let's not be unrealistic and start elevating it into the kind of territory occupied by the M3.
But you will realise, when using the full rev range, that the 330 has just a reasonable amount of additional shove over its remaining 2000 rpm, whereas the M3 (which has a whole 3500 rpm still to go) is just starting to come alive at that point and has a huge amount left to give.
Amongst the 3 litre, 200-250bhp coupe segment of the market at the time it was released, the 330ci was a pretty impressive offering especially in Sport guise with a manual box, but let's not be unrealistic and start elevating it into the kind of territory occupied by the M3.
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