RE: BMW M3 CS: Driven

[Wills2]

p1stonhead said:

Isn’t the current one very well received?

E46 was a long time ago.

I thought the V8 was also well reviewed.

Yes but this is PH and this is a new car that costs a lot therefore it must be slated, it's the law.

I've the e46, e92 and F80 M3 and I have no idea what these posters drive around in to describe them as missing the mark.

[Gameface]

Wills2 said:

p1stonhead said:

Isn’t the current one very well received?

E46 was a long time ago.

I thought the V8 was also well reviewed.

Yes but this is PH and this is a new car that costs a lot therefore it must be slated, it's the law.

No it wasn't.

The current model was very poorly received at launch.

It's subsequently been honed with the competition pack etc and is a better car for it now.

[Eviltad]

saxy said:

Gameface said:

Obviously this is more focused but it would be hard to walk past a 600bhp M5 in the BMW showroom and buy this instead.

Yup

I suspect you'd lose more money on the M5 than a Limited Edition M3.

[Actus Reus]

Wills2 said:

p1stonhead said:

Isn’t the current one very well received?

E46 was a long time ago.

I thought the V8 was also well reviewed.

Yes but this is PH and this is a new car that costs a lot therefore it must be slated, it's the law.

I've the e46, e92 and F80 M3 and I have no idea what these posters drive around in to describe them as missing the mark.

Forgive me for voicing my opinion, but these cars don't float my boat and especially not when they're £90k.

The e92 had fairly decent reviews, and the F80 has had gradually better reviews, but fast four doors just seem an irrelevance to me for use on British roads. For a point of reference I drive a VX220 Turbo at the moment, previously MX5, Cayman S and Boxster S (ignoring the family stuff). I also had a Golf R for a bit and didn't rate that either.

[p1stonhead]

Gameface said:

Wills2 said:

p1stonhead said:

Isn’t the current one very well received?

E46 was a long time ago.

I thought the V8 was also well reviewed.

Yes but this is PH and this is a new car that costs a lot therefore it must be slated, it's the law.

No it wasn't.

The current model was very poorly received at launch.

It's subsequently been honed with the competition pack etc and is a better car for it now.

That’s what they all did wasn’t it?

M3, M3CS, M3CSL all happened with the E46

[Gameface]

The current M3/M4 was the first one that really missed the mark.

Magazines were scathing of its lack of traction, dull engine and snappy handling.

But they've been honed now.

[DodoRacing]

Dirk Hacker was my instructor when I did the Nordschleife training with BMW in 2007. He was a suspension engineer for the M Div then. Very fast driver too but above all, a class act guy!

[dvshannow]

p1stonhead said:

Actus Reus said:

People bang on about the £30k Golf, well, behold the £90k 3 series.

I just can't get excited about M cars these days. I've no idea what it is about them, but since the E46 they've missed the mark quite badly.

Isn’t the current one very well received?

E46 was a long time ago.

I thought the V8 was also well reviewed.

E92 is well reviewed but it was less popular at the time, with the disappearance of NA engines its appeal does seem to have grown, as has its basics of good looks and a well sorted chassis. the new one i think wont age as well as its just not as entertaining to drive.

prob for BMW here is Porsche imp, the E92 was a closer competitor to the 997 than this one will ever be to the 991, Porsche are just getting better while M-Division seems to be flagging and has not been able to produce a real gem like the E46 CSL

That said i would love a CRT on my drive one of my fav cars of that era

[blindswelledrat]

tankplanker said:

What is the current discount offered to BMW employees? So I expect Dirk Hacker to have paid a lot less. Couple this with a good chance for this to hold its value and its a shrewd financial move.

I'd expect most of these to be bought by speculators rather than your average PCP funded petrol head.
]

Seriously doubt that. It is just not special enough or different enough. If it was a CSL then I would agree, but it isn't. The limited numbers will be as much about lack of demand than rarity.

[WCZ]

weighs 25kg more than an m3 comp pack and has just 10bhp more and costs £25,000 more

no thanks

[Toltec]

It looks more like a crossover than a sports saloon in most of those pictures, I like BMWs, but damn that is chunky looking.

[sh33n]

As a current F80 M3 owner (previous was a F83) the want is very strong on this, but like has been mentioned the cost here doesn’t make sense to me so I’ll suffer the older model.

Worth notingt that the M4 CS is not production limited so if you want a CS I’m sure they’ll be much better priced which again puts me off a 3er CS.

Still want one though, just won’t part the cash myself.

[utgjon]

Article said:

Competition Pack cars, you might remember, were frequently criticised for putting the chassis in something of a straight-jacket beyond the limit of grip - even in M Dynamic Mode, which had until then had so famously laid-back it bordered on negligence.

u wot m8?

[Robert-nszl1]

I can't help but look at this and think the Alfa Giulia QF just looks more desirable. Better looking, more character etc It doesn't have the bodywork mods but boy they seem expensive. As a genuine buyer in the space, this would be way down the list. I agree with the poster who spoke about demand being the limiting factor to production, this seems like a limited edition that nobody will pay up for

[F1GTRUeno]

Gameface said:

The days of £90k plus small BMW's and Lotus's.

What great times we live in.

Does anyone walk in and pay list price on a car like this though?

As with everything nowadays it'll be paid out on a monthly deal of some variety.

Fed up of people moaning about the OTR price of every new car ever on this forum when nobody gives a toss when they're buying it (whether you think it counts as buying it is another bone of contention too).

[Ares]

Fabulous looking car, and sounds as if it at last has the walk to match the talk amongst it's competitors.....just a shame it's £20-25k too expensive.

Price of exclusivity? (if 1,200 cars is still exclusive?)

[Ares]

p1stonhead said:

Obviously applies to any M3 (not just the CS) but this just looks so right!

Way nicer than the M4 IMO

Totally agree....looks spot on. Changes to a standard 3-series might be comparatively subtle, but the effect is perfect.

[Ares]

HeMightBeBanned said:

Price is irrelevant. They'll all be 'bought' on a £x/month lease deal.

Yawn......

[nicholasm]

'Club Sport' is mentioned twice in the article. Didn't CS used to stand for 'Coupe Sport'? As this wouldn't apply to an F80 M3, have BMW changed it to Club Sport in this instance?

I don't mean this to come across as pedantic, it's just a genuine question.

[tankplanker]

blindswelledrat said:

Seriously doubt that. It is just not special enough or different enough. If it was a CSL then I would agree, but it isn't. The limited numbers will be as much about lack of demand than rarity.

I don't think the demand from actual drivers is there for this car, so we agree on that, although obviously some cars will end up with people who cherish driving the car.

The high initial price point would suggest BMW expect this to sell to somebody. Tt certainly doesn't seem to have had all of the extra cost spent on making it go faster. A 10kg weight cut is pretty pointless, 30 BHP increase or 10 BHP over the comp package, a better oil pan, and a slightly revised version of the comp package chassis setup. Oh some bits that don't really impact performance, and some new wheels, seats and a retrimmed steering wheel. Did I miss anything that you get for that extra £25k?

I just can't see the point over the comp pack version of the M3 or the Alfa as they'll be 99% of the performance of this (particularly if you fit the better tyres from this onto either car). Only sort of person this is going to attract is a rich M nerd or investors.