RE: BMW M3 (F80): Spotted
Discussion
WCZ said:
they weren't bad value new at £56k tbh, as much power as the new 911 and literally half the price!
I loved the performance increase over the E9x M3 too. It went from a car that did 0 to 100 in over 10 seconds...to a car that did 0 to 100 in the 8's. It is a quick car for what looks like a relatively boring looking saloon car. Sound wise it is very marmite...but I guess that you can't have everything.
Our family car is an M3 Comp pack with the DCT, before that it was a 340i Touring. They feel worlds apart, steering is miles better than the lifeless steering in the 340, the engine is just incredible (and the sound is too IMO), the interior is also a very nice place to be, quite tail happ and spins up in 3rd in the wet. 340 was a bit more refined, but the M3 is an absolutely sensational car. DCT is better suited for it IMO.
For god sake I just reallllyyy want one of these, I love the fact everybody say how they’re spikey and anything can upset them.
Every person I’ve spoken to has said the same thing about the M3/M4’s, I drove the LCI 2 M4 and loved how tricky it was to drive. It’s how it should be really, I’m quite young and immature in comparison to a lot of the rightful buyers of these (middle aged company 6’2 company directors) so I like it like that.
In comparison I drove a 2016 C63 and actually preferred the drive and the noise of it but still would rather the equivalent BMW, the merc was just too easy to drive quick unlike the BMW.
Every person I’ve spoken to has said the same thing about the M3/M4’s, I drove the LCI 2 M4 and loved how tricky it was to drive. It’s how it should be really, I’m quite young and immature in comparison to a lot of the rightful buyers of these (middle aged company 6’2 company directors) so I like it like that.
In comparison I drove a 2016 C63 and actually preferred the drive and the noise of it but still would rather the equivalent BMW, the merc was just too easy to drive quick unlike the BMW.
I can only surmise that those who thing there is no real difference between the M3 and the standard 3-series have never driven both? The two are very different. Both very good cars, but both very different.
I drove both the Manual and Auto when I was looking to buy, and expected to add to 12 years of BMW ownership with the M3. The manual was very disappointing. You would have to really value the manual stick/shifting gogs to put up with it's failings. The DCT box wasn't great, and I can't help thinking a shift to a ZF box with the same level of aggressive tune as the M5 will be a far superior option.
I drove both the Manual and Auto when I was looking to buy, and expected to add to 12 years of BMW ownership with the M3. The manual was very disappointing. You would have to really value the manual stick/shifting gogs to put up with it's failings. The DCT box wasn't great, and I can't help thinking a shift to a ZF box with the same level of aggressive tune as the M5 will be a far superior option.
pSyCoSiS said:
Good cars, will one day be a classic, but cheaper / better ones out there for the money.
Agree, the sound isn't to everyone's taste.
The sound with M cars is always the same, poor at low rpm, E46 M3, E60 M5, E92 M3, sound lovely at full chat though but there’s you’re always going too fast by the time you get to the nice part, the M4 I drove sounded crap when driving around and flooring it half throttle but at the red line it sounded really nice, the thing is it’s not possible to floor them fully on public roads where others can hear them, thus creating this opinion that they sound bad!Agree, the sound isn't to everyone's taste.
I tried to love a 2015 M4 DCT, gave it 2 years but just couldn't get on with the gearbox and the brutal torque delivery on upshifts. I enjoy driving without the stability systems but found this way too clumsy in the wet. Moved to a Manual 2017 M3 Competition pack and love it. Not the most mechanical of shift actions to be sure but it never baulks and I really enjoy driving it. M4 was the only paddle shift I've had but I didn't really see the appeal on the road. Got fed up with all the clicking when you wanted to drop from 7th to 3rd and back for an overtake. Manual so much better for this when you can just block shift to 3rd and straight back to 6th.
rdp said:
I tried to love a 2015 M4 DCT, gave it 2 years but just couldn't get on with the gearbox and the brutal torque delivery on upshifts. I enjoy driving without the stability systems but found this way too clumsy in the wet. Moved to a Manual 2017 M3 Competition pack and love it. Not the most mechanical of shift actions to be sure but it never baulks and I really enjoy driving it. M4 was the only paddle shift I've had but I didn't really see the appeal on the road. Got fed up with all the clicking when you wanted to drop from 7th to 3rd and back for an overtake. Manual so much better for this when you can just block shift to 3rd and straight back to 6th.
If you hit the kick down button on full throttle and pull down a gear then it will automatically drop down to the lowest/best gear for acceleration, no need to muticlick down through the gears. The acceleration is brutal and changing the gearbox ferocity setting makes a big difference on the upshift hit and torque delivery. You can get a really nice clean M4 for 30k now which is an absolute bargain considering the performance and its ability to be comfortable family cruiser 1 minute or seriously rapid, well balanced performance car the next.
The m1 and m2 steering buttons are great, you can tailor the car to exactly how you want it for different conditions/drives, changeable in an instant.
I really do think these cars will be looked on fondly over time, the 'reported' views that its a handful are what really makes the car a gem in my opinion. Its a car you have to respect, think about throttle inputs, balance the incredible front end bite with big rear end power. A very different proposition to some of its competition and all the better for it in my opinion.
chedixon said:
If you hit the kick down button on full throttle and pull down a gear then it will automatically drop down to the lowest/best gear for acceleration, no need to muticlick down through the gears. The acceleration is brutal and changing the gearbox ferocity setting makes a big difference on the upshift hit and torque delivery.
You can get a really nice clean M4 for 30k now which is an absolute bargain considering the performance and its ability to be comfortable family cruiser 1 minute or seriously rapid, well balanced performance car the next.
The m1 and m2 steering buttons are great, you can tailor the car to exactly how you want it for different conditions/drives, changeable in an instant.
I really do think these cars will be looked on fondly over time, the 'reported' views that its a handful are what really makes the car a gem in my opinion. Its a car you have to respect, think about throttle inputs, balance the incredible front end bite with big rear end power. A very different proposition to some of its competition and all the better for it in my opinion.
Yes I was aware of the multi gear kickdown but In practice found it far too abrupt and traction limited. Manual just far nicer in my opinion for A and B road driving. You can get a really nice clean M4 for 30k now which is an absolute bargain considering the performance and its ability to be comfortable family cruiser 1 minute or seriously rapid, well balanced performance car the next.
The m1 and m2 steering buttons are great, you can tailor the car to exactly how you want it for different conditions/drives, changeable in an instant.
I really do think these cars will be looked on fondly over time, the 'reported' views that its a handful are what really makes the car a gem in my opinion. Its a car you have to respect, think about throttle inputs, balance the incredible front end bite with big rear end power. A very different proposition to some of its competition and all the better for it in my opinion.
I love the way these look but I really struggle with the sound they make. I know M cars have often sounded a bit pants lower in the rev range, but the noise these make is a real turn off for me especially compared to a C63 or an RS4.
The M3 is much better looking to my eyes than the M4.
The M3 is much better looking to my eyes than the M4.
Ares said:
I can only surmise that those who thing there is no real difference between the M3 and the standard 3-series have never driven both? The two are very different. Both very good cars, but both very different.
I drove both the Manual and Auto when I was looking to buy, and expected to add to 12 years of BMW ownership with the M3. The manual was very disappointing. You would have to really value the manual stick/shifting gogs to put up with it's failings. The DCT box wasn't great, and I can't help thinking a shift to a ZF box with the same level of aggressive tune as the M5 will be a far superior option.
I have driven the new M5 Competition and the gearbox is too smooth for my liking. Also at speed the shift seem artificial. The ZF is better at driving around town though.I drove both the Manual and Auto when I was looking to buy, and expected to add to 12 years of BMW ownership with the M3. The manual was very disappointing. You would have to really value the manual stick/shifting gogs to put up with it's failings. The DCT box wasn't great, and I can't help thinking a shift to a ZF box with the same level of aggressive tune as the M5 will be a far superior option.
Sorry, but nothing better than a DCT when moving at speed.
rdp said:
Completely agree, it's much more fun!
Also agree!I owned a 2015 M3 DCT and covered 22k miles in 10 months, great car, good gearbox, but I missed the manual box, so ordered a 2016 Manual non CP to replace it.
All I can say is I usually change my car every year, I've had this one now for 2.5 years and love it and have no intention of changing it as it ticks over 50k miles now. Granted it's not the best manual box, it's slower than the DCT, but who cares, it drives better and I enjoy it much more
Now add a little BM3 and wahay!
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