From E46 to E92 M3 impressions
Discussion
Had my first weekend with my E92 M3 and although it was way too cold and slippery to find out how fast it really was I did have a couple of good drives. When I picked it up from the dealers I was a bit dissapointed and did wonder if I'd made the right decision, the E92 just didn't feel as special to drive.
Coming from the E46 M3 CS the first thing I noticed was that the E92 doesn't feel any quicker, until you look at the speedo that is! The E46 feels faster, when you plant your foot it squats down at the back and makes a lot of noise. The E92 on the other hand stays a lot more flat (in comfort and sports) and doesn't make too much fuss about piling on the speed, I would think this is down to the peak torque being a lot lower in the rev range. I'm not sure of the official figures but I'd say from 30mph upwards the E92 would pull a clear gap on the E46.
In the corners the E92 has a lot less body roll but I'm not sure about the weight of the steering yet, it feels a lot like a video gaming force feedback wheel where as the CS was all about the analogue feel through the wheel. The E92 turns in sharply and grips but will take some getting used to the feel of it.
The ride in comfort is excellent (for a car of this type) and even the Auto mode is pretty good for cruising around town. The DCT gearbox is leagues ahead of the SMG in refinement and smoothness of changes, I don't miss the quirkyness of the SMG.
Interior wise I know the E92's have taken a lot of stick about the dash design but I like it, it's well put together (more so than my '07 E92 325i) and the seats are excellent, the best I've had in a car to date. I also love the red ambient lighting, didn't know they even had this!
Overall I'm really happy to have the E92, it does actually feel like a more modern, more refined "grown up" version of the E46 which I guess is exactly what it is. It's less of a yob like the E46 and more of a reformed football hooligan, it might wear a suit and tie now but dig down a bit and it's still got it! It's got a lot more depth than the E46 and I think it will take a lot longer to get used to, which in my book is a good thing!
No real photos yet so here's a couple off my phone.
Coming from the E46 M3 CS the first thing I noticed was that the E92 doesn't feel any quicker, until you look at the speedo that is! The E46 feels faster, when you plant your foot it squats down at the back and makes a lot of noise. The E92 on the other hand stays a lot more flat (in comfort and sports) and doesn't make too much fuss about piling on the speed, I would think this is down to the peak torque being a lot lower in the rev range. I'm not sure of the official figures but I'd say from 30mph upwards the E92 would pull a clear gap on the E46.
In the corners the E92 has a lot less body roll but I'm not sure about the weight of the steering yet, it feels a lot like a video gaming force feedback wheel where as the CS was all about the analogue feel through the wheel. The E92 turns in sharply and grips but will take some getting used to the feel of it.
The ride in comfort is excellent (for a car of this type) and even the Auto mode is pretty good for cruising around town. The DCT gearbox is leagues ahead of the SMG in refinement and smoothness of changes, I don't miss the quirkyness of the SMG.
Interior wise I know the E92's have taken a lot of stick about the dash design but I like it, it's well put together (more so than my '07 E92 325i) and the seats are excellent, the best I've had in a car to date. I also love the red ambient lighting, didn't know they even had this!
Overall I'm really happy to have the E92, it does actually feel like a more modern, more refined "grown up" version of the E46 which I guess is exactly what it is. It's less of a yob like the E46 and more of a reformed football hooligan, it might wear a suit and tie now but dig down a bit and it's still got it! It's got a lot more depth than the E46 and I think it will take a lot longer to get used to, which in my book is a good thing!
No real photos yet so here's a couple off my phone.
P101 said:
Bought my E93 2 months ago, it's already up for sale. It is in my opinion really really boring. Too clinical and handles badly. Nice if you want a comfortable runabout with a little poke. But just not for me. I preferred the E46 I had several years ago.
Interesting, why do you think it handles badly?I have driven E92's on track a couple of times and thought they felt very well balanced with good turn in.
What will you go for as a replacement?
Big E 118 said:
Interesting, why do you think it handles badly?
I have driven E92's on track a couple of times and thought they felt very well balanced with good turn in.
What will you go for as a replacement?
Perhaps I was expecting too much, I find the back end steps out too much. I like a car to feel like it's on rails. Could just be my sI have driven E92's on track a couple of times and thought they felt very well balanced with good turn in.
What will you go for as a replacement?
t driving skills. I want to get another Gallardo. P101 said:
Big E 118 said:
Interesting, why do you think it handles badly?
I have driven E92's on track a couple of times and thought they felt very well balanced with good turn in.
What will you go for as a replacement?
Perhaps I was expecting too much, I find the back end steps out too much. I like a car to feel like it's on rails. Could just be my sI have driven E92's on track a couple of times and thought they felt very well balanced with good turn in.
What will you go for as a replacement?
t driving skills. I want to get another Gallardo. My thoughts, 6 months and 4k miles into ownership, are much the same as Big E's. A very competent, comfortable car that is capable of big speed, big smiles and big skids.
As for the lairy back end and your preference for a Gallardo... well compared to a 4wd Lambo it is bound to feel more tail happy. My e92 coupe doesn't feel any more wayward than the e46s I've had in the past (taking into account its extra 60bhp).
My experience of E46 and E92 made me feel the E92 is the better car, both dynamically and in it's engineering. The steering feel is an initial issue to most but as a whole the car has great depth and ability. Give it time and the right occasion, IMHO it will show the reason why so many professionals and enthusiasts hold it in high regard.
MC99 said:
My experience of E46 and E92 made me feel the E92 is the better car, both dynamically and in it's engineering. The steering feel is an initial issue to most but as a whole the car has great depth and ability. Give it time and the right occasion, IMHO it will show the reason why so many professionals and enthusiasts hold it in high regard.
I think therein lies the 'problem' as such and it's a similar one to the E60 M5 - the true talent is hidden so well that it really does need a track and a handy driver to find the excitement.The average driver who would drive it normally and legally on the open public highway are left wondering what the fuss is about.An example of this, albeit a few notches down the ladder is a comparison I draw from my E46 M3 and my Panda 100hp. The panda is such a hoot to drive as you are wringing its neck and really enjoying the limits of the drive — at sensible speeds, where the M3 gives up its honey at far higher speeds. I have an Z3 M roadster also and that is so lairy and technically unaccomplished it offers such a belting drive.
It depends what one wants from a car, but for me I can't ever see me owning an E90 M3 largely due to me being a very average driver whose smile button is pressed far easier.
Lovely looking cars the E90 mind...
Edited by Pig Skill on Tuesday 31st January 06:19
MC99 said:
The steering feel is an initial issue to most but as a whole the car has great depth and ability. Give it time and the right occasion, IMHO it will show the reason why so many professionals and enthusiasts hold it in high regard.
Totally agree. Day to day it is a comfortable cruiser, however engage the M button and that is what all the fuss is about. IMO, that it is how it should be. I came from a 500bhp RS4 that was an absolute misile and was so easy to drive at "warp speed", in any conditions. No comparison for me!Had mine on track and the handling is just sublime. As mentioned, given time and you cannot help but love it.
I agree with the comments above, the E92 has a lot more depth than the E46 and on first impressions it's not a car you jump in and go "wow this feels fun".
For example, I keep getting in and push the accelerator to move off and nothing happens!! A touch of the throttle in the E46 and it was jumping forward, the E92 has a much less responsive throttle but push the power button and it suddenly feels more alert, more sporty.
I've driven E92's on track before I got mine and they are an amazingly balanced and capable car, absolutely no doubt that it is a very fast, agile and well balanced coupe. I've yet to have much of a play with the M settings/MDM yet due to the road conditions (and my lack of driving ability/bravery) but looking forward to the warmer weather.
For example, I keep getting in and push the accelerator to move off and nothing happens!! A touch of the throttle in the E46 and it was jumping forward, the E92 has a much less responsive throttle but push the power button and it suddenly feels more alert, more sporty.
I've driven E92's on track before I got mine and they are an amazingly balanced and capable car, absolutely no doubt that it is a very fast, agile and well balanced coupe. I've yet to have much of a play with the M settings/MDM yet due to the road conditions (and my lack of driving ability/bravery) but looking forward to the warmer weather.
Big E 118 said:
I've yet to have much of a play with the M settings/MDM yet due to the road conditions (and my lack of driving ability/bravery) but looking forward to the warmer weather.
I have my M button set with everyting on "maximum sport", apart from the traction control. I prefer to have that on and switch it off on the transmission tunnel.P101 said:
Perhaps I was expecting too much, I find the back end steps out too much. I like a car to feel like it's on rails. Could just be my st driving skills. I want to get another Gallardo.
It's horses for courses I guess, but I think maybe you were expecting too much from the car's layout.t driving skills. I want to get another Gallardo. I'd never say it handles badly though. In my experience the back end always broke away with lots of warning and very progressively.
Panthro said:
The S54 sounds better than the muted S65.
I was cycling down near Tonbridge at the weekend when an E92 M3 pulled up at the crossroads I was waiting at. The guy must have been in his 60's with a Niki Lauda style baseball cap, which I found rather amusing. He had to wait for the traffic to clear and was waiting for a good 40 seconds before he could pull out but bugger me was it worth it! He nailed the throttle on the long straight, flat out, going up 3 DCT gears and the sound was absolutely phenomenal with little explosive backfires every gear change. It sounds like a race car in the upper echelons.Coincidentally, 10 minutes earlier a very pretty F10 M5 drove past us and also experimented with the loud pedal...we were all unimpressed. If it was a M-4x4 I'd be happy though, sounds burbly and meaty but totally devoid of character or shock value. IMHO the sound does not suit an M car.
But I'm in love with the M3 after that.
jon- said:
Can't have been the stock exhaust system if it was popping on changes?
Yeah I did think that as I routinely cycle close to an E92 M3 on the commute to work and think how clunky and rattly it sounds from the front of the engine at low revs. I'd never heard one spool up properly before and this was just epic!See I had the modest, baddest csl on the planet and sadly let it go when my new gt3rs arrived 18 months ago. Last week I bought an e92 m3 to accompany the rs as a daily and I'm madly impressed with the e92. Ok it's bigger, heavier, softer and smoother than the csl but as a weapon, on the road at least there is no denying it is faster and more capable. There is power from the get go and is smoothly mad rapid at the top end. It corners faster, mainly because of the damping. It also holds the road remarkably well. The csl was tail happy, ESP in the wet but I'd agree the e92 wiggles and squats far more.
This has taken me 1 week and 500 miles to get to. When I first drove the e92 I wasn't in love. After I'm used to it and the see the width f it's abilities I'm smitten. Amazed anyone thinks otherwise actually.
This has taken me 1 week and 500 miles to get to. When I first drove the e92 I wasn't in love. After I'm used to it and the see the width f it's abilities I'm smitten. Amazed anyone thinks otherwise actually.
woppum said:
See I had the modest, baddest csl on the planet and sadly let it go when my new gt3rs arrived 18 months ago. Last week I bought an e92 m3 to accompany the rs as a daily and I'm madly impressed with the e92. Ok it's bigger, heavier, softer and smoother than the csl but as a weapon, on the road at least there is no denying it is faster and more capable. There is power from the get go and is smoothly mad rapid at the top end. It corners faster, mainly because of the damping. It also holds the road remarkably well. The csl was tail happy, ESP in the wet but I'd agree the e92 wiggles and squats far more.
This has taken me 1 week and 500 miles to get to. When I first drove the e92 I wasn't in love. After I'm used to it and the see the width f it's abilities I'm smitten. Amazed anyone thinks otherwise actually.
Great car the CSL This has taken me 1 week and 500 miles to get to. When I first drove the e92 I wasn't in love. After I'm used to it and the see the width f it's abilities I'm smitten. Amazed anyone thinks otherwise actually.
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