Old M3 better than new M3 ?

RobAMerc

Has anyone else read similar ?

Funny it comes on the back of me reading lately the E39 is a better car than the E60 - are beemer slipping ?

They basically said the E36 M3 was better than the RS4 the new one isn't !

smash

well top gear said the RS4 is a million times beter than the current M3.... we'll have to wait a few months to see what the new mdel will be like.

RobAMerc

steve06 wrote:

well top gear said the RS4 is a million times beter than the current M3.... we'll have to wait a few months to see what the new mdel will be like.

its out already ( lhd ) - is that TG on the tv or mag ? To be fair I would take Clarksons opinion on it with a pinch of salt - he could say the exact opposite of that next week.

smash

It was on the TV last season... he said that bmw would have to offer a free moon with the new M3 to beat the RS4... but as you say, he's full of crap.

ciarsd

To be fair I think it's too soon to be making judgement on the newly introduced E92 M3 versus the now well established RS4.

There is no doubting the ability of the RS4, it's power, it's handling, it's looks, stance etc

Anyway back to the new M3...
The stories and feedback so far regarding the E92 are after just brief trips shared out amongst the press thus not giving them adequate time to form more comprehensive reports.

I agree though that this time round it is definitely easier to find stories of cancelled orders, neutral road test reports etc online.

Question is, can they all be wrong ? or is it too soon ?

smash

well personally I don't want to believe the stories because I do think it's stunning looking.

onemanband

I had an M3 and am now in an M5. The difference in power in the M5 is huge. I think a 440 bhp V8 M3 will be spectacular.

I also thought that Clarkson said that while the RS4 handles better and has the 4 doors, he would buy an M3 every time?

Zascar

onemanband wrote:

I also thought that Clarkson said that while the RS4 handles better and has the 4 doors, he would buy an M3 every time?

Yeah he did, they are both phemominal cars, its just whichever one is mor suited to you or you perfer presonally. Aparantly the RS4 is better, but I'd still way perfer the M3 for the same reasons that Clarkson had - it just more way out crazy and more fun!

Andrewf20

onemanband wrote:

I think a 440 bhp V8 M3 will be spectacular.

E92 M3 has 414bhp, the same at the RS4, according to Autocar anyway.

I think these power games are getting out of hand. 200-220bhp bhp would do me fine.

Seth Brundle

E30 M3 (pref Evo Sport) FTW!
http://www.bmwccscotland.co.uk/cars/e30/sportevo.html

richie_rvf

That test on Top Gear was referring to was the last 4 door M3 (E36), that's the car they were comparing the Audi with, not the E46.

Clarkson also slated the E60 M5 (before he hit the M button) but he went out an bought one??

I am biased though

One thing the REALLY bugs me about the RS4 and the S3 is the center console, it is angled to the passenger side, as in it is the LHD dash, you would have thought that they could have spent a little extra and designed a center console for the RHD cars :rolleyes:

Richie.

MercMad

Andrewf20 wrote:

E92 M3 has 414bhp, the same at the RS4, according to Autocar anyway.

I think these power games are getting out of hand. 200-220bhp bhp would do me fine.

...............funny you should say that, I was reading about the original Sierra Cosworth over the weekend in Classic Cars. They went on about how it mixed it with the Porsches, Ferraris, M3's et al on the roads and racetracks and made do with 204BHP in road trim. the race cars had up to 500BHP. Anyway they questioned "and just how does it make do with 204BHP ??"


"Just fine" came the reply.................the car still feels lightning fast, some turbo lag which modern cars dont have but then it flies. The performance figures speak for themselves, and having driven several I still live the power delivery. Also these 3dr cars were only 1217kg which they comment if quite a bit less than a current Focus, a whole size smaller !

The other inteersting thing I read is that Mercedes-Benz have actually come out and said that they are gunning specifically for the new M3 with the C63AMG.

Now thats a lot of big talk IMO. I knwo the C-Class will be good, and the last one was every bit as good to drive as the E46 but I cant see it doing the business on the M3, especially since its auto only. Looks the business though !

MarkN

richie_rvf wrote:

That test on Top Gear was referring to was the last 4 door M3 (E36), that's the car they were comparing the Audi with, not the E46.

Not so sure on that! Why compare an RS4 to a car that finished production nearly 10 years ago?

The only thing they had in common was the number of doors