The Better Looking M3 - E46 or E92 ?

BSPOKE20

I know the new M3 is faster and has alot more gizmos and do-das BUT I'm not sure if its as good looking as the older E46 version. For a start the new one has got flared arches but they are not nearly as distinctive and agressive as those on the older one, and I'm not sold on those new mirrors either....

cianclarke

I have to say, E46 model all the way - way nicer looking, and I thought a little more subtle.

The fact that the colour I keep seeing the E92 being advertised in is white doesn't help, but yeah...

fabsoul

yes the e46 M3 is a lot nicer

Andrewf20

E46 vote from me. E92 bonnet, side skirts and bumper at back look too fussy. A 335i looks nicer than the E92 M3 and for me is more desireable.

JohnCleary

E46.... imho

boomboombazza

m3 are my favourite cars in the whole world!particularly e36's(just bought an e36m3) .

the m3 has got worse looking since the begining. e30m3 was the best,then the e36 then e46 and now the ugliest of them all the e92. still stunning though

mick.fr

Some pics should help to decide

E46






New M3 (coupe and sedan)

E92

E92. No contest really:D!

mick.fr

E92 wrote: »

E92. No contest really:D!

I like both really. Just 2 different styles.
The E92 definitely look nasty in red. Beautiful.

Fabritzo

The CSL was nice, otherwise I prefer the E92.

Anan1

They're both pretty tacky compared to the standard car they're based on, IMO. The E28 and perhaps the E34 M5s were the only M cars that weren't uglier than the 'base' models.

markdoy

I have a 05 E46 M3 and I definitely feel it is a better looking car - more aggressive styling. I have it in Estoril blue with the 19" CSL alloys. However hand me the keys of an E92 and we will be best mates!!

Zonda999

That pic above with the saloon 4dr new M3 looks like the "corkscrew" at laguna seca.Is it by any chance???

mick.fr

markdoy wrote: »

I have a 05 E46 M3 and I definitely feel it is a better looking car - more aggressive styling. I have it in Estoril blue with the 19" CSL alloys. However hand me the keys of an E92 and we will be best mates!!

Check the AC Schitzer models and other German brands, you might be surprised.
And like anything new your eyes are not used to.
From a design point of view, the new M3 is a lot more massive and aggressive than the E46.
Seen one in dealership in UK couple of months ago, it was massive.

boomboombazza

markdoy wrote: »

I have a 05 E46 M3 and I definitely feel it is a better looking car - more aggressive styling. I have it in Estoril blue with the 19" CSL alloys. However hand me the keys of an E92 and we will be best mates!!

have you a picture of said car? i have my doubts about it being estoril blue but go ahead and prove me wrong. unless it was special order i'd say your confusing it with laguna seca blue

bazz26

E46 for me, Chris Bangle didn't get his hands on it.

Plug

If I was offered a new E92 or a second hand E43 csl, I'd go for the csl.

Jonathan

E46... Gan aon amhras ar sin.

kdevitt

boomboombazza wrote: »

have you a picture of said car? i have my doubts about it being estoril blue but go ahead and prove me wrong. unless it was special order i'd say your confusing it with laguna seca blue

Huh? Estoril Blue is one of the more common M3 colours - LSB is the rare one.

Andrewf20

Zonda999 wrote: »

That pic above with the saloon 4dr new M3 looks like the "corkscrew" at laguna seca.Is it by any chance???

Thats it allright. I remember seeing an indycar driver killed on that corner a few years ago. The bottom pic is at the corkscrew also. (Black E92)

caesar

The e46 M3....love them.

Seth Brundle

bazz26 wrote: »

E46 for me, Chris Bangle didn't get his hands on it.

erm, yes he did! He oversaw the upgrade!

markdoy

Have attached pic of her here

markdoy

BoomBoom

Looked at the VRT sheet that lists the extras and it says BMW Individual Estoril Blue on it. Pic shows her with original 19s on her.

impr0v

E92 all the way for me, though I have to admit I have yet to see one in the flesh. E46 is still a good looking car.

Dasilva94

impr0v wrote: »

E92 all the way for me, though I have to admit I have yet to see one in the flesh. E46 is still a good looking car.

I've not seen the E92 M3 in the metal either, but going on the exterior and interior of the lesser models. The E46 is way more attractive!

hearto83

Fabritzo wrote: »

The CSL was nice, otherwise I prefer the E92.

Have to agree with you here, CSL is amazing but pricy and rare enuff, but the e92 in silverstone red with carbon roof and 22" looks tight

boomboombazza wrote: »

have you a picture of said car? i have my doubts about it being estoril blue but go ahead and prove me wrong. unless it was special order i'd say your confusing it with laguna seca blue

Estoril is much more common than the Laguna seca blue.....estoril is the colour a lot of e36 & e46's were, the laguna is the flat blue

BSPOKE20

No contest really...is there!!

MarkN

I thought Estoril only was available in Individual spec? Don't get the ''prefer the E46, Bangle didn't design it'' - he didn't design the E92 did he ??

Plug

BSPOKE20 wrote: »

No contest really...is there!!

Would I be right in saying the second better car is a csl?

mick.fr

Plug wrote: »

Would I be right in saying the second better car is a csl?

The CSL has a single hole in the front bumper and the rear does not look like a CSL.

JHMEG

MarkN wrote: »

I thought Estoril only was available in Individual spec? Don't get the ''prefer the E46, Bangle didn't design it'' - he didn't design the E92 did he ??

Bangle gets the blame for the current crop of BMWs that have weepy headlights, and lines where they shouldn't have.

Z4 is worst offender. Good enough car, shame about all those lines... they're just wrong.

hearto83

Plug wrote: »

Would I be right in saying the second better car is a csl?

Yea, its a csl but has had a wheel swap. the csl came with a carbon roof, bumper with carbon deflectors and an air scoop for the intake feed.

Estoril was pretty much always a 'special paint' order, not individual. the individual is always a rare limited edition colour, like the onxy blue, ruby black etc in the E90's, and features different colour trims, where as the special orders you can spec them with anything available, you just gotta wait.
In the case of E46 M3's most people buying them would do this anyway

MercMad

IMO the M3's have gotten worse over the years !

The original is still the best looking, the E30. The E36 was nice, very subtle, its just got worse after that.

Anyway I'd pick the E46 of the E92 without question, and forget all those bling bling blue colours, a nice grey is cool enough!

Lord Nikon

E46 with a E92 bonnet, and i'm sold.

hearto83

True, u cant beat an E30 in LHD as they should be

E92

That E30 is horrible. Only 1 wiper, wrong mirrors etc.

Stock E30s ftw though!

The E30 is still the best looking car BMW ever made, though trying to find a good looking one these days is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

hearto83

I wouldn't exactly say its horrible, i just didn't have time to find a good EVO III.
That 1 is actually a II with the lip spoiler & rear adjustable off a III.

If u want a nice one, go to Germany, but u'll need a lot of cash

I think this is the nicest BMW made, then the Evo III, followed by M1

Gatster

Maxwell have a 4 door M3 in Silverstone Blue in their showroom, still on delivery blocks, but I must say, it looks amazing, better than most of the E92 M3's I've seen. Gilson Motors on Barrow Street in town have a (ruby?) black E92 M3 which changed my mind about the best looking M3 being the E46 CSL (apart from the E30 EVO Sport)...

fletch

I sat in the M3 saloon in Frank Keanes and tbh you could harly tell it apart from a 316 (except for the M button on steering wheel and 3 buttons by the gear stick) Oh and what's with the plastic pedals? :eek:

MarkN

The E46 does sound very nice but I have heard two E92 M3s now and the noise from them is just beautiful. :cool:

I think that alone would sell me!

BSPOKE20

I do hole heartedly agree with that the sound of the E92 is astoundingly beautiful, that deep rumble on the push of the ignition button does makes you quiver, and yes it does certainly sound better than the E46 no question, but....I'll say it again - its not as handsome....

JHMEG

MarkN wrote: »

The E46 does sound very nice but I have heard two E92 M3s now and the noise from them is just beautiful. :cool:

Even if the M3 is the all round better car, it sounds tame next to the C63 AMG. Now that's an engine noise(imo).

Back on topic. No doubt the older M3 looks great, and looks a lot better than the current one, imo. Only one correction I'd make to it is put the tail pipes in the corners.. they look too close together.

conneem-TT

I love the way an E92 looks, the only gripe I have with it is that it can look a big to long on side profile, but only slightly.

However I don't like the look of the new E92 M3, the proportions seem wrong with it, the power bulge makes it look too tall from the front and unbalanced front the side (it looks very good from the back though).

Whereas the E46 M3 was squat a mean, looking ready to pounce, the new M3 looks a bit too soft.

And the E90 M3 saloon looks all wrong imo, all bits and bobs, the C63 looks much better proportioned and neater

But its hard to argue with the balanced driving machine the M3 is all the same

MarkN

JHMEG wrote: »

Even if the M3 is the all round better car, it sounds tame next to the C63 AMG. Now that's an engine

I know someone in Park Motors and he said the noise off the thing is amazing.

E92

Has anyone here actually heard the M3 in real life and not on a computer(apart from MarkN)?

Has anyone heard both the M3 and the C63 is perhaps a better question though.

If the computer is anything to go by, the only things that sound tame are any other V8 rivals to the M3.

The main reason is the fact that the M3 goes to no less than 8400 rpm, even the Merc can only get to 7,000 I think.

JHMEG

E92 wrote: »

The main reason is the fact that the M3 goes to no less than 8400 rpm, even the Merc can only get to 7,000 I think.

The Merc doesn't need to as the engine is far bigger. A bit like the displacement vs VTEC argument.

Either way it's the low down grunt that sound great from the Merc, not the redline.

Rob987

I have test driven the E46 M3 but only sat in the E92 version (at BMW World in Munchen a few weeks ago - which I highly recommend if you haven't been there). Difficult decision but I'd plump for the E46 as it has a slightly rawer look to it. The E92 has more of a compact grand tourer look to it IMHO. However, it does have a V8 and 400bhp. Decisions decisions decisions...

bitemybanger

I much prefere the E46, (for looks)
A friend on mine has the E46 SMG and his dad just ordered a E92 so ill be able to compare them better then.

S.I.R

either if you guys had any taste you'd go for the E30 m3 evoII which is cooler , handles better and is cheaper then the E46 let alone the E92


also

Bmw engines are race made engineput into cars and de0tuned a such for mpg reasons ( but you only lose 4-6 hp.... relax ) and merc make comforable " mortages " because they have low tourqe and cost about the same as a mortage to keep on the road.

Seth Brundle

The new BMW M3 Saloon