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      07-14-2014, 08:48 AM   #1
s4play
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Lightbulb Test drove a fully loaded M3 ($89k MSRP), compared to my Audi R8

So I figured I'd write this post here while most of this is still fresh in my head and maybe it will help some buyers who are on the fence about the new M3.

My back story is that I was the first one in line to take delivery of an M3 and later cancelled it because although I love the car, I don't need a car right away and didn't want a 1st year model in hopes of a ZCP/Comp package next year.

Anyways I daily drive a B6 s4 and over the weekend I decided drive my R8 to the dealer after church for my set appt to test drive the m3

I'm already good friends with the dealer mgmt and the service guys are my buddies so they knew I was coming and had the m3 parked up front ready for me to drive. They know me well enough that I would not abuse the car since it only had roughly 300 miles. The car was a mineral grey and was fully loaded to the max with the ceramic brakes. Oddly enough there was no carbon roof as it had the sunroof. This was sadly a DCT.

I did a quick walk-around inspecting the engine and trunk first. I was impressed by the trunk space and how you can see the 2-tone interior through the trunk. The 12V accessory jack was a nice touch. The trunk was good sized and I was happy to NOT see an auto trunk close feature to save weight. Seats do fold down 60/40 which was important for me. I inspected the rear first for the child safety LATCH system and noticed to use the rear tether point, the strap has to go over the top of the rear headrest since they are fixed. This might be a small issue for parents because when you tighten the strap, it will crush the top of the leather.

Sitting in the driver seat, the car has a very upscale feel with the full leather package. The red stitching on the dash and knee pad area is really nice. Everything about the interior speaks of a $70k+ car as it should this time. The e9x m3 did not have this upscale feel. Most of the controls are logically laid out. My friend demo'd the mutil view camera system which was extremely clear. What I didn't know about was the touchpad located within the i-drive where you can write letters to input NAV address, pretty cool touch. I did not bother to test the stereo even though it was the upgraded setup.

Upon initial start-up, this car sounds really aggressive (most likely due to the cold start) so I waited for it to warm up. It's very hard to distinguish which sounds are coming from the motor and what is artificial from inside the cabin. It does NOT sound like any 6-motor I've been in before! Amazingly throaty and aggressive rumble. Here's where I will throw in one comparison to the Audi. The R8 sounds amazing during cold start, however give it a few minutes and it quiets down considerably. The m3 even after warming up still sounds great. Every gear has a nice bark to it and I was enjoying the sounds for sure. I drove the car in auto "D" mode with all default settings first. The car shifts seamlessly as expected and pulls with urgency if you gas it quickly. I did not floor the car but with fast cars like this it really isn't necessary. Once past 40, the car really accelerates and I felt little to no turbo lag. The steering has just the right amount of feel to it. No numbness and taking the on ramp at 45 was no problem at all. Chassis was very solid with very little leaning motion. Everything felt intuitive on the controls and the thickness of the wheel was ideal. Brakes were solid but not too catchy.

From a rolling start, the car pulls pretty hard. I can't speak how much on the high side since I never passed 65. We switched over to Sport Plus for both the steering and suspension after a short drive. The car suddenly felt tighter and the firmness is somewhat on par with a GT3 now. You can feel road imperfections and it's still live-able. I did not notice any change in exhaust note whereas the M5 changed tones....maybe I was not driving fast enough? From my test drive there was no noticeable complaints or issues with the car. Of course this is hardly pushing any limits of the car but overall I'm very impressed with BMW's new M-car. I will most likely re-order the car as a 2016+ model next year, good job BMW!

Right afterwards I hopped back into my R8 for the 45+ miles to the city and it's a dramatic change in how the two cars feel. I thought I'd give some comparison the differences even though I know these cars are not cross-shopped obviously. My R8 is a v10 3-pedal car, n/a motor FYI:

Driving position: M3 wins here mainly due to the seat height in relation to the floor. I never really noticed it before but in my R8, I'm nearly sitting on the floor. The other day after some full court basketball, I hopped into the R8 and my clutch leg cramped up so bad I could not drive home. Yes I know I'm not in the best of shape but a lot has to do with the seating position. I think if I was in my S4 or this new M3, I'd be ok. Both cars have good elbow pad rest locations but the m3 doors have much better padding so this category goes to the M3.

Interior: M3 wins, although a close call. The r8 interior has a lot of CF and mine also has the 2-tone leather dash/stitching but the BMW steering wheel feels so much better. This is why I had to spend $2k to get an upgraded flat bottom CF wheel BMW did a really good job on this car's interior, kudos!

Exterior: I love both car's shapes, but if I had to pick the R8 would be the show stopper here, no brainer for me but the lack of 2 rear seats make this car useless 90% of the time for me. The M3 bod is super aggressive yet sedate, it's a total wolf in sheep's clothing which makes it idea for DD.

Engine: It's hard to beat a n/a V10 motor (mid-engine) The sound that this motor produces is amazing even with the stock exhaust. There is no artificial engine sound here. Adding I get 22mpg on the highway is icing on the cake.

Suspension: DRAW: m3 has the sport/sport plus and my R8 has the mag ride - both feel equally impressive in race mode so without taking it to the track its hard to say

Space/Cabin/Trunk: M3 wins here easily, its just so much more of a practical race car. Unless you are single and never carry any passengers or luggage, the R8 is really tough to swallow as a DD. I know many of you golf but for me it's about the double roller bowling bag and it won't in the R8. Easily in the M3


Hope this helps and you guys had fun reading, any questions please ask!
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Last edited by s4play; 07-17-2014 at 06:27 PM.. Reason: added a few things
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      07-14-2014, 01:00 PM   #2
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Thanks for the great review. It's awesome to read that the M4 compares so favorably with a beast of a car like the R8 V10.
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      07-14-2014, 04:21 PM   #3
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I test drove the F80 M3 but I'm sure most of this also applies to the M4!

The new M3 is really a wolf in disguise as it does so many things so well. We all love to have exotic sports cars in our garage but their limited uses make them a tough argument to keep when you are at my stage in life with little kids and so many activities.
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      07-16-2014, 12:56 AM   #4
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test drove the one at fremont?
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      07-16-2014, 02:08 AM   #5
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Thanks for that review. Never thought about the latch for the rear seats. That's not a deal breaker but definitely sucks about crushing the rear leather.
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      07-16-2014, 11:25 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silvertige View Post
Thanks for that review. Never thought about the latch for the rear seats. That's not a deal breaker but definitely sucks about crushing the rear leather.
Agreed, not a deal breaker but for me, I will always have 2 baby seats in the rear which is the whole reason I am considering another 4-seater and this would really be worry-some for me.....guess BMW did not think of that one!


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Originally Posted by toper View Post
test drove the one at fremont?
Yes Fremont BMW!
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      07-16-2014, 02:37 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s4play View Post
Yes Fremont BMW!
Cool that's the one I drove too (gotta love fully loaded demo cars )...I was very impressed with the time I had with it and felt that they improved upon all the shortcomings I experienced with the E9x version (which I previously owned).
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      07-16-2014, 07:15 PM   #8
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i'd rather sit low like in the r8!
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      07-16-2014, 07:44 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s4play View Post
Agreed, not a deal breaker but for me, I will always have 2 baby seats in the rear which is the whole reason I am considering another 4-seater and this would really be worry-some for me.....guess BMW did not think of that one!




Yes Fremont BMW!
Would the latch system that is between the seat bottom and the backrest not work? This is where I currently have my sons infant car seat strapped in to. I've not looked yet at the next steps in car seats as he ages but this does make some sense now that you bring it up. I'm hoping there's another way around smashing the leather.
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      07-17-2014, 12:56 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Uneedthis2 View Post
Would the latch system that is between the seat bottom and the backrest not work? This is where I currently have my sons infant car seat strapped in to. I've not looked yet at the next steps in car seats as he ages but this does make some sense now that you bring it up. I'm hoping there's another way around smashing the leather.
I think you mis-understood my post!

The two LOWER LATCH points are perfect, no issues there. I was referring to the top rear tether that goes over the rear seat and attaches near the rear decklid. Normally this is pulled under the seat headrest but because the new seats are one-piece, there is no way to go under it so you have to OVER the headrest completely.
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      07-17-2014, 07:05 PM   #11
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Nice review... and completely agree with the golf statement. Exactly the reason that, as my only car, it would be impractical for me and my clubs to ride an R8 or even a Porsche Cayman/911.
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      07-21-2014, 12:22 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lubricious View Post
Nice review... and completely agree with the golf statement. Exactly the reason that, as my only car, it would be impractical for me and my clubs to ride an R8 or even a Porsche Cayman/911.
Oddly enough I was at a local driving range and saw a guy with an R8 show up with the golf bag in the front seat!


So my friend just picked up his F80 m3 delivery over the weekend and we went out for a drive up in the Calaveras hills. We swapped cars at the top and now that I have some more seat time, I can honestly say the M3 is one amazing machine. A lot of times while driving, you tend to forget you are in a 4-door family sedan with a decent trunk. The m3 drives a lot like the Pana GTS in that when driven hard, the car appears smaller than it really is. Only when you turn your head and see the rear seats are you reminded of the car. The new M3 is that good for driving feel.

On an open stretch of road we let both cars go WOT from a rolling 30mph and the R8 wins this by quite a margin. Even with no turbo lag, the torque of the motor is no match for the v10's thrust. We tried this a couple of times and it's a no brainer. The R8 will win each time. I'm sure from a standstill the distance will be even more dramatic with the quattro.

Since his car isn't broken in yet, we backed off at about 80mph so can't say what would happen if the revs kept building. Both of our cars are stock and our driving skills are somewhat equal so don't think those are factors.
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