2008 M3

"Charles C. Shyu" wrote

Here are a few...

Pete

Quite a machine. Until you consider the cost. And then you might think, "and this beats a Corvette how, exactly"?\

I mean, individual throttle butterflies are cool and all...

The difference between a scalpel and an axe? Don't get me wrong, the Corvette offers incredible performance at a remarkably low price and (theoretically) it can be serviced at any Chevy dealer. OTOH, the interior sucks (albeit there's a $24K solution) and it has various other limitations.

R / John

I suppose. I am glad to see reports that the new M3 will be less hard-core, more gand-tourer, than the outgoing model. I don't see the point of such hard-riding cars for the street. IMO the extra-hard suspension should be an option.

LOL!

You mention HARD SUSPENSION. I was in the market to replace my E38 740i and looked at several E65 730d cars before buying the 6 month old example I have however, I digress. One of the "wonderful" models was a 730d SPORT????

It had the option of 20" wheels amongst others that made it very desirable until I drove it.

The suspension was rock hard - thump thump thump on every little road imperfection and coupled with the 20" wheels and very low profile tyres (tires) the ride was terrible. the wheels made the car "white line" (that is wandering about being guided by the raised white line and reflectors (cats eyes).

There was no way I could have lived with such a monster. Maybe on a NEW smooth asphalt surface Ok but on bumpy roads with pot holes and white lines and your concrete interstates Wow.............. Drive me mad.....

Another I tried was a stock sedan fitted with the optional adaptive suspension. Hard and soft settings but this was also fitted with the 20" wheels. the hard setting wasn't as hard as the sport as the car still had stock springs and only the damper setting were being changed but it was still "nervy" on the white lines and bumpy on the normal road surface. On the "comfort" settings it still wandered about due to the 20" wheels but the ride was like a boat and I actually felt sick and so did my wife after about 20 minuets driving.

We decided to give that one a miss too.

I bought a 730d with stock suspension and I can honestly say that in everyday driving and fast country driving it runs circles around the so called "Sport" version for ride and comfort. On a race track things might be different but in the real world -------

To me, the more relevant question is "It beats the previous M3 how?" Once you dip under the 5secs 0-60 line, costs rise exponentially for every tenth second, which is less and less practical for a street car (in the US, you can ignore the top speed altogether unless you like the prison social scene). If I had an E46 M3, I don't think the additional tenths shaved would warrant the expense. epbrown

For sure, but what you may be missing is the cost effectiveness of the crotch-rocket motorcycle once you get into the, say, sub 4 second 0 to

60 zone.

The adrenaline rush of a modern crotch rocket is in a different league altogether. It leaves you despairing of *any* car's performance.

Thank ghod that I'm old enough (too old?) and wise enough to stay away from more than a quick blast on someone else's modern bike. Damn, I nearly killed myself one time on a Triumph Speed Twin in

1960-something.

Well, it's no secret that they felt they needed the displacement to keep-up with the competition... Kind of sad to see them go-away from the I6 in their top cars. OTOH, V8's can sound really nice...

If you don't agree with what they are doing, don't buy it. If enough people feel and act the same way, maybe BMW will get the hint.

I personally like the speed of my 330i; with 255 hp and a six sp manual it moves quite well and I could not imagine needing or wanting anything more than that. Plus the wife and two kids fit in nicely with the 4 doors.

dizzy wrote:

And there's the rub. Until you actually *try* more, you don't know that you really *want* more...

...but once you've had an awful lot more (on the track), you realize how stupid it is to want more on the street.

-- Larry

Sorry to change the subject, but did I recently see a 335i? I thought I saw an E90 that was badged as a 335i. I haven't seen another, which makes me ask if I saw the first one.

I saw a 335iCd in a pub car park near Hindehead. Went like old stink - a diesel too..........................

Good MPG, LOW emissions and low road tax too! Pity about the price for coupé lovers - 0-60 5.5 sec 155 MPH limited as usual ... talk about a pocket rocket with all that torque. I reckon it'll give that M3 V8 a good run for the money too.

"Jeff Strickland"

Yes. Both the the sedan and coupe are now available with this engine -

3-liter twin-turbo. Go on for more info.

Cheers, Pete

Yes, you saw one:

Sedan:

Coupe: Convertible: Its my understanding the sports wagon (touring in some countries) is coming too!

Hopefully, your kids don't grow up too much. Damn rug rats have that tendency you know... The back seat of a 3 series is a bit cramped for two full sized adults.

So ditch the kids and keep the 330i ;-)

A lot depends on your commute drive. Mine averages about 25MPH, making an M3 just a bit of overkill. OTOH, if you've got multiple cars, and the M3 is just a weekend/evening toy, then it's all good. 8)

Well, there's a trunk, too...

That's another reasonable compromise!