I drove one around Monterey for a while. God I love the motor (and this next comment will get me shot here probably) but I like the Audi V8 a bit more. The car is plenty roomy inside, handles like a dream, and can do more than a car of it's mass should be able to do. Steering was a bit light at first, but after a bit of driving, I grew to like it. The car really sings and dances when you get the revs over about 6 grand.... BMW did a good job on this car, for sure. Owners will be very happy. Matt
The dealer wouldn't let me drive the M3 (or any of their models, for that matter), but I was given a ride by one of their employees. It is fast as hell but you just don't feel that much torque. My brother's 540i seemed to be a lot more powerful from a "see if you can reach the windscreen" perspective despite its "lack" of power compared to the current M3. I think it's a creation more like "see what we can do" instead of "feel what we can do". Does sound really sweet above 6k I have to agree.
I'm really baffled... why dealers would expect you to buy a car they wouldn't let you drive..... I think the new V8 has much longer legs than the old V8, but I haven't looked at the torque curves to know the details of the low RPM pull. The sticker on the one I drove was $61k. Not cheap, but I actually thought it would cost more. Matt
Because them and their insurance figure a 19-year-old can't possibly afford a $60k+ car. In most cases true, but obvious discrimination. The accleration is ridiculous though; in 6th gear it took just a few seconds to get from 50-100 (yes, the gentleman who took me out works for the dealership... and got to a speed of 120 mph before we had to turn back!)...
As an owner of the new M3 I can attest to the lack of low end grunt. It seems weaker than my friend's 2001 M5, but when we were side by side I beat him no problem. It is kinda deceiving though. Below 2k RPM it is weak...well, weaker than you would think when you think of V8 engines. A corvette still pulls hard that low, but a pushrod V8 has tons more torque than the M3's 295lbs. Once over 2500, and absolutely over 3k rpm the engine just keeps pulling and pulling. The whole point of this engine is to keep those rpms up, and still have the V8 power as well. At first I was thrown by the exhaust note (I was expecting a "burble" like a Z06), but it doesn't really come alive until about 6000 rpm and full throttle. I am looking into the Eismann Race exhaust system; it sounds amazing, but I am having trouble stomaching $4k for a 8 hp gain.
