Or currently have both?
If either, do you feel as if the M3 had more low to mid range torque at highway speeds? I noticed that the 996TT needs to be in 4th gear at 80mph to get a good kick. Whereas in the M3 I had that feeling (only with sport button on) in 5th or 6th gear. Is it related to TURBO LAG? This is assuming the 996TT car is stock with the 415HP motor.

I owned an E46 M3 and was thrilled to sell it. On paper it was great but I really did not enjoy driving it...

Hated the clutch 'feel'..

I felt the car was too heavy and 'fat'...

but that's just me...

just want to say in that case an modded RS6 at 80 pulls faster then from a stop. so it would be a nice race from 80

The TT is without question faster in any respective gear. Unfortunately it appears the e46 M3's the last great car BMW will ever produce...

what make you say that?
What about the new M5? I think i will be also good!

what he said.

A n/a 500hp v10 in a sedan. ooo wee. Watch out for those on the road, esp if they're modded. Imagine if one had a s/c or turbo. you are talking about 750+whp.

idrive = no thanks

Speed= who gives a f#$* about i drive

Well, I have driven both cars and I do not understand how the M3 feels faster then the 996tt at any speed. The 996tt felt like a NA V8 before the turbos spooled and then a completely different level above 4000rpm. The M3 felt slow to me, even though it was not. I think there must be a malfunction with the 996tt you drove as it should feel very strong in any gear.

As far as the new E60 M5. I do not think you will see many of them SC as the engine is pushing the limits to begin with. Should be a monster though, at least it will look like one.

Bangle sucks, and I fully agree with the statement about the E46 being the last great BMW. It's the reason I have swtiched loyalties from BMW and gone to porsche. This board is also better than any other that I visit.

I own an M3 and test drove an 02' 911 turbo last year. The 911 is so much faster but there is some lag up to 2,500 RPM or so.

how can you say that? The thing hasn't even gone into production yet. Maybe they are using a bulletproof forged aluminum block with forged internals. Unless you have evidence that they have no strength. Please don't revert to the e46 and e39 and their lack of strength, neither of them have a 500hp v10(it's a brand new engine).

I don´t really think BMW cares about the strength. Actually, when someone blows up an engine using a supercharger that´s more money to them. So... No forged block and internals in that car

That's what I'm noticing I think. Yes, the 996TT is much faster than my previous M3, but it seems to need the Turbo boost to feel that difference, especially below 3500 rpms. I'll need to drive the TT more to find out. I just bought the 996TT recently, so I'm still getting acclimated to it.
I used to always drive the M3 with the sport button on for instant throttle response. Maybe I am expecting as sensitive a response from the 996TT as well? Is this why some owners get an ECU upgrade?
These are genuine questions and not meant to sound Troll-like at all, so, sorry if it they were taken that way.

Mark, I've got an M5 and modded Turbo. M-cars have much better throttle response with sport engaged, than without. I don't know for sure if the software affects unboosted conditions, but when I'm not on boost, the Turbo feels a little less responsive than the M5 with the sport on. Certainly, where you are in the rev band makes a difference too. When I road tested a stock Turbo, it's non-boosted power didn't impress me and certainly the boost improved things. I can tell you chipped Turbos are MUCH different creatures than stock ones.