Like everyone, I've read alot about the E90 M3, and after all the rave reviews in both american and european car mags, I was considering trading in both the 997S and GS300 on a new made-to-order M3, and went to test drive the M3 6-spd at the local dealer. They were kind enough to allow me a 15-20 minute drive in a demo on local streets and highway- enough time to formulate some (strong) opinions as follows:

M3 pros- Nice looking car, well constructed. Interior is fairly classy, esp w/extended leather. Seats are superb; seating position good. And most of all, the V8 is a monster- loves to rev, pulls like a locomotive, very flexible- stronger than the 997.1S. 4 doors a plus too. More subtle exterior design - good stealth factor.

M3 cons- The steering is numb and devoid of feel, especially when driven back to back with the 997- enough so to make it a deal-breaker by itself. Feels significantly heavier, not as tossable. Manual tranny with longer throws with a harder-to-modulate clutch/throttle than 997. Superb brakes but not as communicative. Also really dislike the 2 gauge design (tach and speedo) compared with the 997; I liked the E36 and E46 M3 gauges better. Interior doesn't feel as special as 997 (esp with full leather); ext design not as charismatic. Exhaust pretty tame for a beastly V8. Definitely more of a GT feel overall.

After the test drive, no matter how I tried to rationalize things (esp the new car allure factor of the M3), the decision for me was painfully clear. For me, as a weekend, non-track car, the Porsche provides a much more visceral, responsive driving experience- love the great steering / braking / 6spd short shifter, PSE, etc, etc - all of it!

 

I test drove an M3 earlier and thought it was nice but it didn't make me want it, like when I test drove and bought my M3.

It's too big and too ugly (interior). Having said this the motor was worth the price of admission but in the end I passed. I really prefer the RS4 over it.

 

I am glad you decided to stay with the Porsche, the M3 like your RS4 will never feel like a Porsche.

 

An M3 will never catch the attention like a 911 does... I love the curvy lines of the 911, would not change it for the world (well I would like a F430 Scuderia...). I test drove an M3 Convertible before I bought my C2S, well it's a convertible so no comparison...

The interior is dull, nothing special there... It has a standard 3 series interior. The exterior design is really nice. The car has a really nice engine, revs up really nice Put an exhaust on the car and it will be beautiful car It is relatively heavy compared to the 911 and big as well... The clutch and the brakes are too light, does not feel like a performance car. It's much more civilized than 911 as well, which in my dictionary is not good for a sports car!!!

It's a nice car, but never will be a 911

 

good write up fang,thanks...

I agree..I did not like the steering of the M3 when i tested one

 

keep in mind the new m3 convertible is tipping the scales at a whopping 4200 lbs

hate the rs4, and any other audi for that matter except the r8. they're all unreliable in my book.

 

I have never driven an M3. I would think it would be a bit nose heavy. I often wonder even with larger cars ( E Class MB, 5 series ) that are designed for 6 cyl. how the weight and handling are affected by the larger V8 engines. The 3 series is designed for 4 and 6 cyl. engines. It is roomy compared to the 911 but the 911 is a special expeience.

 

This is great! I plan to go test drive the M3 sedan at the local dealership today. As you may know, I have my 997S for sale. Family man. 4 cars is too much. Gotta consolidate.

Mike87- I respectfully tell you that your impressions of Audi are only hurting you. They are not unreliable at all. Do you think the same of VW, Lambo, Bentley? It's just not the case. Hasn't been for a decade. However, they deserved that thought back then. I'd take a stab at guessing you were in your 40s. Many people in that age bracket are just too darn scared of Audis. Things are much, much different now.

So that you know that I'm an "educated commentator", I've had:
2004 S4 V8. Bulletproof, other than the brakes. I put 20k miles of NC mountain driving on it, as my drive to work was 55 minutes of "Dragonesque" backroads. I had to stop at the same place every drive to let the brakes cool off and give me some bite back. The car was absolutely wonderful.

2006 Q7 4.2 Premium We always have a sport ute. I've recently had a Sequoia, Range, GMC 2500 SLT, Touareg V8, and now an LR3 HSE. Other than the towing capacity of the Q7, it was easily the best vehicle (car OR sport ute) that I've ever owned. All the gadgets, all the comforts, all the performance (really), and nothing ever ever went wrong.

2006 A3 2.0T This little car made me smile more than many other cars can. Again, it never, ever went in for not one warranty issue. 70K miles.

2005 A6 4.2 S-Line I actually still own this car. Can't let it go. Love it.

In all this, I'd say I've gotten 120K miles on my own Audis. In making this post, I realized that I have NEVER ONCE taken one in for ANY WARRANTY issue.

Give'm a chance, buddy. They are wonderful.

Just my thoughts and experiences.

Jared

 

Within the past month, test drove an M3 DCT coupe, Caddy CTS-V, and Jag XFR. M3 has good power but felt SO heavy on the street. The CTS-V was a 6 speed mt and is a beast. Felt lighter on its feet than the M3 and you can certainly feel the HP/torque advantage. The XFR is a great GT car. Tons of power, handles well but still heavy. Felt the quickest of the group on the street. Just can't hide 2 tons of mass. Had to remind myself not to compare to my C2S. Sport sedan vs sport car. M3=74k, CTS-V=67k, XFR=80k, msrp.

 

jared,

i must apologize, as i was stating my general opinion of the brand earlier. i've just seen experiences with audis that have tarnished my perception of their brand rep, not just through their cars, but through the audi dealers as well.

my friend's 2004 a4 b6 with around 60k miles:
1. cracked front subframe
2. wipers stuck on "on" position for a week
3. ignition coil gone bad 4 times, leaving us stranded one time miles away from our house
4. child window button stopped working
5. coolant system massive leak
6. muffler started to rattle for a few weeks, subsequently fell off
7. failed rear wheel bearing

my friend's 2002 a6 with unknown miles:
no list, but it's in the shop more than his mom gets the chance to drive it, no joke.

my friend's 1999 s4 b5 2.7tt
i'm not even going to begin on this list. i'd be sitting here all day and not getting any work done.

given that i've never owned an audi, and probably never will, maybe the problems above were because they all have lemons? considering they're my only friends that own audis, and being that they all have problems, i made the assumption that they're unreliable.

and i'm nowhere near over 40. correct age can be determined from my login (born in 87).



http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/2699231.phtml
http://audiproblems.com/
http://www.audiforums.com/m_556191/m.../tm.htm#556191
http://www.myaudittsucks.com/audiemails.htm
http://www.audi-sucks.com/
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3393462
http://www.audiforums.com/m_5730/tm.htm
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/2699231.phtml
http://www.cars-that-suck.com/
http://www.thepeters.org/badvw.htm
http://www.suckercars.com/lemon_cars
http://www.drizzten.com/blargchives/000193.html

 

The problem w/ the M3 is that it is now a junior M5. The original E30 M3 was a very agile and visceral drive. The E36 was not as dramatic as the E30 but each successive generation of M3 has become less sports car and more GT. The original M5 was the autobahn stormer, very fast but larger and more comfortable, a concept that began w/ the 300SEL 6.3 in the 70s. It too has become larger and heavier, but what hasn't? The current M5 is still much closer to the orignal concept than the M3.

 

The current e60 M5 is a caricature of the e39 - now a junior 7/V12 - it has become ridiculously and needlessly bloated. I reckon the current M3 is closer to what an e39 M5 was, if you go for the 4-door. I don't know what the hell BMW is thinking lately - probably what the market research , tweets, and facebook is telling them to do - I'm just old, cranky, and out of style now I guess.

 

drove both, m3 feels torqueier if thats even a term, but the tq is same.. m3 feels much bigger, is much bigger, and you feel that weight in braking for sure.. accel felt around same to me.

 

this might be because the full torque kicks in at about 1000 rpms earlier compared to the 911 S