Hey,
My friend got an M3 with SMG recently. Most of the options except for navi, he also got the 19" M wheels. Anyways, he wanted me to show him some things of the M3 (smoother upshifts and downshifts, hill start control, and launch control) as well as manual driving techniques and such, and he let me whip it around.
I cannot state how amazing the car is. The engine sounds great (as does the exhaust tone) and it makes the car hustle beyond belief. I love how it sounds so great at high rpm's and it just pulls sooo hard. The handling and steering are superb...the steering wheel is so thick and tight, the steering feels great, it's just "point and shoot." Extremely precise steering and the handling works with it so well. There is more body roll than my car, but the handling is just way better and far more predictable...there is
SO
MUCH
GRIP!!!!!!!!!!!
The brakes are great and definitely work well to keep this freaking rocket in line. They are really strong and have a nice, progressive feel to them.
The SMG transmission works extremely well....I would strongly consider SMG if I were getting an M3 now. For normal driving I prefer a regular manual because it is easier to make it smoother, particularly because the driver can engage/disengage the clutch as he/she pleases, as well as the engagement/disengagement speed. The downshits for normal driving are a bit slower than a traditional manual but it still works pretty well. Passengers will like the SMG better as upshifts (on disengagement) are smoother, and there are no mistakes on upshift/downshift timing.
The car feels like a normal 3-Series for regular driving around as the ride quality is great, the visibility all around is great, the engine is nice and smooth between 2K-3K rpm's, and the car as a whole is just so easy to drive, which I expected from a German car.
The only kind of weird thing is the Sport button. I bet it's great for whipping around on a track, but as others have mentioned, it can easily be too aggressive for the streets as the throttle response is just crazy - when you have to modulate the throttle gently, it becomes more difficult as the accelerator is just so much more sensitive. The accelerator is also just begging you to go fast.
Overall, I loved how the car is just a nice and comfortable luxury-sport coupe that turns into an amaaaazing sportrs car instantly. I may have to beg BMW to produce the car for a few more months than as what they planned just so I can get my hands on one when the lease of my car is over.
Thanks,
MrElussive
My friend got an M3 with SMG recently. Most of the options except for navi, he also got the 19" M wheels. Anyways, he wanted me to show him some things of the M3 (smoother upshifts and downshifts, hill start control, and launch control) as well as manual driving techniques and such, and he let me whip it around.
I cannot state how amazing the car is. The engine sounds great (as does the exhaust tone) and it makes the car hustle beyond belief. I love how it sounds so great at high rpm's and it just pulls sooo hard. The handling and steering are superb...the steering wheel is so thick and tight, the steering feels great, it's just "point and shoot." Extremely precise steering and the handling works with it so well. There is more body roll than my car, but the handling is just way better and far more predictable...there is
SO
MUCH
GRIP!!!!!!!!!!!
The brakes are great and definitely work well to keep this freaking rocket in line. They are really strong and have a nice, progressive feel to them.
The SMG transmission works extremely well....I would strongly consider SMG if I were getting an M3 now. For normal driving I prefer a regular manual because it is easier to make it smoother, particularly because the driver can engage/disengage the clutch as he/she pleases, as well as the engagement/disengagement speed. The downshits for normal driving are a bit slower than a traditional manual but it still works pretty well. Passengers will like the SMG better as upshifts (on disengagement) are smoother, and there are no mistakes on upshift/downshift timing.
The car feels like a normal 3-Series for regular driving around as the ride quality is great, the visibility all around is great, the engine is nice and smooth between 2K-3K rpm's, and the car as a whole is just so easy to drive, which I expected from a German car.
The only kind of weird thing is the Sport button. I bet it's great for whipping around on a track, but as others have mentioned, it can easily be too aggressive for the streets as the throttle response is just crazy - when you have to modulate the throttle gently, it becomes more difficult as the accelerator is just so much more sensitive. The accelerator is also just begging you to go fast.
Overall, I loved how the car is just a nice and comfortable luxury-sport coupe that turns into an amaaaazing sportrs car instantly. I may have to beg BMW to produce the car for a few more months than as what they planned just so I can get my hands on one when the lease of my car is over.
Thanks,
MrElussive