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F80 m3 owner, ordered a M3P - looking for feedback
- Thread starter stevehifi
- Start date
UncertainTimes
Active Member
And general dealer hijinks. Why does sitting with the finance person have to be like talking to a telemarketer in person.
Same here - I've had seven BMW M3/4s over the last 20 years - my most recent F82 M4 Comp got rear-ended at a stop light 6 months ago by an SUV and written off by the insurance company. I simply couldn't bring myself to pay money for the G8x!
My insurance company only covered a rental car for 3 weeks - and eventually I realized that I could lease a Model 3 Performance for less than Hertz were going to charge me for a piece of junk! I put down my $100 deposit on the tesla web site.... and the car arrived 8 days later!
The straight line acceleration of the M3P is intoxicating, but I find the steering feel is a bit numb - even compared to recent M3s. It's still fun to drive on twisty roads (like Hwy 1 north of SF) because there's so much low-speed torque and the regen braking when you lift off the throttle pedal makes it drive a bit like a manual or DCT in manual shift mode (I have never liked torque converter automatics).
However, you can certainly feel all the weight when cornering and I am still quite nervous about pushing it anywhere near the limits because there's so little feedback with the AWD. Having said that, I haven't yet had chance to try track mode - and I guess that might be quite fun. (I regularly tracked my M3s/M4s but from what I've read the M3P is not really up to back-to-back lapping at a serious track like the ThunderHill 5mi circuit)
To me, the interior feels a bit cheap and I really dislike doing everything by touch screen. I also miss having a HUD so I can keep my eyes on the road - the position of the speedometer on the Tesla is just awful!
The other thing I noticed immediately is that visibility is strangely poor given the amount of glass and the higher seating position... I still find the mirrors pretty badly placed and the rear window makes it hard to see cars behind and in blind spots.
But the practicality of 4 doors and 5 seats keeps my wife happy. Lots of storage. On the whole, I am actually quite happy with the car. (but still have a deposit down on a 911 GTS ;-)
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I actually got to test drive a g82 m4 competition yesterday and man how have these cars changed (for the worse)
-huuuge car (like an m6, probably bigger)
-heavy, alot of weight transfer
-automatic is a let down from the DCT (meant more for cruising)
-the motor is crazy but somewhat erratic.. it's hard to be smooth with the car
-steering is actually alot better (love the new rack)
The m3 has officially turned into the M5 and m4 into the M6.
I just don't feel its worth paying $100k for this car... and dealing with maintenance costs, dealers, service.. raising gas prices..
-huuuge car (like an m6, probably bigger)
-heavy, alot of weight transfer
-automatic is a let down from the DCT (meant more for cruising)
-the motor is crazy but somewhat erratic.. it's hard to be smooth with the car
-steering is actually alot better (love the new rack)
The m3 has officially turned into the M5 and m4 into the M6.
I just don't feel its worth paying $100k for this car... and dealing with maintenance costs, dealers, service.. raising gas prices..
heavyD
Member
I don't know. I feel the G8x is an immense improvement on the F8x generation that sold well but nobody in the automotive media really liked. Better in every way and some while some people talk about the M DCT like it's a PDK but it was never on that level as it is clunky driving around and the ZF8 is the best automatic transmission in the world and is nearly as fast as the DCT while being considerably smoother.
Difficult to get over a car that ugly though. I was a big bmw fanboy in the past, but their missteps were the push I needed to go Tesla.
Glad that it works for you.
I would never personally take a ZF8 over an M-DCT - especially not on a track - and have never understood the "clunkiness" comments (though I have only ever driven it in 'manual' mode since I hate cars second guessing what gear I want to be in). I found the ZF8 in the X3M Comp borderline undriveable in manual mode.
But nothing will get me past the awful tacky incoherent design language and that fake dodge charger bonnet. The F8x was already too large/heavy for me, and the G8x was the straw that broke the camel's back.
But getting back to Teslas....
thesmokingman
Active Member
Not to derail the thread but, I came out of a M235i and even with FBO/E85 I wasn't faster than a stock F80 M3C. Fastest run was 12.1 @ 114 next to my buddy's stock M3C that trapped 119. It just isn't in that small turbo to make enough boost to get you more than 385/400whp.
I keep reading that today's best automatics are a world apart from what I've experienced in older cars and rentals...but I have trouble wrapping my mind around giving up any control of shifting decisions. Is there such a thing as full manual mode with these new automatics, where it never shifts except when you tell it to via paddles?
I've driven automatics/CVTs/DCTs with paddle shifting but never long enough to get used to it. Felt like I had to think about it too much, never as natural to me as a manual transmission. But I've only ever owned manual transmission cars (and direct drive Teslas
).
heavyD
Member
Not all but plenty of DCT's and radiational automatics like the ZF8 afford the user full manual control letting you bounce off the rev limiter as much as you like.I keep reading that today's best automatics are a world apart from what I've experienced in older cars and rentals...but I have trouble wrapping my mind around giving up any control of shifting decisions. Is there such a thing as full manual mode with these new automatics, where it never shifts except when you tell it to via paddles?
I've driven automatics/CVTs/DCTs with paddle shifting but never long enough to get used to it. Felt like I had to think about it too much, never as natural to me as a manual transmission. But I've only ever owned manual transmission cars (and direct drive Teslas
Hey Steve! Don't even give it a second thought brother. I came from a C63 AMG W204 507 Edition and have driven every single generation of the M3 including the F80. (My brother has an E46 M3 as well). I also have a friend who went from a C7 Z06 Vette to a M3P and he did not regret it.
The M3P is going to satisfy you in ALMOST every single way (besides exhaust sounds of course). I always say its the perfect car to have alongside an older and cheaper E92 M3 or C63 / German V8.
Only thing I will say is don't expect top end performance in a straight line, power tapers off after like 90mph. However, I would love to see them change that or make it better in the future with an update or added electric motor in the future P cars.
The M3P is going to satisfy you in ALMOST every single way (besides exhaust sounds of course). I always say its the perfect car to have alongside an older and cheaper E92 M3 or C63 / German V8.
Only thing I will say is don't expect top end performance in a straight line, power tapers off after like 90mph. However, I would love to see them change that or make it better in the future with an update or added electric motor in the future P cars.
You are correct... especially with inflation and the used car market. Still cheaper than an F80 at least! E92 M3's were such a great buy 2-3 years ago ughhh.After coming from an e92 m3, not sure I'd call it cheap.
When we were car shopping last fall I tried running an E90 M3 by my wife as a cheaper alternative to the new cars we were looking at. She refuses to drive stick but I figured I could tolerate the DCT version.After coming from an e92 m3, not sure I'd call it cheap
She was like hell no, we're not touching that thing out of warranty.
Would've been fun...the E90 generation was a great ride, even the lesser non-M versions. I much prefer our M3P of course, at least for daily driving, but the E90 was a really sweet balance of fun and refinement for an ICE car.Also that damn used car market...the E90 M3s weren't even all that cheap, given how old they are now. Nice cars but hard to justify such money for any car that old unless it's a rare classic.
When we were car shopping last fall I tried running an E90 M3 by my wife as a cheaper alternative to the new cars we were looking at. She refuses to drive stick but I figured I could tolerate the DCT version.
She was like hell no, we're not touching that thing out of warranty.
That is awesome. They can be a maintenance disaster because of throttle actuators and rod bearings, etc. Gotta buy one from someone who did all of that preventative maintenance honestly.
I've had an E90 M3 (2008) and it was honestly my favorite car ever (the v8 was glorious, the steering was perfect, and the chassis was excellent). I drove it 100k miles until it started having too many problems (clutch, emissions, paint, etc.) but that car was amazing.
I traded it in for a 2017 F80 M3 (current car) and honestly if I had to do it over I would of kept the e90 and restored it.
BTW in the last week I test drove both a G82 M4 Comp, G80 M3 and I was shocked how bad these cars drive. Steering still sucks, weight and size has increased too much, and drivetrain is underwhelming. Not to mention cost! (everyone wants 5-10k over) .. so basically a 100k car.
I think this further compels me to move away from the brand at this point
I traded it in for a 2017 F80 M3 (current car) and honestly if I had to do it over I would of kept the e90 and restored it.
BTW in the last week I test drove both a G82 M4 Comp, G80 M3 and I was shocked how bad these cars drive. Steering still sucks, weight and size has increased too much, and drivetrain is underwhelming. Not to mention cost! (everyone wants 5-10k over) .. so basically a 100k car.
I think this further compels me to move away from the brand at this point
Slightly different than your focus, but I drove stick shift E30/36/46/90s until I got my Model 3 (and now M3P). Last one was a 2013 335i M-Sport, previous to that was an E36 M3/4/5. The Model 3 feels smaller than it is. The over hood visibility is similar to a Cayman or an E30. It is super nimble, really fun. It feels roughly the same size to me as the E46 (though I know its technically bigger).
For daily driving, it blows all of my previous cars out of the water. That said, I still have an E30 convertible for fun and sun on weekends. The one I miss the most is the E36 M3/4/5.
For daily driving, it blows all of my previous cars out of the water. That said, I still have an E30 convertible for fun and sun on weekends. The one I miss the most is the E36 M3/4/5.
Having just switched from an E46 M3 to an M3P, I wouldn’t say they feel the same size to me. The E46 definitely feels smaller, more nimble, has more visibility. The model 3 feels closer to an e39 or e60 to me - which is great, that’s exactly what I was going for. Very much fits the use case I’d get an M5 for
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