Ok guys I FINALLY got to drive an E46 M3 today. Here is my reaction...I will try and relate it to answer everyones questions about it. I drove the car in Boston, Ma courtest of Herb Chambers BMW. Weather was gorgeous out. I drove it in traffic briefly and on a main road but didnt get to take it on the highway as my friend did who came with me.

First off it was a fully loaded 2001 M3 coupe Laguna Seca Blue on black. (sidenote: also in showroom was a Imola Red/black E46 M3 cabrio)

<b>COLOR:</b>The Laguna Seca blue is somewhat "controversial" to say the least if youve ever been to the E46 board. It looked pretty bad in the showroom but the color really came alive in the sunlight. It wasnt bad at all, kinda grows on you but I think youd tire of it easily. However the Imola/black cabrio was absolutely STUNNING! Im not a red person but wow I wanted that combo when I saw it!

<b>INTERIOR:</b> The gloss black trim looks kinda cheap, especially on any color other than black interior. IMO must be replaced with aluminum trim via 330ci. I personally dont like the grey gauges-they look cheap. Overall fit and finish was much nicer than e36 interior. Seats dont look as agressive as vaders but are MUCH more comfortable, adjustable and supportive. Steering wheel is small and thick- pretty nice to hold. Rear seat has more room than e36 to get comfortable.

<b>EXTERIOR:</b> car looks agressive if painted a flagrant color but if it is black or silver it kinda looks like a plain 3 series. Simply put: its not as easy to distinguish from a 330ci than it is to tell an e36 M3 from an e36 328/318. Chrome shadow wheels look better in person than pics. Bulge in hood is more noticable from afar I think.

<b>STEERING:</b> Well, they were right - its too over assisted. It is precise dont doubt that, but it seems as if the feel from the road that you get in an e36 or even an e30 has been broken. On the other hand it is MUCH easier to drive as far as an everyday basis. Sharpen up the feel a little bit(which I read is going to be done on all 2002 E46's) and it will be fine.

<b>SUSPENSION:</b> Car was smooth over rough pavement, probably a bit more refined than the e36 in that sense. Nontheless the car is still very stiff, probably to compensate for the heavier e46 chassis. Handles well though. The car tracks straight and points where you want it to go.

<b>ENGINE:</b> Ok im sure you were all waiting for this. I was too and to be honest I was disappointed. The car dosent make any power unless you beat on it to rev it high. Quite honestly no one drives like this everyday and if you do then you have problems. My 99 E36 M3 feels like it has MUCH more low end torque, which is what you want. (HP is highly overrated. People buy HP but drive TQ) The motor wants to rev but it is very peaky, the only place it really stood out was from 6800-8000rpm. Other than VERY flat power curve- wont throw you into the seatback but will get you moving very quickly without you realizing it. Pay attention to your speedo or else youll be calling your ticket lawyer more than you do your mother. It would be a good track motor but for the street(and the price!!!!) I want a V8- Trust me, this car needs it. As for the sound you either love it or you hate it. No need for exhaust you can hear this motor plenty in the cabin.

<b>BRAKES:</b> The brakes were excellent as I expected them to be. Very controlled and easy to modulate but they bite as soon as you step on the pedal. NO play in it whatsoever which was a nice thing.

<b>TRANSMISSION:</b> The Getrag was clunky at low speeds. I like the 5 speed in my e36 better. Im sure the 6th gear is nice for highway cruising however. Clutch bites quickly and takes some getting used to. SPORT BUTTON was a lifesaver!!!!!!!!!! In traffic turn the sport button off and the car is soooooo much smoother. Turn it on and throttle response is much crisper but passenger-neck snapping while in traffic. Nice feature!

<b>OVERALL:</b> I think for the most part the car was definitely refined over the e36. Some will say it was over-refined but regardless it is still a nice car to drive in its own respects. MUCH better daily driver imho. The car is very smooth and builds speed quickly. Alot more luxurious but It IS dulled... it does not trasmit the speed to the driver. At least with the e36 you could gain a sense of how fast you were going. The e46 is a much more solid car at speeds and thus has a higher attainable limit than the e36. This is a car that you must know what you are doing behind the wheel to get the most out of it. If you do not, you will crash it plain and simple. Mark my words you will see plenty of these wrecked. In that case Id pick the motor up and drop it in your e36! All in all, I would not say BMW took a step forward or backwards with this car - I think they took a step to the side. It is not a car for everyone and purists/track junkies will be disappointed; im not going to lie to you about that. I drove them back to back and Personally, I like my e36 better. There is just something about the e36 that makes it appease your sense perfectly. The seating postition, steering wheel, shifter placement, dimensions etc. It really is an extention of yourself. The e46 lost this feel. It just felt like the size of the car overstepped the boundaries of making it a true sporty feel. I didnt feel comfortable pushing it around in traffic or any close calls. Granted I wasnt used to it but drive it and you will agree. Dont even get me started on how this car is WAY overpriced. Sorry guys I love M3's just as much as any of you but after driving this im cured. I am not rushing to get out of my e36 and into an e46. Next Im getting a Porsche 996.

Hope you enjoyed
Jonathan

Nice review. I've read articles that alluded to the refinement of the car, in a negative sense. From your description, it almost sounds like it has more of that disconnected feel that you get with the heavy Audi S4, albiet with superior power and world class suspension. I never got a true sense of how fast I was going in that car, and accordingly, it was hard to read your entry speed going into corners, etc.

Yeah, I'll keep my E36 M3/4 thank you very much. I still think it has clean lines, and we all know how they drive. I would always welcome more normally aspirated power, so I'm with ya. If the motors can be had within some sort of reason in a couple of years, I may want to shoehorn one in.

Finally, I have a hard time believing that the new M3 is worth TWICE my car. For the monthly payment that thing would extract out of my a$$, I could put a much needed family room addition on and pay for a bathroom remodel. Or have a kagillion dollars upon retirement.

peace.

frayed (who will have to make due with his POS beater)

Just a couple of points:

Well, they were right - its too over assisted. It is precise dont doubt that, but it seems as if the feel from the road that you get in an e36 or even an e30 has been broken. On the other hand it is MUCH easier to drive as far as an everyday basis. Sharpen up the feel a little bit(which I read is going to be done on all 2002 E46's) and it will be fine.

All E46s will get the sharper steering from the E46 Compact but the M3s steering was already totally different and won't be modified.

My 99 E36 M3 feels like it has MUCH more low end torque, which is what you want. (HP is highly overrated. People buy HP but drive TQ) The motor wants to rev but it is very peaky, the only place it really stood out was from 6800-8000rpm

Well, one of the features of the US M3s compared to the Euro ones (apart from much less power) was that they were tuned for torque (at the expense of power I guess) which BMW reckoned was more in tune with what US drivers wanted - and I guess in your case that's right! Now you've got the same E46 M3 as Europe and you've got a European style performance engine with it: high revs, high power, not so torquey.

They are two different styles of engine. I prefer a high power, high revving engine than a lazy V8 that I can drive around in 3rd all day.

Incidentally here are the torque/power figures:

US 3.2L M3:
236lbft at 3800
240hp at 6000

Euro 3.2L M3:
258lbft at 3250 (more torque lower down than US M3!)
321hp at 7400

E46 M3
269lbft at 5000
338hp at 7900 (Euro E46 M3 has 5hp more due to very slight catalyst and engine management differences)

OK - so peak torque at 5000rpm is high but peak torque rpms of other 'supercars' (Ferrari 360, Porsche 911 etc)are all around the 4700-5000 figure. At least they didn't go as far as the Honda S2000 - 151lbft at 7500rpm!

Michael.

Nice review Jonathan.

With the engine designed for higher reving, it's understood why (even with double VANOS) you detected less low-end power than you thought you would; "The car dosen't make any power unless you beat on it to rev it high". This reminds me of the consequences of the high-reving Honda S2000 engine! How very true it is that for a street-driven car, low-end torque is much more appreciated (whether the driver realizes it or not)! However for racing purposes, where the engine is asked to perform in the upper rev limits, such an engine is the choice.

I was afraid the M3's steering might be "over-boosted" like the other E46 models; this will always be a customer complaint, in my opinion, and hopefully BMW will change it.

I was glad to hear the "Sport Button" made such a noticeable difference...smooth versus immediate throttle response. This will be nice for heavy traffic commuters...but how about that missing low-rpm torque!

I've heard some owners complaining about a noise, possibly coming from the transmission, in lower gears while at reasonably low rpms. This may be the clunky description you spoke of.

The most important thing, in my opinion you said was: "The E46 lost this feel. It just felt like the size of the car overstepped the boundaries of making it a true sporty feel." Along with my '99 M3 I also own a '00 328i so I'm familiar with the E46 model. I have always stated that I couldn't quite imagine how BMW was going to make a smaller feeling (personal cockpit) sporty "Motorsport" car out of the E46 model. When I drive my E46 I feel as though I'm in a 5 Series it's so big feeling. The dash and interior room is much larger than what I consider appropriate to be called a (modern day) sports car.

I must admit BMW has a winner in the E46 model as proven by their sales. Women in particular love the styling and it's big enough while not being too big for the family car, but it seems to me that those purists who are only interested in M3 legend continuing may be somewhat disappointed with the new M3. However I must admit, with each new model (E30 to E36 and now E46) owners have adapted to the increasing body size and probably this will be no exception...

Bob ///M3

This thread is being "copied" from the E36 M3 forum into the E46 M3 forum also. Threads (in both forums) will remain active for replies.

British mag "BMW Car" (May edition) just reviewed the E46 M3 and came back with similar opinions to the rest of the UK motor press but different to what people here think.

Here are some quotes:

"Can it really be that much better than an E36? In short. Yes - the new car outshines it in every respect."

"...there's power in abundance whatever the revs - it'll even pull fairly strongly in 6th at 1000rpm. If the torque peak looks high (@ 5000rpm), don't worry as 80% of maximum torque is available from 2000rpm making the M3 incredibly flexible."

"...where BMW has made the greatest gains it is in the steering. Where the E36 feels dull and lifeless, the new car has terrific feel and I instinctively know what the front wheels are doing. It's almost go-kart sharp in it's response to the tiniest input with the more direct rack that's fitted to the E46 M3 an absolute joy. Not only is the steering a lot sharper but the safe understeering nature of the standard E46 chassis has been given back it's balls."

"...has the best soundtrack to emerge from Munich this side of a race track - the sound of the engine/exhaust alone is worth the asking price".

This kind of ties in with my own test drive experience and what other European car mags have said. I'm surprised that other people here seem to have such a different view ?!

Michael.