2009 BMW M3: Open Thread

How does it compare to the coupe?

a red coupe cut me off in boston when 2 lanes became 1. and i mean there was about 5 feet of space and he had to gun it hard and cut in hard and still only fit a corner of his car in. if i didn't happen to slow down to look at the car, i'd made a nice impression of my bumper on his door. i was pissed only because he put that beautiful piece of work in such danger just to get a car length ahead, in traffic that wasn't moving much anyway.

so yea, after that i liked BMW's, including M3's, just that much less. S4/RS4's here are usually more civil. :)

I dream about an M3 with the 335d's diesel in place of that V8. I know that is insane, but that seriously is my dream car, and if I had a spare $100k or so I would make it happen.

I spent some time in a 2009 DCT droptop at the BMW CCA Oktoberfest at Road Atlanta. I was very impressed. While I still prefer a manual gearbox, the M DCT is SO good that I'd probably order it so that my wife could drive it. My perfect M3 would be white with the Anthracite cloth/leather interior and the only options would be the Technology Package(probably), CWP, Premium Sound, and PDC. The MSRP would be $66805, or $61,655 if you dropped the TP and Premium Sound.

im trying to think of a photo you guys could take of this car, and others, where we could 1. guess what car it is and 2. see a part of the car that we never get to see during normal photos.

im thinking:
- the part of the door frame where the door latches to the body, you know, that metal piece... i wonder what it looks like on an M3?
- inside the front fascia, the radiator, or whatever is in those vents. whats in there? does it collect leaves and dead bugs? lets see!
- inside the glove box :)

you guys should start a new game: guess the car from those locations (kind of like the stig game)

What lap time does it run at Streets of Willow with the blow-pass, clockwise? Or Buttonwillow 13CW config?

Do you guys possibly now regret not specifying the seven-speed M-DCT dual-clutch transmission on your long-term M3?
I've driven both, and think that the high-rev nature of the M3's V8, is much better suited to the seven-speed gearbox vs. six-speed manual - you just get a much better gear ratio spread, not to mention the shift speeds available are just insane!
Case in point: the new Ferrari 458 Italia will only be offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Maybe Inside Line should treat us faithful IL readers to an M3 Twin-Test comparing the two transmissions against one another, but I realize you guys are much too busy testing what all us enthusiasts are truly craving: Chevy Volts! C'mon guys, please get back to the basics, and leave the tree hugging to another source etc.!

I think i fit in the catagory of "dreamed of one" and "seen one one the road". I would go with the white 4 door M3 with black leather (instead of your car's silly red) and the six speen manual. The only reservation i have would be winter performance. Because I live in Salt Lake, it would take a much braver man than I to take this car out with any hint of snow on the ground. Have you guys ever driven the m3 in snowy conditions?

I'd also like to see a comparison next to the M3 Coupe.

What about features like the rear sunshade (does it even have it, or is that just a coupe feature?) What about the base sound system compared to the HiFi Profesional one? The iPod interface? I want to know about the little features inside, the functionality. I liked the iPhone holder post. More info like that.

I'm curious how well it would drive in the snow. If you'd like you can send it to me, I'll test 'er out for a few weeks and give you a full report.

worthyofed: The sunshade is indeed an option on the sedan. The sunshade over the back window is deployed with a button in the center of the IP, next to the seat heaters. When you tick the sunshade box, you also get shades in the rear doors; there are two in each door. One rolls up out of the door and hooks to the top of the window frame, the other covers the small fixed window just in front of the C pillar and rolls out of the window frame. The door shades are manual.

The iPod interface on my '08 works very well; full track/artist/playlist info is displayed on the Nav screen, and the iDrive controller works essentially like the click wheel on the iPod. They've made some tweaks to this for 2009-10.

As for driving in the snow, it's fine--as long as you have snow tires. Of course, if the snow is very heavy the lack of ground clearance can be an issue, but I've driven mine in a number of snowstorms riding on Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires and have never had a serious traction issue. You need to be judicious with the throttle, but the throttle is easy enough to modulate that this is never a problem.

Really, the thing that impresses me about the M3 is how easy it is to live with on a day-to-day basis, even in inclement weather. Other than the terrible fuel economy, there's really no reason to pick a 335 over an M3 from a day-to-day comfort standpoint. Indeed, the M3 in many respects is better--without the awful runflats the suspension is actually more compliant over sharp potholes, the mechanical limited slip is nice to have in the snow, and until you drop the hammer the car just feels pretty relaxed (in a good way).

FWIW, the base sound system in the M3 (which I have) is noticeably inferior to the Logic 7 system that they put in 335s. I haven't tried the high zoot stereo in the M3, but compared to my old 335 the M3 stereo has very little bass punch. On the upside, the lack of subwoofers in the trunk means my M3 has more usable cargo room than my 335 did, especially when carrying a compact spare.

How does the Manual Transmission on the M3 compare to the standard 3 series? Or are they the same?

Would any of the staffers choose the Auto Transmission over the Manual for the M3?

Always loved the philosophy of the M3 sedan, glad they finally brought it back.

How are the brake pads holding up?

I hear there might be a competition package for the MY11 models...I'm holding off on a purchasing decision until the rumors become solidified.

I've been pretty dead set on the options I prefer for a while..(E90 6-speed with Premium/Tech/Carbon/iPhone integration, red leather seats, 19's which will get powdercoated satin black), however I'm unsure of what paint to go with. My favorite color by far, Sparkling Graphite, was discontinued with the '08 model. Kinda leaning towards Le Mans Blue at this point.

Would you consider buying it for about $60K or rather go for the coupe or something completely different?

I personally would spend that much money on something that's visually bit more exciting.

I'd enjoy a photo of a 6'+ person in the front seat and a baby seat in the back seat to see how much room there for long legs and a baby (since this 4-door is more family oriented than the coupe or roadster).

Maybe a photo of how much ground clearance there is with respect to steep driveways, curbs, and speed bumps. My 370Z always rubs the ground and its irritating - maybe the M3 has put itself together better in this respect?

Finally, photo over the left and right shoulders to show blind spots (or lackthereof) would be nice.

Thanks IL!
Kevin

@yellowmiata: I am only 5'10, but I do put a Recaro Signo G2 Convertible seat rearward facing right behind me. I put the infant seat fully reclined and I have towels to level it as well. My front seat headrest touches the headrest of the Recaro and it may even press on it slightly, but it is just fine.

The backseat can fit some really tall people because the seats are deep and quite high. I think 6' at the back might be the theoretical limit for comfort's sake if you have a person my height at the front.

I have a steep driveway to my garage and I have to drive in and out at extreme angles to avoid rubbing. It's acceptable.

can you race your s5 and see how much faster m3 is? yeah i know m3 will beat s5....just want to see how much

@prefcustomer,

"On the upside, the lack of subwoofers in the trunk means my M3 has more usable cargo room than my 335 did, especially when carrying a compact spare."

The 335i - or any E9x 3-Series for that matter until the 2010 MY - has subwoofers under the front seats. The difference in trunk storage space is due to the 335i's exhaust resonators, the M3's are configured differently.

I'm wan't to know if my wife would notice if my anthracite/black 2003 Acura CL Type S 6MT thats currently in the garage was replaced by a 2009 Silverstone II M3 6MT sedan with a few options?

If she did notice.....what would be the consequences (gulp)? My guess would be instant castration without anesthetics.

@bimmerjay--

I'm not talking about a difference in the load floor of the trunk; near as I can tell, the carpeted area on the floor of the trunk is exactly the same shape between the '07 335 I had and the '08 M3 I'm driving now (both E90s). Of course, the under-carpet compartment (where the spare would be if BMW deigned to design the car to carry one) is a different shape, but that's not what I'm thinking of.

I'm talking about the roof of the trunk--the bottom of the package shelf. In the 335, there was a fairly substantial object bolted to the bottom of the package shelf--I always assumed it was audio gear, since that's where they put the speakers in the E46s I had. There's nothing like that in the M3. The difference is about 4 inches--enough that when I put my luggage into the 335 I had to sort of struggle, but with the M3 it goes right in.

I am a huge BMW fan, but when I recently drove a 09 m3 hardtop convertible with the 7spd m-dct tranny, I wasn't really impressed. Around local roads, I didn't feel the torque doing anything for me. and when I went on the highway, I ripped it up to 8000rpm and, while it was pretty crazy, I wasn't completely impressed.

Did I not drive it the way it should have been driven? and btw, that transmission shifts gears so fast. I'm afraid to say this but my g35x feels much better around town (even though there's less torque) and I just can't see why I would pick a m3 over a 335 (I live in nyc also).

Yellowmiata,

I'm 6'1" and have my daughter's seat in the middle facing forward with no issues. In my seating position, there are probably 6" between the back of my seat and the cushion of the back seat. I haven't tried a rear facing seat yet. The M3 has plastic seat backs for the front seats which I like because they don't get damaged easily.

I don't find the M3 low at all compared to most sports cars. Yes you have to be somewhat aware but nothing like a recent model year Vette or 911. I've had both and scraped the ground or driveways multiple times weekly. Never driven a 370Z so I can't compare.

@pyo_s65, mmmmmmmm3

Thanks for the heads up regarding passenger room and ground clearance! Its good to know that BMW engineered this amazing vehicle to accommodate real-world situations.

Cheers,
Kevin

"I am a huge BMW fan, but when I recently drove a 09 m3 hardtop convertible with the 7spd m-dct tranny, I wasn't really impressed."

@NXLSteve, go back to the dealer and request a drive in a coupe or the sedan as they both weigh much much less vs the hardtop. Many reviews have stated the hardtop saps quite a bit of performance from the M3 simply because of the extra weight. With that said, if you drive a coupe or sedan I think your opinion of this car will change drastically.