Picked up my M3 today and drove 7h and 600km the first day.
Mostly highway and below 5k rpm but also a fair bit of German and Italian inner city driving.
It's IMO a very, very different car to the E90 M3.
Pretty much everything the S65 does well the S55 doesn't and vice versa.
I'm most impressed with the suspension. Excellent job by M, best street suspension I ever driven. It's feels tauter and more communicative than the E90 while at the same time being even more planted, especially in the rear. Must be the way the suspension is bolted onto the subframe coupled with sublime suspension tuning. This by itself make this car worth buying IMO. I have no whatsoever 2nd thoughts about the passive suspension. It's just about perfect for me and better than expected.
Now the steering...it's ok. Is it as good the E9X, no, not even close for my taste. It's pretty numb in regards to grip and the road surface but since the chassi and suspension is so communicative there are plenty of feedback from larger road imperfections. However the weight is good and so is the on center feel even if it doesn't have enough return force when exciting long sweepers etc. it is very relaxing to drive even in very tight situations at high speed. All in all it's MUCH better than expected and something I'm sure I will adapt to. Actually I already have :) though it's a bit like safe sex with an attractive woman, it's good but could be so much better without the isolation.
The engine is another positive surprise. Not the power curve. It's frankly a bit boring and lack the classic racing feel of the S65. It's more like a big diesel or big American V8 in that regard. And it's not the sound. I don't like the sound in the cabin, it's nothing like the silky smooth growl of the N54 and N55 and for sure nothing like the S65's aural feast. This engine sound a feel raspy and quite rough. It also has a very strange drone under light cruising load on the highway as going uphill. The surprise is where it matters most to me. Throttle response, it's excellent. Sure there is a bit turbo lag but it's at very low rpm which is not an issue for me. The car cruises at almost 3k rpm at hwy speed in 6th gear and here the response is excellent.
I love the MT. It's super slick, precise and with good gear engagement feel. The clutch is ok, still way to much travel and so-so engagement feel but not bad.
Now to the not so good the surprises. First the seats. I don't like them. They don't yell with my body and are for me a big downgrade. I loved the E9X M3 seats. 12h was a breeze in those and they were super comfy and supportive. These new seats lack support for the mid back. Not good.
The LSD. It's a lot noisier and rougher than on the E9X. It has a lot of clacking when shifting between 1st and 2nd and sends hard jolts through the drive line at lower speeds when pressing the clutch. I think Clarkson's parking complaints about the DCT is mostly LSD issues that impact both trannies. This car is quite rough at low speeds. However I think it can be learnt and mitigated with the MT, I'm already doing much better. It needs to be handled firmly and quickly, no hesitations with resulting drop of acceleration when up shifting for example.
The car feels very solid, no creaks or groans and the quality of materials feel fine. It doesn't exactly feel lighter or more nimble than the E90. It does also feel more like a much smaller M5 than it does an E9X. It also doesn't wrap around you and shrink in the same way as an E9X but it doesn't feel ponderous like the M5.
I like it so far, it really feels like a new car while still being an interesting and fun car, a big pity about the seats though. I'll be working even more with the settings to see if it can be improved.
Mostly highway and below 5k rpm but also a fair bit of German and Italian inner city driving.
It's IMO a very, very different car to the E90 M3.
Pretty much everything the S65 does well the S55 doesn't and vice versa.
I'm most impressed with the suspension. Excellent job by M, best street suspension I ever driven. It's feels tauter and more communicative than the E90 while at the same time being even more planted, especially in the rear. Must be the way the suspension is bolted onto the subframe coupled with sublime suspension tuning. This by itself make this car worth buying IMO. I have no whatsoever 2nd thoughts about the passive suspension. It's just about perfect for me and better than expected.
Now the steering...it's ok. Is it as good the E9X, no, not even close for my taste. It's pretty numb in regards to grip and the road surface but since the chassi and suspension is so communicative there are plenty of feedback from larger road imperfections. However the weight is good and so is the on center feel even if it doesn't have enough return force when exciting long sweepers etc. it is very relaxing to drive even in very tight situations at high speed. All in all it's MUCH better than expected and something I'm sure I will adapt to. Actually I already have :) though it's a bit like safe sex with an attractive woman, it's good but could be so much better without the isolation.
The engine is another positive surprise. Not the power curve. It's frankly a bit boring and lack the classic racing feel of the S65. It's more like a big diesel or big American V8 in that regard. And it's not the sound. I don't like the sound in the cabin, it's nothing like the silky smooth growl of the N54 and N55 and for sure nothing like the S65's aural feast. This engine sound a feel raspy and quite rough. It also has a very strange drone under light cruising load on the highway as going uphill. The surprise is where it matters most to me. Throttle response, it's excellent. Sure there is a bit turbo lag but it's at very low rpm which is not an issue for me. The car cruises at almost 3k rpm at hwy speed in 6th gear and here the response is excellent.
I love the MT. It's super slick, precise and with good gear engagement feel. The clutch is ok, still way to much travel and so-so engagement feel but not bad.
Now to the not so good the surprises. First the seats. I don't like them. They don't yell with my body and are for me a big downgrade. I loved the E9X M3 seats. 12h was a breeze in those and they were super comfy and supportive. These new seats lack support for the mid back. Not good.
The LSD. It's a lot noisier and rougher than on the E9X. It has a lot of clacking when shifting between 1st and 2nd and sends hard jolts through the drive line at lower speeds when pressing the clutch. I think Clarkson's parking complaints about the DCT is mostly LSD issues that impact both trannies. This car is quite rough at low speeds. However I think it can be learnt and mitigated with the MT, I'm already doing much better. It needs to be handled firmly and quickly, no hesitations with resulting drop of acceleration when up shifting for example.
The car feels very solid, no creaks or groans and the quality of materials feel fine. It doesn't exactly feel lighter or more nimble than the E90. It does also feel more like a much smaller M5 than it does an E9X. It also doesn't wrap around you and shrink in the same way as an E9X but it doesn't feel ponderous like the M5.
I like it so far, it really feels like a new car while still being an interesting and fun car, a big pity about the seats though. I'll be working even more with the settings to see if it can be improved.
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