Our COO has a 2009 black on black BMW M3 Coupe with the 6M gearbox. We're using it in our 2011 catalog (along with a bunch of other cars, of course) and spent the day yesterday with it and Barry Meguiar's own black on black '57 Bel Air on a bit of a photoshoot. We took a bunch of static images at a couple of locations as well as some motion shots on a local canyon road. I had the car from noon until this morning - yep, had to take it home last night and commute in with the darn thing. Yeah, it's a rough job but someone's gotta do it.

Anyway, my thoughts on the car.

Yes, it's fast. Well, once you hit the "M" button on the steering wheel to unleash the full fury of the naturally aspirated V8 under the hood. The leather seats are buttery soft and the side bolsters hug you like grandma on your 10th birthday. The ride is very firm but the car is screwed together so well that you don't hear a squeak or rattle anywhere. The steering wheel is crazy fat in your hands and the steering feel is rather heavy, though pretty quick and quite precise. The seating position feels really high compared to a Crossfire and the steering wheel feels pretty high as well. Had I adjusted it any lower it would have cut off the top of the speedo and tack. Sure, I could have lowered the seat to make up for that, but then I would have felt like I was sitting in a hole. A buttery soft hole with grandma holding me securely in place, sure, but a hole nonetheless.

Now I don't know for sure how much power is available without the "M" button depressed, but it really wasn't all that impressive. That tiny little button on the wheel just transforms the car, trust me. But the clutch pedal is no firmer than my Crossfire's but it also has a strange, non linear and slightly rubbery feel. No weird sudden engagement or anything like that, just the bizarre feeling that it was connected to a large rubber band that you could almost over stretch at one point.

The shifter felt almost spindly compared to the stock set up on the Crossfire, and the throws were crazy long. I almost had to reach to get it into 5th. It was pretty smooth and crisp, for sure, but in all honesty it was not a quantum leap beyond the shifter in my Crossfire. I've said before, even with all the grumbling about the gearbox in the Crossfire, that mine feels perfectly fine to me. Compared to this M3 and even my old Miata, the Crossfire gearbox feels quite nice indeed. And comparing it to those two cars is comparing it to what are generally considered among the best in the business. Sort of makes you wonder just how fine a distinction is needed for some reviewers to all but condemn a piece of hardware.

Certainly some of my impressions are based in unfamiliarity with the car, never having driven one before. And some come from comparing the M2 to what is now a completely intuitive driving experience after owning my Crossfire for three years - canyon runs, track days, and just general driving. There are things about the M3 that I like better than the Crossfire - those seats for one (my Crossfire is sorely lacking in lumbar support, with "sorely" being the operative word) and little things like the way the seat belt is handed to you by a little motorized arm that pushes it forward after you start the engine. The M3 looks the business, too, but then again the owner went for black on black and has since added anthracite wheels from Vorsteiner as well as a nice Vorsteiner body kit and a faux carbon fiber roof (his car has a sunroof and the factory true carbon fiber roof is not available when that option is checked).

Yes, the power is fantastic when the "M" button is selected - a near redline (8,000 rpm!) shift into third causes the tail end to jump noticeably and generally the beast feels like it will never stop pulling. But after having just spent the past hour running some errands in the Crossfire, with the memory of the M3 still very fresh in my mind, it's obvious to me that in regular driving you simply can't make use of all the power the M3 offers. Oh, sure, when the time does come it's intoxicating, but I never felt the Crossfire was lacking anything today while getting on the freeway, carving an on-ramp (we already know how the Crossfire sticks in the corners) or leaving a stop light.

Except for the seats themselves, in many ways the cockpit of the Crossfire is more ergonomic. It may be tighter, but the center arm rest of the M3 feels really, really high and almost like it's in the way. Yes, it's the same height as the armrest on the door (it had better be) but it just felt like my elbow was waaay up there. And the shockingly long throws of the shifter - geez. But the pedals of the M3 are just made for heal/toe driving. Perfect is an understatement. Fit and finish inside are fantastic. The engine is a jewel. The exhaust note could be a bit more enthusiastic, but then again I'm used to my Magnaflow with the top down.

Oh, the trip computer on the M3 was showing an average fuel economy figure of 14.5mpg when I was handed the keys, but it was up to 15.3 when I pulled up at the office this morning. Apparently my commute home and to work this morning helped out a bit. And, hey, it is the boss's car so I wasn't being a total hoon with it yesterday.

At the end of it all, if I'm completely honest, the M3 is just a stunning bit of kit. Fantastic in almost every way. But my favorite thing about it might be that it made me appreciate my Crossfire even more. Can't wait until I get out of here today, drop the top, and take the canyon route home.

 

Well written Mike, thanks for the good read.



Boo sunroofs, they remove the structural integrity of the car without even giving you that wind in the hair feeling of a vert... Boo sunroofs. Yay factory carbon fiber roof.

 

Great story. Frankly i'm surprised that you ended up appreciating your car more after having driven a $60-70k M3. Usually that would cause the opposite effect. Thanks for the honest comparison.

 

Mike, I can't recall a time that I've ever read your posts and made it to the end without feeling like part of the story. The visual descriptiveness (I think I just made that word up) makes me feel as if I was right there, and there is no mystery in how driving one of those would have felt.

You should seriously consider doing articles for Road & Track, MT, and the like.

Thanks for sharing

 

8,000 rpm? That is some engine!

(Been reading the manufacturer's website on the M3)

 

Don't get me wrong, the current M3 is one hell of an impressive car - it's no wonder so many publications consider it one of the best driver's cars in the world. I would absolutely love to have one in my garage. But it also made me realize just how good the Crossfire really is.

Thanks for the kind words!

It's a freakin' incredible engine is what it is. And it pulls hard and strong all the way around the tach, too.

 

Great write-up, Mike! But that quote makes me go hmmmm

I also have always found the XF 6MT to be a very good shifter. Very short throws and nice engagement in all gears. It's got a "dampened" feeling, which is very different from japanese shifters.