Quote:
Originally Posted by nublu2u
Back in the day when my s54 could rev out to 8k, and M engineers scoffed at MB (larger capacity) and Audi (forced induction) to match power on an M3. Or the SMG that could change gear faster than any other system on the market, or the hp per litre that was class leading, yeah that was engineering excellence.
On to the e92 and the s65 that goes to 8.4k, cfrp roof (MB just painted theirs black), m dct and m diff, yeah still pretty special engineering.
On to my f82, looks stunning, super fast, but less special wrt engineering. Everybody can do turbo, at least the s55 revs to 7.6k and it has cfrp roof and driveshaft. Still got a nice DCT transmission.
And the omens for G82, more power, less revs, very quick, auto box. Could be a MB or an Audi or....
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Hmmm! Your rebuttals are hollow. You're romanticizing things while ignoring what was taking place in car culture at the time (...
assuming you are even old enough or owned an M3 at the time).
The comparable MB was always just as quick as the M3, but it just felt different. It was that feeling that separated the two, not the performance. Sure, the S54 revved like a Honda VTEC....
...but it also had the torque of a Honda VTEC, too. Back in the day on E46 Fanatics (...
and other forums devoted to that car), the significant lack of torque, heavy weight and tin can exhaust were constant complaints. Oh, and everybody lambasted the looks, too. It was NOT universally loved. SMGII transmissions would run hot, fail to change gear, go into limp mode, etc. All of that marketing nonsense meant nothing when your SMGII M3 was stuck in a parking lot because it won't shift out of park, or in my case with my first of two E46 M3's, when the VANOS resulted in a blown motor causing BMW to replace my entire motor, give me/us a 100,000 mile KIA/HYUNDAI-like powertrain warranty and provide me with a new E60 5 Series for a month and a half. I was one of the first to deal with the blown motor issue. When my S54 went kaboom I was on the freeway on a cloverleaf turn. I was lucky I didn't end up off the side of the freeway in a ditch when all the power went out and my car careened in a straight line before miraculously gaining enough power to allow me to turn the wheel and avoid the edge, but I digress....
On the other heavily lambasted E9X -
I've owned 3 - that romanticized "
M Diff" you keep bringing up was the source of discontent for many M owners as it made horrible grinding noises during right/left turns, causing BMW to do a mass replacement for E9X owners (...
kinda like the CFRP driveshaft you keep touting). So special! <rolls eyes> News flash: other companies have technologically advanced differentials as well. BMW is not the only company with some sort of E-differential.
Oh yeah, and for a V8 the S65 lacked torque. That was another huge complaint. So we have two full M iterations with torque issues, requiring high revs just to feel any power. It sounds to me like BMW finally listened and responded to 9-ish years of complaints when they developed the S55. Finally power was available below 5500 RPM's.
The F8X is a marvel. It's my favorite M car yet. It wasn't without its issues though.
The G8X will STILL have a manual (...
interesting that you keep ignoring that fact), will likely have lightweight materials at least equal to that of the F8X, will likely weigh similarly, will likely make an F8X feel slow, etc. You haven't driven the car yet, so why are you so quick to dismiss it.
With all of this talk about there being better cars out there with the same practicality and sportiness, most of us who have been around awhile have owned every more modern iteration of M. Despite everything MB, Audi, Cadillac, Jaguar, etc. has thrown at many of us for the past 20 years, we've stuck with M despite the weight, the introduction of turbos (...
if you're one of those who is bothered by F/I), etc. For the few that have left for a Porsche GT car, I envy you. I would ditch my M in a heartbeat for a new 6MT GT3.