Disagree on this one. 911 is much worse on turn in. The front end is lighter and tends to float and will understeer badly if you go into a turn hot. Once you set the front end however, exit speed on the 911 is much faster because you can stand on the gas all the way from the apex. Turn in response is much better with an M3. Driving them hard, they are 2 COMPLETELY different cars. The 911 can do more, but the M3 is much easier to get to 90% of the 911 potential - if you can follow that.

 

385hp/3250lbs
vs
414hp/3704lbs

Simple math.

 

I never get any float out of my 997. It doesn't understeer much either. Neither of my M3s, even with -2.5 degrees of camber and stiffer springs, turn in like the 911. The super light front end and the quick steering of the 911 are a joy to turn in with, where the M3 was work. Both have great steering feel, but the 911 is so much lighter that it feels a lot better to me. I'm not really noticing much understeer, especially not on turn in, the M3 understeers way more.

The M3 took a set faster, though. The 911 has to get it's *** end in line before it's set... but I agree with you on corner exit, the 911 has superior grip coming out of the corner.

 

Porsche with more acceleration: More lbs per hp with the BMW, and less torque with the BMW.

 

I feel like I should respond here being a BMW fan. Its simple, I just traded in my 2011 M3 for a new 911 GTS. Always wanted a 911 and I just did not feel comfortable in the M3. 911 is quicker, better feel, and PDK is awesome. I have zero regrets and very happy with decision.

Good Luck!

 

M3 = perfect DD for those who dont want to daily their 911

 

These are two very different cars . If one wants a great car for three or four years as a fun , practical , daily driver the M3 is it . On the other hand a person can keep a 911 for 10 years as it's a timeless classic .

If cost is removed from the equation and one compared driving the car on an open road .. both are fun ... but different. The M3 has an awesome sound and the new OEM upgraded exhaust is amazing . Competition package gives a very nice ride yet handles better than my 08 M3 did . The car is quiet when it needs to be yet loud when the driver wants it to be . On a 4+ hour drive the M3 is the car I'd choose for comfort , gadgets, practical . It even holds value with high miles and with free maintenance .. there really is a lot of car.

As for driving .. the front engined car is totally diffeent . Some will cl;aim it's easier to drive hard and some of the points Rye M3 made are spot on .
As for driving ease .. i didn't have to get accustomed to a 911 . I have driven 911 cars for over 15 years and also had BMW's throgh those years too. It's almost like being fluent in two languages . The newbie might try and translate word for word into his native language as he learns whereas a fluent person can think in both languages equally . I consider myself fluent in both driving both cars but can respect that some might face adjustments.

As for which is faster .... tough call . It depends on what type of drive and in any straight line they are fairly close . The 997.1 might be a bit slower and the 997.2 PDK might be faster . Personally I don't look at either of these cars as "fast" cars because there are many other cars which are faster and compared to a modded Turbo they are slow .

As for PDK , 6 speed, Dct .. My M3 is a 6 speed . I feel the Dct has too many settings , has a bit of jerkiness too. The manual lever is ill positioned in the M3 and the gearbox is the weakest part of the car . Porsche builds the best manual gearbox in the 911 that i have ever driven and PDK is very impressive . In fact I liked the manual so much on my previous 997S that I almost didn't buy the Turbo because i really disliked the power assist clutch .

Lastly .. it's nice to imagine both cars driving on an open fun road but the reality is that when one gets on a construction filled highway with pickup trucks cutting in and out as it begins to rain .. the 911 feels like a small hockey puck wheras the m3 is like a little tank . My point is that driving comparisons ought to include all types of roads and it comes down to the individual and his needs and hopes for the car.

 

Rent both for a day..
then pick.

 

to get a good M3 you need to find nice old E36 3.2L car, get it stripped, put in a cage, upgrade suspension then get it on a track and drive hell out of it.

it would be much more fun than to mess with stock street 997 car. and cheaper.

 

Agree, I had the M3 and it's and awesome car. There is really no comparison IMHO between the two cars. 911 is a step above in handling and price.

 

Thx guys!

Thats how I felt when I drove it...

Thx for a very well thought out opinion Yralais!

 

I'm picking up my new 2011 E92 M3 Saturday - I'm looking forward to it. I think the combo of 997 + M3 will work very nicely for my needs. I'll report back with my thoughts on the comparison when I've had them for a while.

 

i saw 2009 gt-r cars sell now for low $60K range. imho it`s much more of a car for daily driving than any m3.

 

GT-R is amazing but not my cup of tea. Too flashy for what I want. The M3 in boring colors (silver, black) flies very nicely under the radar.

 

Thx Rudy, look forward to it..