u probably right. me though, i would get the smg or whatever equivalent they come up with...

 

The scariest part is what everyone seems to be saying about the steering feel. From the article:

"The surprising exception was in the steering department...In its normal setting, the steering is feather light, far lighter than in a regular 3-series and, according to BMW, “enables the driver to park the car much more easily.” Come on, is this what we really need on the M3? At 100-plus-mph speeds on the highway, the steering borders on scary light in its regular setting...Worse is that the level of tingly, tactile feedback coming through that thick-rimmed wheel seems to be dialed back a bit compared with the last M3 or even a current-gen 328i or 335i."

What the hell are they thinking? Less feel than a 328 or 335 I've been dissapointed with the looks and interior thus far, now it seems like the driving experience may be a let down as well.

 

^^^^^
actually that is not unusual for ///M. in the e39 540i the steering feel is heavier than the regualar setting on the M5. however, once set to sport the steering feel was heavier than the 540i. not sure how it is on the new 550i vs. e60 m5.

edit: the zhp and the m3 (e46) are not that different either.

 

I think 12.9 in the 1/4 is not the best that the new M3 can do... we'll be seeing quicker times that's for sure....

as far as the competition nobody has yet mentioned the Lexus IS500 with an *EIGHT* speed transmission.... (!)

 

The word is that a 7-speed dual clutch (like DSG) is on the way in a year or so.... Considering how badass it is in my A3, it should be killer in the M3.

 

Often C&D's quarter mile times are the fastest of the bunch. But often cars get much better times once they have some miles on them, and C&D often re-tests cars and they get better times.

Also do we have a confirmed weight for the NA market?

An Australian RS4 hit 12.8@108 with a guy who was drag racing for the first time. But his is probably at euro-spec weight though.

And since when is a sub 13sec 1/4 not fast? lol

 

Trap speed sais how fast the car is. 0-60 times say nothing given the power outputs of modern cars and the traction issues that come with them...

 

exactly! i dont think this car is really going to trap any better than 111-112 mph which is EXACTLY as I said ALL ALONG! its slightly faster than a 997 in terms of trap speed and ET but 2-3 mph slower than a 997S in trap and .2-.3 slower than the 997S in ET. there was a big discussion a while ago about what ET and trap speed relate to, scott (divexxtreme) would still have the original post by carver.

 

comp pkg. made the steering ratio more aggressive... i thought it was a bit on the sensitive side...

 

i thought it would be a bit faster then 12.9 1/4 mile

 

Very true. Trap speed takes the launch out of the equation for the most part. Without a full time slip, it's hard to tell how good that 12.9 actually is.

That has to be a typo, it must have a 144mph limiter. There is no way an E92 with 300+ hp and tq is drag limited to sub-150mph. They should hit 170+ no problem.

If history predicts the future, I highly doubt the C63 is going to be much more than a luxo-drag car. The AMG C-class cars have always been fast in a straight line but as an overall drivers car, the M3 has always been leaps and bounds better. I doubt things will change much.

I'm going to wait until I have an E92 to give my judgement. M3's have never been about being the fastest in a straight line. They have always been great all-around "sport coupes" which do everything well. I was hoping the E92 would bring back some raw-ness of the E30/E36 but from the reviews on the steering/handling, it doesn't sound that way....

 

agree on the 335i comments...but, have you even read the press releases from AMG about the new c63 amg, its the first amg car being wholly produced by the AMG division, and they are retooling and tweaking almost ever part of that car to be about great handling as well as the brutal straight line speed it will have. its gonna be prob lighter than the m3 and def lighter than the rs4. its going to be much more than you think it is.

 

Interesting but i'm not going to take MBZ's word for it. As I mentioned, their history has been more luxo-drag cars than all around performers, so I'm simply going off what they have done in the past.

I'd love to see something more "M3 like" come from MBZ but I just don't see it happening.

I guess we'll see once it hits the showroom floor....

 

we can hope...

 

the 7speed SMG M3 V8 will be a land missile... look how fast an e46 M3 is with a 4.10 diff.... imagine that extra gear in the V8!!