review Fifth Gear review: E46 vs F80 M3

[MR_Y]

Interesting to compare M3s that are 20 years apart.

 

[GravityLee]

TIL Fifth Gear still exists

 

[MR_Y]

Interesting to see how both cars handled the wet track. The G80, especially in RWD, is a monster, but that E46 seems like the more accessible car. I wonder if the true successor to the older M3 is actually the M2...

 

[MR_Y]

TIL Fifth Gear still exists

They have a YouTube channel.

Tiff Needel, the original presenter, left the channel and created another:https://youtube.com/@lovecarsTV

 

[Coisman]

I loved this. Watched it last night. E46 still the best, and no Bugs Bunny teeth in the front not in your face as the F80 with the design. I was kinda amazed with him saying he preferred the Auto, and owned one as well. One would think the Manual M3 E46 would be the way to go. I love my 325i. If I had the money I would not buy the F80, I would rather go for the M2 as mentioned, or even the M5, Looks better, and what a car.

 

[VinceM]

E46, one of the very best BMW platforms.

I think every petrol head I meet mentions e39 and e46 in their count of best BMWs ever.

M2 Comp, the unofficial e46 M3 replacement. Id go that route too vs the now M4 (which is a GT)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[FILV]

The difference in size is also surprising. The G80 is a big car

 

[Coisman]

The difference in size is also surprising. The G80 is a big car

 

[TBP88]

The difference in size is also surprising. The G80 is a big car

Size of an old M5 pretty much, heck the new M2 is big enough to fit the old M2 inside it comfortably. To say nothing of their weights.

These late 90s to early 2010s cars will remain special because of the connectedness of the driving experience and because they're not scarily fast. Anything modern is just stupid quick. Frightening. These cars are still exciting at 150km/h. The new stuff feels downright slow at that speed. And you're already facing insane fines at 150 in a 120 zone.

Add to that lighter weight, (subjective) better styling and increasing rarity as they get too old to bother maintaining and it's easy to see why some of the more exciting cars of that era are becoming wildly expensive. A decade ago an R34 skyline was vaguely affordable. nowadays I think clean rare editions are like 300k USD levels (especially as they become importable to the US).

Sad but true. In terms of what happens in 20yrs time I suspect this generation of sportscars will not be remembered especially fondly. In a few years the sports sedan will be dead, replaced by electrics. The day BMW goes balls to the wall and makes a M3i will signal that properly. The weight of the new ICE cars is so high that they've already done the hard slog of creating high end suspensions wizardry to handle on rails while weighing well clear of 2 tons. Why bother with an ICE which has lower torque, less immediate response and forced you to make compromises on pricing and emissions etc. etc. The next M3 is almost certainly going to be a hybrid (like the new AMG C class) and the M3 after that will probably be fully electric.

 

[TurboLlew]

✋Another serial owner of very nice and moder/current M cars that wishes for @Neven to sell me his E46 or to find a good E39 M5 one day.

TBH the M2 isn't the replacement or successor... you could have an M2 comp and be very happy with the E46 still IMHO (goes for almost any M car including as I've mentioned before E39 vs E60 vs F10 vs F90). There aren't real successors to these cars within the BMW stable and it isn't a bad thing necessarily.

NA+6MT,
Turbo + DCT/Auto (unless its JDM)

This seems to be the way and dynamically why so many people continue (even with Manuals available) to choose the auto option even for what are supposed to be 3rd or 4th cars.

As for size: it's why it is extremely difficult for me to take some of the comments I read about the M2 and M3 seriously (as well as how 'hard or direct' they are), but I won't get into an argument about it. Everyone has different experiences and preferences.

 

[Coisman]

E30 M3 dimensions



E46 M3 dimensions




E36 M3 dimensions




E90 M3 dimensions





F80 dimensions




E39 M5 dimensions

 

[Coisman]

So It's bigger than an E39 M5, and that M5 had a 5.0L V8 fitted, so bigger engine to fit in the engine bay, plus smaller grills.

I still say the M3 (and all cars for that matter) are getting bigger and bigger for no real reason. Yes safety features and crumple zones, bla bla bla. I won't be told that due to these things the F80 M3 is now bigger than the E39 M5.