Just drove my friends E92 M3....impressions

[BlackMoupe]

All I can say is, WOW. The Z4M is truly a unique driving experience. The world sets the M3 as the driving standard, but DAMN. Our cars walk all over that in terms of feel. For comparisons sake this is 2011 DCT M3 non ZCP In M mode vs my 2007 Z4M Coupe in sport, DSC off. Both cars are equipped with PS2 tires (same model).

Steering-M3 was artificial, i couldnt "tell" what the front was doing. Slower (annoyingly variable) ratio. the physical wheel was very nice, thick, and ergonomic. The Z4MC has a nice heft to it, the wheel is a bit frustrating for me as my fingers hit the spokes in the back at 9-3 position. But the faster rack and better feel made the car much more predictable (my friend noted the same when he drove my car)

Handling- The car stuck, but I wasn't confident because of the steering. Variable ride allowed the harsh bounciness of M mode to be tuned out to allow better perception of the car. The M3 felt like a boat since I had a good 4-5 feet of car behind me, there was also more diving and rolling. The Z4MC, on a smooth road, goes like this; turn, dig in, go. On a rough road, all hell breaks loose trying to keep it on line. Very little roll, a lot of grip.

Power/tranny- being DCT and a much larger, better insulated car made the M3 "feel" slower. But the car pulls hard and for a DD I'd love to have DCT as the perfect downshifts were intoxicating. But driving hard I did miss my beloved third pedal. When he drove my car he said that it "felt" faster, more light on it's feet, but in the end he'd smoke me every time.

I'll leave out livability remarks and whatnot as that's for the owner to decide what he/she needs/wants from a car. But in the end it made me appreciate my car a thousand times more. (writing this on my iPhone, sorry for crappy grammar and sentence structure)

[mfanatic325]

Good review. I've also driven a friend's E92 DCT M3. Gobs of power, but it is a GT car after all, with more trade-off/sacrifice compared to our cars. Overall, they're absolutely unbeatable, especially if you buy them second-hand with low mileage, etc.
They're great all-around cars. Probably the best, if not one of the best bang for the buck. WINNING! I'd own one if I had the money

[johanness]

Good comparison. I just left the Auto Show tonight and couldn't wait to get back in my Moupe. Seems with the exception of some very pricey alternatives... The auto industry is going vanilla. From every manufacturer (barring the exotics) there isn't a DRIVERS car I saw that I wanted to drive home more than my beaut.
I must admit that the Audi TTrs had my attention for a while tho

[boondocksaint]

If I had to choose another car, I'd probably pick a newer Cayman S with a six speed, though PDK would be tempting for the downshifts as the OP observed. Having driven one, the balance in those cars is incredible. So easy to rotate by a single degree with very basic driving techniques.

Too bad the interiors of those cars are really quite disappointing. A Cayman/Boxster interior has felt very cobbled together (in terms of design) since they went into production. The quality is there, but the look and feel is not something I like.

Not that I like everything about the MCoupe's interior. The plastic is very Dodge Neon, but the layout is very clean. Fewer buttons = better.

[wrh3]

I really didn't enjoy driving our M3 before H&R springs, that was the best $200 I have spent. Naturally it does not feel as good to me as the Z4M but it works for a family car.