We like the guys from Vehicle Virgins and on more than one occasion we shared their videos because we were either entertained or we agreed with what they said. However, the time has come to be sitting on the other side of the fence for once and it’s because of a BMW.
What you should know is that this one editor has been a fan of the brand for a long time. I grew up with E46 3 Series and E39 5 Series around me and that’s also probably why I drive an E46 today. However, this passion also made me more acidic towards the brand I love because I don’t want them to fall into the wrong pattern.
I won’t even discuss the 2 Series Active Tourer or the Gran Tourer and I’ll be the first one to say that they are just wrong from beginning to end. However, I can’t just sit by when someone claims that the E92 M3 is better than the M4 because I actually drove them and things just aren’t that way.
There’s a strong tendency these days to discredit new models just because they are turbocharged. They usually come from people that are hung up on the past and think they know everything about cars that they simply play the ‘knowitall’ card. Well, if you watched some videos on Youtube and drove a couple more cars than the average Joe doesn’t make you an authority in the field.
In the particular case of the E92 M3 and the F82 M4, I can tell you that the claims that the older model is better are simply make believe stories of people living in a dream land. Of course, there are aspects that are better on the M3 Coupe but those are limited to the exhaust sound and the hydraulic steering.
Yes, the old hydraulic design offered more feedback than the new EPS version but it was also slow and sometimes overly rigid in usage. At the same time, the V8 sounds a lot better than the new forced-induction inline 6 so there’s no debate here. That’s about it though.
There’s a lot more body roll on the older model because it is simply a lot heavier. The S65 engine is a peach, but it lacks some serious torque to make you stand up at attention. And don’t give me the ‘turbo lag’ argument here, as it doesn’t stand in the case of the new S55 unit that is just brilliantly configured and shows almost no such thing throughout its rev band.
The M4 basically feels like you’re having sex with a hot crazy woman. It’s so fun and dangerous at the same time that you don’t really know what’s happening and how it’s going to end. All you know is that you love it.
The M3, on the other hand, is a car that is a lot more predictable. Think of it as the old janitor from your high-school. He came in and did the same thing every day and you knew exactly what to expect.
As for the title of ‘best buy under $35,000,’ I know a lot of other cars that would put the E92 M3 to shame in that price range, on the second-hand market. Think only of the second-gen Dodge Viper and you get my drift.
Even so, the E92 M3 does deserve your time and money. That’s because it’s more of an investment than anything. It’s the only V8-powered M3 ever made, the last M3 Coupe and the last naturally aspirated M car. All those attributes will turn it into a collectable down the road.
PS: if you're looking for a bargain incredibly good driver for under $35,000, try getting an E46 M3. It will outhandle the E92 by far and deliver a lot more adrenaline than its heavier, bigger successor.
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