Do you miss the E92 M3 at all?

 

I do. That thing was awesome!

 

I miss my E46 M3 ....

 

Me too, I was getting confused.

 

I have the same set of wheels as the OP.... F80 M3 and a 991 C2S. I think the OP's comparison is pretty dead on how I feel about the two as well. I do like having four doors with the M3 but the 911 is definitely a step up in performance. That N/A flat 6 really does it for me and I truly can see the cons of turbocharging.

There is a surge of immediacy with the M3 while the Porsche has to be worked up and loves to play in the higher revs. You know you can go higher in the M3 but you don't really need to since there is so much power on the low end. The steering and suspension are better in the 911 and I have the performance exhaust so it definitely sounds better.

At first I hated the M3's sound coming from the E92 with the V8 and the E46 with that raspy high revving inline 6. The sound has grown on me quite a bit and it is really unique in its own way. It does emit crackles and pops here and there but the volume can't match the N/A flat 6 in the 911. Turbocharging definitely dampens sound so the M3 isn't too much of a screamer.

The F80 M3 changed the way we think an M car should feel in terms of the way one interacts with the specifics of an engine and it'll probably be the same story once Porsche goes turbo next year. Turbo cars are not a bad thing .....they're just different. I love my F80 as well as my 991....they're just different in the way they approach performance.

 

My '11 e92 steering felt heavy compared to my F80. F80 is very nimble. Steering feels much quicker.

 

Great insight. I also owned an E92 2008 and 2013 but traded early for a 2016 GTS and hoping for an late August delivery. I didn't even consider getting the new F80 M3/M4. My reasoning is the non-bespoke M3 engine that is similar to a normal 335 series. Plus of course, (maybe) the last NA 911.

 

Nice post. I enjoyed reading your comparison.

Enjoy both cars!

 

I came to this post late. I agree w/ the plaudits: nice write-up and photos. You are fortunate indeed to have *both* in the drive as options. I too have owned an E92 so would be curious about some thoughts on the engine vs the F80.
Porsche-philes will be addressing, and are, similar angst - a Deutscher word after all - in the move from 991.1 to 991.2 in pursuit of greater efficiency.

ironically, but splendidly, my very 1st P-car drive was a mid-1980s 930 Turbo. It scared the scheisse out of me. So different to today's urbane cars.

I have hung on to the E92 as an 'extra' (owned since new), but 'my better half' insists that a 991.2 needs to move the E92 M3 on to new pastures. That will be a sad day: there's something about wringing that V8 out to 8,400 on back road; an engine that was hand-assembled by a Master tech: and it was voted the best engine for 5 years [2008-12] in the 3.0-4.0L category, yes, even vs the wondrous Mezger of the era.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern...ne_of_the_Year

 

Great comparison. It confirms my impressions of BMWs. I've test driven them several times when looking for vehicles and have always gone with something else. Like you, I've always found the steering sluggish compared to Porsche, the Miata, or even Audi, unlike what the magazine reviewers claim. I suspect that BMW must set the cars up differently for reviewers than for the lot.

 

If we are talking non-M simply getting lighter wheels with stop-flat tires (or whatever the opposite is of runflats) will do a pretty decent job.

Supposedly the F30 facelift improved steering feel somewhat. But overall yes, it is very hard to hold up the BMW flag.

 

i just dumped my F80 M3 for a 991 GTS.

the M3 looked awesome, was wicked fast 9with mods), and very comfortable for me and the family... but there was just something about the chassis and steering that made me go "meh"... 1/4 mile out of the Porsche dealer, and the $70k upgrade was worth it!

 

Nice write up. I have both. The 2012 M3 came first. Then a 2013 911s & now a 2016 911s. As much as I love the 911 I can't bear to give up the M3.
The sound this engine makes at 8400 rpm is epic. They won't be making these kind of motors any longer and I custom ordered it new. Two different styles but both satisfying!

 

I drove a 2007 BMW 328 to the dealer to go test drive an M4 and personally owned an '03 330, I feel that the older BMW's are much more fun to drive. I did not care for the M4 even after a fairly long 30 minute test drive. Heck, I wanted to get out after 10 minutes. It felt big and the engine just didn't feel "racy" to me.

I test drove a base 991 a week later and instantly fell in love.

 

The e90 328i also has the N52 engine (NA i6) which is about as good as it gets for BMW engines if you don't want a turbo. (not counting the e90 m3). No turbo no DI, spools up nice, sounds nice. Difficult to ruin as long as you keep the fluids in. The major problem is that those fools put a hardtop on the e90 convertible and now it's too heavy for the NA engine.