Impressions over time.

[NewM3driver]

I've had my car for a little over a year now and I love it. Recently though, I have been thinking it doesn't feel as fast as it used to. I find myself pushing it more often, and over time have really, REALLY marveled over what an awesome handling and beautifully balanced car it truly is.

Tonight we went to dinner with my brother and his wife, and I drove his brand new Mercedes E350. Now I know that car is not meant to be an all out performance car, but it is a very nice, upper level German sedan.

You really lose touch with just how good our cars are until you get behind the wheel of something else. The Mercedes (600 miles) felt sluggish and distant, with an anemic engine, a slow transmission, vague steering and a suspension that felt loose and floaty. You could feel the car taking a set in every turn.

Driving home, the M felt razor sharp and fast as hell. A very sorted car indeed.

[GTM]

I do agree some point.

But MB usually shines when it does high speed runs.
Most MB feels dull and sluggish at low speed but that's how they set up the car to have excellent high speed stability.

I have done 100mph+ highway cruises(of course not in USA), MB clearly wins over Audis/BMW on this matter.


but yeah I do like BMW's sharp steering feel.

[Loseit]

I am at exactly a year now. 12k miles. I can't believe how much I enjoy driving this car.
Mine feels like it has gotten faster. When I drive "normal" cars they feel very sloppy.

[max08e90]

Just don't go from a Z06 to the M3!

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

I don't think you can compare an E350 to an ///M. You'll have to drive the ///AMG variant, and then give us your impressions.

[Kobaiyashi]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

Tonight we went to dinner with my brother and his wife, and I drove his brand new Mercedes E350. Now I know that car is not meant to be an all out performance car, but it is a very nice, upper level German sedan.

Originally Posted by -=Hot|Ice=-

I don't think you can compare an E350 to an ///M. You'll have to drive the ///AMG variant, and then give us your impressions.

No offense, but I read his post as going out of his way to concede the two aren't necessarily comparable. His point seems only to be that the M3 performs very well even when compared to a very nice, upper level German sedan.

OP, thanks for the post.

[ching]

Originally Posted by -=Hot|Ice=-

I don't think you can compare an E350 to an ///M. You'll have to drive the ///AMG variant, and then give us your impressions.

Why? He's not comparing a M3 to a E350 and saying that BMW's are superior to Mercedes, but noting the wide performance gap between a respectable luxury car to the M that we owners take for granted after a while I think the OP could have made the similar observations between the M3 and a A4 / 335 / G35 / etc...

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by GTM

I do agree some point.

But MB usually shines when it does high speed runs.
Most MB feels dull and sluggish at low speed but that's how they set up the car to have excellent high speed stability.

I have done 100mph+ highway cruises(of course not in USA), MB clearly wins over Audis/BMW on this matter.


but yeah I do like BMW's sharp steering feel.

I would have to disagree, recently I went on a small roadtrip (~350Miles), and I was averaging 100-110mph and my m3 felt as solid as my
'04 SL600 Roadster did. Infact, I think because of the added weight of the hardtop my car felt very stable!

Also, my 760Li feels the same, but perhaps because its a luxury performance sedan it felt a bit quieter, but stability was first class (~90-100mph)