Drove a friend's 2004 6sp M3 in town. Nice car. Did take it to 7K in second gear. It was quick and pulled hard from 2K on. But it did not really feel much faster then my RX8, especially at higher rpm's. The shifting was no where near as nice as the 8, the gates were wider and not as smooth. Others may feel different, but I like my 8 better.

You should try the SMG II model. That gear box is insane and when you set it to shift the fastest it's in like 1/8 of a second. It will throw you back in the seat for sure. I don't know anyone who shifts that fast.

Blasphamy....heritic.......badddd boy!

I know, I know... but it was hella fun to drive. I am thinking about getting one in '05 as a 2nd car if the RX-7 is not resurrected.

Yeah them Bimmers are a hoot. My 318i was the only car I really miss. I was lucky enough to drive it on the autobahns for 18 months before returning to the states!

Originally posted by Urchin
Drove a friend's 2004 6sp M3 in town. Nice car. Did take it to 7K in second gear. It was quick and pulled hard from 2K on. But it did not really feel much faster then my RX8, especially at higher rpm's. The shifting was no where near as nice as the 8, the gates were wider and not as smooth. Others may feel different, but I like my 8 better.

Didn't feel much faster? You're kidding right? I think the RX-8 is an awesome car, but is no where close in acceleration when compared to the E46 M3.

0-60 in 4.7 vs 0-60 of 5.9
1/4 in 13 @ 108mph vs 14-15 @ 96

Not that far off but there is a gap, should be noticable but not if you dont give it 100%.

Remember the M3 = RX-8 round top gears test track, its a damne dheavy machine - 3400llbs+ incomaprison to 2900llbs.

it's all about personal perceptions. Numbers tell the real story, but our butts tell us what we like, accurate or not.

I know you guys here don't think very much of Clarkson, the review he had with the 8, if you guys still remember, didn't the 8 pull the same timing as the M3 on their track?
The question would be which M3 was that??

It was an E46 M3, six speed I believe. Same speed... which is amazing for the 8.

The biggest reason for the M3's advantage is that it's torque curve is so broad, particularly in comparison to the 8. The car is simply accelerating much harder at lower RPMs... *and* it pulls all the way up top too. Great motor.

I've seen what an M3 can do, and honestly, you get what you pay for...

BUT, of course it's not as cool looking as an RX8. IMO the RX-8, even though it has a smaller engine, it is more of a sportscar than the M3. The M3 is a very powerful sports sedan, but the Top Gear comparison truly demonstrates that power isn't everything.

Originally posted by Urchin
Drove a friend's 2004 6sp M3 in town. Nice car. Did take it to 7K in second gear. It was quick and pulled hard from 2K on. But it did not really feel much faster then my RX8, especially at higher rpm's. The shifting was no where near as nice as the 8, the gates were wider and not as smooth. Others may feel different, but I like my 8 better.

WOW, didn't feel much faster?!?! The new M3 is pretty fast and got good amount of torque. I haven't driven one yet but supposedly the transmission in the M3 is Getrag which should be superb. I know the shifter in the mazdas are nice and short like the miata.

Originally posted by RobDickinson
0-60 in 4.7 vs 0-60 of 5.9
1/4 in 13 @ 108mph vs 14-15 @ 96

Not that far off but there is a gap, should be noticable but not if you dont give it 100%.

Remember the M3 = RX-8 round top gears test track, its a damne dheavy machine - 3400llbs+ incomaprison to 2900llbs.

Have you ever seen drag racing? 1 second difference is about several (6 - 8 car) length difference. I wouldn't say not that much off.

I had heard the M3 is faster, and it probably is when measured with instruments. It had good torque starting at 2K. Hewever, having heard how fast the M3 is, it did not seem that much faster. The shift was ok, but nowhere near as good feelign as the RX8.

I do not drag race, but drive the car on the street, mainly going to work. For everyday driving I much prefer the RX8. This is just one person's opinion, I am sure others may feel different.

As for the MSG, it is really same as an automatic with a different name. It still does much of the thinking for you. My friend had a 2002 SMG, and traded that for the 2004 6sp.

The SMG is just more like the Formula One or Indy Car shifting. It is extremely fast and for track day nothing shifts faster and is street legal. Some people do prefer the old manual shift. I really just wanted it for the pleasure of shifting like the pros.

I agree about the manual shifting as well. I test drove a 2001 with a 6 sp manual and it shifted only slightly better than my E36 M3. The clutch seemed to be easier on the newer cars. I still prefer shifting in my RX-8 but I do miss the hp.

M3 is definitely a nice car but it is quite expensive for what it is. As for the SMG, there is a SMGII, which is supposed to be even faster shifting. The normal SMG and SMGII are not like automatic shift of most cars. It actually blips the throttle on downshift to rev match giving the effect of healtoe.

If I have to cough up 50k I would expect something more like a M3 CSL, but then again we don't even get that model here.

It was the SMG II that I was referring to. But thanks for clarifying that. Loved driving the car and it was almost what I purchased.

Even though the M3 is in fact much faster, the keyword is FEEL, which is strange cause you would think the M3 would in fact, feel faster, with all that power and torque, in such a wide powerband!

Oh it does trust me. I have not only owned one but test drove the '03. Not only did mine FEEL faster but the new one FEELS even faster. At 330 hp it is almost (who knows maybe even more than) 100 hp greater than our RX-8's. If you were to do WOT runs you could do nothing but FEEL the difference.

I drove, and seriously considered purchasing a '96 M3. Sweeeet car, but too much money for the amount of mileage on it.