waltk88

IMHO, Evo is simply the best car magazine on the market. In the November issue, the guys deliver yet another amazing piece of writing. It's a 25-page story comparing 13 BMW M-cars from past and present. Unlike lesser magazines, Evo focuses the meat of its story on how the cars feel to drive and the emotions they evoke rather than reviewing features, specs, and test numbers. I put *SPOILER* in the topic title because there may be some that want to discover the outcome of the story by reading the magazine first hand.

The 13 cars:
M1
E28 M5
E30 M3 Sport Evolution
E34 M5
E36 M3 Evolution
M Coupe
E39 M5
E46 M3 CSL
E60 M5
M6
E46 M3 CS
Z4 M Coupe
E92 M3

The story has two parts. The first part is a narrowing of the field from 12 cars to 4 of cars that will go on to face the E92 M3. The second part is ranking the remaining 5 cars.

Interestingly, the V10 M5 and M6 don't make it into the second round despite their huge power. The major complaint for both cars is isolation from what's happening at the road surface. The latest M5 and M6 are fast but uninvolving.

The winners of the first part are:
M1
E30 M3 Sport Evolution
E39 M5
E46 M3 CSL

In the final reckoning, the M1 takes 5th place. It has old school supercar charm, but lacks firepower.

The E92 M3 finishes 4th. It has great speed and ability, but the M3 has become big and comfy and its steering lacks feedback.

The E39 M5 is 3rd. Evo praises the V8 M5 for its brilliant ride/handling compromise and its "driftability". It's more relaxed than the V8 M3 yet also more entertaining.

The E46 M3 CSL takes 2nd. The car tested had upgraded AP Racing brakes and ditched the Pilot Sport Cup tires for street compound tires. Evo loves the CSL's aggressive looks, and says the inline-6 with its carbon fiber induction box is one of the best sounding engines ever. It has the most hardcore suspension set up of all the cars tested, but it doesn't feel harsh or jarring. The steering has great feedback and no wasted motion.

The winner? E30 M3 Sport Evolution. This is a model that never made it to the US. It has a 2.5 liter inline-4 (US cars have 2.3l) making a bit less than 240hp. The E30 M3 wins because you can tell exactly what each of the four wheels is doing, and the car knows exactly what you want it to do. Evo says it's easily the greatest M-Car ever.

notamaster

The E30 M3 is my fav car of all time. I'll own one some day.

Slamnasty

A great idea for an article, but I question why they left out the E24 M6. If they're going to test the gamut, test them all. I don't think their final decision would've changed at all, but it was a curious omission IMO.

That said, I'm not surprised at their choice, although my guess before I read through your post was that they would pick the Euro E36 for its mix of HP and handling.

Onehots2k

One M car will be something to one person and something totally different to another.

waltk88

They actually didn't like the Euro E36 M3 much. After driving the E30 M3, one of the writers calls the E36 "awful". They love the engine, the sleeper quality, and the bargain price on the used car market. The main criticisms are body lean in corners and lack of intimacy in the handling feel.

waltk88

If you've driven an E30 M3 in anger, you'll understand the praise. I owned one for five years. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like the S2000 in its handling precision and tossability, but with far far better steering feedback. It is dog slow by today's standards, however.