My M3 (w/SMGII) review...
01-26-2002, 09:42 PM
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My M3 (w/SMGII) review...
Welp, for what it's worth here's the review of my M3 which I picked up just over 2 weeks ago...
It was a long wait (as many board regulars know) but after 1.5years on the waiting list, I placed an order for 2002 M3... bypassing several 6-spd manual allocations earlier in 2001 as I patiently awaited for a SMGII allocation. My car was assigned the first SMG week build (#45/November) and after many delays at the port and VPC, I picked it up in the first week of January at Palm Springs, happy happy joy joy!
My car (Scarlett) was build to the following specs: SMGII tranmission, Cold Weather Package, Premium Package, Power-Adjustable Lumbar, NAV, Harmon-Kardon, Bi-Xenon.
Did it live up to the wait and expectations? Simply put, yes. SMGII is an amazing piece of technology and doesn't detract from the driving experience whatsoever. If you can swallow your macho-purist-ness you'll find SMGII to be just as rewarding a driving experience as a traditional manual transmission. Sure, I'll admit that I find (and sometimes miss) enjoyment I get in rowing the gears, nailing a good heel-toe and doing all the things associated with a manual... but what you get in exchange with SMGII is a higher sensiblity to your interaction with the car and the road. By freeing your mind of shifting tasks, it enhances all the other viscreal aspects of driving. It may not be for some but I whole-heartedly recommend it.
Sounds like the best thing since sliced bread but there are some things to take note about. First, it takes getting use to... You'll quickly learn that this is no "automatic" car. Stepping on the gas in first won't equate to a smooth start... like a manual you'll have to feed the gas to pull away smoothly, in fact playing with throttle with shifting in either S or A modes really makes a difference on how it shifts. The different driving modes may be useful for some but I found I use 2 modes the most, S5 and on the rare occasion, A5. Make note that the automatic tranny isn't as smooth as your traditional auto with torque converter. I find it rather abrupt with a tendency to shift at rather low RPMs but I'm glad it's there as a backup option. Because of this I drive 99% of the time in S5 where I can shift when *I* want to, plus it seems to be the smoothest option for day-to-day driving (YMMV) and is just plain FUN!!! S6 is something I'll reserve for special occasions (
), upshifts are VERY quick and the downshifts, well, that's the best damn part of SMGII and everyone who's been in the car agrees! Flicking the "-" paddle ensues a throttle blip as the engine rev matches and engages the lower gear... what a great sound and it's ooooohhhhh soooooo smoooooth. There is no one this side of a professional race driver that can do it this smoothly time and time and time again... simply amazing. Launch Control? Yup, it's on the US version... dropping the clutch at 1800rpm instead of europe's 3500rpm, it's a rather uneventful with lots of wheelspin and fast acceleration. Something I don't see using much at all but a neat gizmo that's good for drags I guess.
Okay, okay... so what about the rest of the car? It's no doubt that the S54 engine is the near the end of it's life but what a wonderful inline-6 it is. Finally after eyeing the folks in Europe that had the 321hp M3, we get the same toy albeit slighty detuned for emissions. The engine is effortlessly fast and sings when it's approaching redline... I'm a fan of the unique "rasp" the M3 produces and love hearing it as I goose the throttle. The car itself is a deceptively quick. I find it so smooth it's hard to believe I'm soon cruising at 90mph while commuting to work... the car BEGS to be driven fast and mocks you to go faster as triple digits build. Handling, you'll quickly forget this is a 3500lb car as the stock suspension and steering does a great job with feedback and input. This was one area I was afraid of missing coming from the rather lithe S2000, but it hasn't been a concern since I've had it. Steering can use improvement however and I plan to put in some negative camber to reduce the tendancy for the car to understeer when pushed. That and replacements for the stock Continentals (blech!) I'm sure will help corner manners immensely.
So what about all this crazy extras you got, are they worth the price of admission? Ooooooo, lots of opinions here. NAV unit, love it. I'm a gizmo-holic so getting it was a no-brainer... but I didn't know *how* useful it would actually be until I picked up the car in SoCA and used it extensively visiting friends down there, what a life-saver! Simply input the address and the unit led me to every location without getting lost in L.A.'s crazy freeway system. While still CD based, it is one option that I whole-heartedly recommend. Harmon-Kardon sound system tho? Thumbs down. I've not only got the bass rattle that's plagued this e46 system since inception, I've got buzzing in the rear LH tweeter and the front RH speaker and dash... a warranty trip to the dealership is definitely in order. CWP is pretty unneccessary in CA but passengers always seem to like the heated seats. Bi-Xenons, while not as "blue" as the normal Xenons, they're still a "must" option in my book for great nighttime driving. I'm digging the IR/IR combo, it gets alot of positive comments.
There's been a few "mods" I've done to the car that's worth mentioning while I'm at it. I added Euro cross drilled rotors and Pagid Blue-S pads in the first week. They feel and look great, and overall shaves about 7lbs over the stock US rotors. It's hard to tell since it's been raining so much but while the Pagids may not be dusting as much as the OEM pads, the drilled pattern in the rotors is probably countering that, I'll reserve judgement until dryer days. I bought these with painted reflectors from evosport.com... the painted reflecters are OEM units and fit perfectly, plus the look sharp.
Next, Eisenmann exhaust. I bought a used one with 2000mis on it and 76mm tips... what a sound! Lighter than the OEM exhaust, the 76mm tips really enhance the rear end and fill out the bumper cutouts nicely. Of course there's no real HP gains that I can feel but what a sound! A nice low burble from idle to about 4.5k which then builds and dissapears into the M3's high-end scream. 2nd gear pulloffs are probably when it's loudest and it doesn't drone too much (for me) at freeway speeds, I barely notice it. I wouldn't want it any louder than this though that's for sure.
Guess that's it... if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Hope to see y'all on the backroads, meets or track events in the future!
cheers,
-loki
It was a long wait (as many board regulars know) but after 1.5years on the waiting list, I placed an order for 2002 M3... bypassing several 6-spd manual allocations earlier in 2001 as I patiently awaited for a SMGII allocation. My car was assigned the first SMG week build (#45/November) and after many delays at the port and VPC, I picked it up in the first week of January at Palm Springs, happy happy joy joy!
My car (Scarlett) was build to the following specs: SMGII tranmission, Cold Weather Package, Premium Package, Power-Adjustable Lumbar, NAV, Harmon-Kardon, Bi-Xenon.Did it live up to the wait and expectations? Simply put, yes. SMGII is an amazing piece of technology and doesn't detract from the driving experience whatsoever. If you can swallow your macho-purist-ness you'll find SMGII to be just as rewarding a driving experience as a traditional manual transmission. Sure, I'll admit that I find (and sometimes miss) enjoyment I get in rowing the gears, nailing a good heel-toe and doing all the things associated with a manual... but what you get in exchange with SMGII is a higher sensiblity to your interaction with the car and the road. By freeing your mind of shifting tasks, it enhances all the other viscreal aspects of driving. It may not be for some but I whole-heartedly recommend it.
Sounds like the best thing since sliced bread but there are some things to take note about. First, it takes getting use to... You'll quickly learn that this is no "automatic" car. Stepping on the gas in first won't equate to a smooth start... like a manual you'll have to feed the gas to pull away smoothly, in fact playing with throttle with shifting in either S or A modes really makes a difference on how it shifts. The different driving modes may be useful for some but I found I use 2 modes the most, S5 and on the rare occasion, A5. Make note that the automatic tranny isn't as smooth as your traditional auto with torque converter. I find it rather abrupt with a tendency to shift at rather low RPMs but I'm glad it's there as a backup option. Because of this I drive 99% of the time in S5 where I can shift when *I* want to, plus it seems to be the smoothest option for day-to-day driving (YMMV) and is just plain FUN!!! S6 is something I'll reserve for special occasions (
), upshifts are VERY quick and the downshifts, well, that's the best damn part of SMGII and everyone who's been in the car agrees! Flicking the "-" paddle ensues a throttle blip as the engine rev matches and engages the lower gear... what a great sound and it's ooooohhhhh soooooo smoooooth. There is no one this side of a professional race driver that can do it this smoothly time and time and time again... simply amazing. Launch Control? Yup, it's on the US version... dropping the clutch at 1800rpm instead of europe's 3500rpm, it's a rather uneventful with lots of wheelspin and fast acceleration. Something I don't see using much at all but a neat gizmo that's good for drags I guess.Okay, okay... so what about the rest of the car?
It's no doubt that the S54 engine is the near the end of it's life but what a wonderful inline-6 it is. Finally after eyeing the folks in Europe that had the 321hp M3, we get the same toy albeit slighty detuned for emissions. The engine is effortlessly fast and sings when it's approaching redline... I'm a fan of the unique "rasp" the M3 produces and love hearing it as I goose the throttle. The car itself is a deceptively quick. I find it so smooth it's hard to believe I'm soon cruising at 90mph while commuting to work... the car BEGS to be driven fast and mocks you to go faster as triple digits build. Handling, you'll quickly forget this is a 3500lb car as the stock suspension and steering does a great job with feedback and input. This was one area I was afraid of missing coming from the rather lithe S2000, but it hasn't been a concern since I've had it. Steering can use improvement however and I plan to put in some negative camber to reduce the tendancy for the car to understeer when pushed. That and replacements for the stock Continentals (blech!) I'm sure will help corner manners immensely.So what about all this crazy extras you got, are they worth the price of admission? Ooooooo, lots of opinions here. NAV unit, love it. I'm a gizmo-holic so getting it was a no-brainer... but I didn't know *how* useful it would actually be until I picked up the car in SoCA and used it extensively visiting friends down there, what a life-saver! Simply input the address and the unit led me to every location without getting lost in L.A.'s crazy freeway system. While still CD based, it is one option that I whole-heartedly recommend. Harmon-Kardon sound system tho? Thumbs down. I've not only got the bass rattle that's plagued this e46 system since inception, I've got buzzing in the rear LH tweeter and the front RH speaker and dash... a warranty trip to the dealership is definitely in order. CWP is pretty unneccessary in CA but passengers always seem to like the heated seats.
Bi-Xenons, while not as "blue" as the normal Xenons, they're still a "must" option in my book for great nighttime driving. I'm digging the IR/IR combo, it gets alot of positive comments.There's been a few "mods" I've done to the car that's worth mentioning while I'm at it. I added Euro cross drilled rotors and Pagid Blue-S pads in the first week. They feel and look great, and overall shaves about 7lbs over the stock US rotors. It's hard to tell since it's been raining so much but while the Pagids may not be dusting as much as the OEM pads, the drilled pattern in the rotors is probably countering that, I'll reserve judgement until dryer days.
I bought these with painted reflectors from evosport.com... the painted reflecters are OEM units and fit perfectly, plus the look sharp. Next, Eisenmann exhaust. I bought a used one with 2000mis on it and 76mm tips... what a sound! Lighter than the OEM exhaust, the 76mm tips really enhance the rear end and fill out the bumper cutouts nicely. Of course there's no real HP gains that I can feel but what a sound! A nice low burble from idle to about 4.5k which then builds and dissapears into the M3's high-end scream. 2nd gear pulloffs are probably when it's loudest and it doesn't drone too much (for me) at freeway speeds, I barely notice it. I wouldn't want it any louder than this though that's for sure.
Guess that's it... if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Hope to see y'all on the backroads, meets or track events in the future!
cheers,
-loki
01-27-2002, 04:08 AM
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imho, BMW navigation sucks fat turkey. the bealer in Alhambra couldn't even figure it out on the m3 and i was having difficulty being used to acura's touchscreen. the bmw makes you scroll through the alphabet instead of the touchpad. in any case, after driving the m3 stick, i ranked it as the second most fun car driven to date. the s2000 was much better in response, much rougher and stiffer in suspension. the me is a cushy awesome car. the s2000 is a rough awesome car. everything else he said is true...
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01-27-2002, 01:41 PM
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LOKI- GREAT CALL on the Imola/Imola color choice!!! I plan on getting an M Coupe with the same colors in the near future
. Anyway, AWESOME car, and congrats on the new M, enjoy it!!
. Anyway, AWESOME car, and congrats on the new M, enjoy it!!