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      10-13-2010, 09:22 PM   #8
roo97ss
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Drives: M4, X6M, Tesla Plaid, MYP, Ram
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Delaware

iTrader: (7)

Currently in a 135 because a 2 pedal car was a must and the SMG is not worth it to me, not smooth, expensive, the s54 works better with the manual

I have had 2 e46 m3s (1 coupe 1 vert) and an s54 z3 as well. I love that motor....

1. Exterior - eye of the beholder for sure, the e46 a bit dated, but aggressive looking to me, very good stance, the 1 is much more rare though...you decide on that one...

2. Interior - i prefer the look and feel of the e46 myself inside. The older nav i wouldn't bother with but otherwise a little bit roomier and i prefered the materials a bit. Also M3 seats are super soft nappa leather which is infinitely nicer than the boston in our cars, but also wears a lot more; so a higher milage car will usually show a lot of wear.

3. straight line - stock v stock, totally different experience, same power though. Both are in the 270 whp range. The M3 might have a slight edge, but that's slight. However you need to know how to drive it to get the power out of it. also step or 6 spd same speed in the 135

3.a. now add a jb3 or procede and it's a big 135 advantage

4. curves/handling - the m3 rolls much less and to me feels much more crisp. The steering in the 135 while heavy isn't that precise, not like the m3. Plus the run flats at least mine the bridgestone weren't that good, supposedly the newer ones are better. Ride in the 135 i'd characterize as floaty, esp for a 'sports coupe'

5. braking - very similar, touchier on the 135 but power was same

6. overall feel
135 is not an 'edgy' car to me. It's very subdued, and a great car to live with because the power is there if you need it, but when you don't its a kitten to drive. the highway ride is very nice, handling pretty good, a little floaty but not bad. when you get on it, the power is great - though weird for a bmw - to me i think GM LS v8 power. Huge mid section falls off up top...
M3 is a car on edge - always ready to go wild. From the slightly erratic idle to the lurching through the gears as you wind it up, it's not a car you sit back in and ride along for the daily commute, always felt like you needed to drive it...ie even when you wanted to just get from A to B the car couldn't be your camry and just get you there...

7. about the aforementioned fuel economy...i get essentially the same mpg in my daily commuting and the m3 at least had a decent gas tank....seeems like i'm always at the gas station with the 135 - 12.5 gallons at a time.

Moral of my story, stock v stock performance is similar with handling edge to m3 with better suspension, steering and the LSD. So you can see for me i've added the tune to trump it's power, the suspension and non run flats have greatly helped handling and the steering feel is better but still not quite as good.

Honestly i've got the itch for an 'edgy' car again and I'm back in the market for a z4m or cayman s as a second car. I love the 135 as a daily but to me it lacks some personality - granted it's nothing like my 5 series or even as subdued as say my brothers 335; but it doesn't have the soul of the m3 either...

Joe
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