Quote:
Originally Posted by evanescent03
And....!? hate the gear stalk and no manual option... hate poor leasing rates... dislike infotainment and dated feel but love a lot about that car and will probably consider one also if the M3 sucks
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The gear stalk thing is definitely a huge negative.
Would make me feel like I'm driving some sort of 1970s minivan.
Given the car had 20 miles on the odo and hadn't been broken in, couldn't really drive it like I stole it, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The transmission is a *lot* better than I expect. Never got in my way - even in full auto. In manual mode it was sort of nice - though the ratios were very close so it was a pain to avoid the rev limiter. It's a multi-clutch 9-speed box and downshifts quickly when you press the paddle (in manual). Better than the ZFAT in the X3M I drove.
The engine/exhaust sounds pretty good (V8 goodness and a performance exhaust), but I wan't totally blown away (apparently they recently added some particulate filter in the exhaust that affects the sound for the worse)
Felt like a comfortable heavier GT style car. Very responsive, but not as 'hands on' as an M4. I didn't get a chance to push anywhere near the limits, but I can imagine it being a bit heavy/understeery on the track.
The interior and technology is hugely better than the BMW. In fact, feels much more modern than the X3M I test-drive recently The digital dash is much better than the BMW equivalent. That's a bit sad. Why are BMW M cars always a few years behind the times?
I'm sort of tempted - also thinking about a C8 or a Taycan, but may not be able to wait that long. Carrera GTS, Audi RS5 or RSTT are also in the running.
Please BMW, throw me a bone!
