M3 vs. M5

[sads]

M3 CSL all the way the cornering would be awsome..... but a V8 down the straght tough personaly i like the M3 stylling more

[kteo2003]

the M5 has a 5.0lt engine with 400bhp.and about 510nm of torgu......
the engine of the M3 is a diamond...has a 3.2lt engine and gives 343bhp for the standard and 360bhp for the csl at 7900rpm....

[Bigdaddytwon]

you know.. i have seen tuners in germay that put the S60 (m5 engine) into the E46 chassis. From what i hear its an amazing swap. That v8 is also capable of 470hp with no internal modifications (see Dinan S2 M5). From what i hear that would be the best of both worlds. But by then you would have a $100k m3..

[CMonakar]

I've driven an E46 M3 and a 540i 6spd (which is lighter than an M5). Based on my experience I would not call the M3 a nimble car. The M3 has less body roll on turn in than the 540i but I still got the sense that I was throwing around a lot of weight. The point being, I wouldn't make a choice between these cars based on agility-they all fall below the bar.

With this in mind I would take the M5 because I think the engine sounds much better than the M3's motor.

[StanAE86]

The tuners didn't actually start putting the V8 motor in the E46 until BMW race teams did it first in the American LeMans Series.

The M3 GTR was available for a short time in 2002. It was a factory E46 M3 with a 4.0L V8 motor to satisfy the regulations of the AMLS that required a "production car". Factory teams like Team PTG (Prototype Technologies Group) was trouncing Porsche with consistent 1, 2, 3 victories until Porsche started to make noise about the fact that BMW didn't have a factory M3 with a V8, even though they kept saying it was going to be built.

So, from the M factory, BMW punched out the minimum needed to satisfy the regulation and put out a short supply of roadcars with the V8 motors out. The GTR was kicking so much butt in the racing series, that they kept getting more and more weight added to slow them down until BMW pulled out of the series saying that it the GTR with the intake restrictors and additional ballast wasn't competitive anymore. They just came back this past year, but with the standard straight 6.

The purists will say that a "true" M car uses either a 4 cylinder or a straight 6 motor - because that's where it all started with the original M1 and E30 M3. Some were up in arms over the V8 when the E39 M5 came out. But BMW had to keep up with the power push to stay ahead of the game...hence the new E60 M5 which will have a rumored V10 and 500bhp. You can't make that power with a straight 6 and everyone from Benz to Audi to Jag putting out cars with over 400bhp left and right.

If you follow the AMLS series, you'll know that Audi has been kicking everyone's ass with their V8 RS6 SEDAN.

The new CSL uses some of the "tricks" they used for the GTR, including the carbon roof. The GTR was more of a "club racer" type of car with no ammenities, while the CSL is much more of a true "roadcar". In any case, read more about the GTR here:

http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/bmw_m3gtr.asp

[coombsie66]

WOW, ive never seen the M3 GTR road car b4, that looks smart! I bet it goes like a well lubed dildo, up jenna jameson as well! Wikid car, no vids i spose!?

[dutchmasterflex]

both are damn nice.. wouldnt mind having either.. but if someone was to offer either car to me, i'd pick the M5 cause it's more expensive.. $30k more than the current M3

[StanAE86]

No vids of a GTR roadcar that I've ever found. I've seen pics of it in Europe and on some of the for sale boards there. I have seen the race car at Laguna Seca, before they left the series.

Dutch: If you're just talking about the cost, a M3 CSL will run you more than an E39 M5 (which is no longer in production). The GTR would run you about the same as some of the finer pracing horse and raging bull cars.

[rift321]

and what a terrible reason to pick one car over another... you're entitled to your opinion, but picking cars based strictly on cost seems stupid to me.

[FerrariFerrari]

and what a terrible reason to pick one car over another... you're entitled to your opinion, but picking cars based strictly on cost seems stupid to me.

I think he meant if someone just gave him the car. I'd do the same and then
sell it.

As for the M3 GTR, I don't see any reason for why it should cost so much,
I mean, it doesn't exactly have a lot of mods done to it, just the bare min-
imum. In fact I am rather dissapointed with it because it seem to be quite
different from the race version. Is it all the carbon fibre that makes it so
expensive?

[Bavarias_Finest]

M3 over M5 are you kidding me thats not even an argument......Go to a BMW forum and tell them you think the M3 is the benchmark over the M5 theyll laugh at you.

M3 E46 ----- 333 bhp
M5 E39 ----- 393 bhp
Z8 ---------- 393 bhp

M5 handling isnt that good...??? Since when..... the four door is an automotive beast and in my opinion looks much better than the M3. The new and improved M5 will have a V10 with 500bhp, continuing its stature atop the BMW pedestol with the Z8. Granted the M3 is a nice car, but to compare it to the M5???

[rift321]

Yes, the new M3's compare with the E39 M5's. I doubt that anyone would say that an m3 is a benchmark over an m5 stock. that's not a debate. I think the debate has become BMW-irrelevant: would you like a 2-door coupe or a 4-door sedan? They are both fast cars. The E39, i'm sure, would be comparable to the m3, but the new m5, if what you say is true, would move it completely out of the class. And thanks for the specs on the Z8....?

continuing its stature atop the BMW pedestol with the Z8. Granted the M3 is a nice car, but to compare it to the M5???

Yes, and the 325i is on the bottom. Now that we have the BMW hierarchy out of the way, I would like to say that I understand everyone's position that with everything considered (tastefulness, practicality, power, handling, and top speed) the M5 is objectively superior. However, as a 19-year-old, I would like to have an M3 more than an M5 simply because it suits me more.

In an M3, I could pick up immature, snotty 18-year-old girls, while in the M5, I'd have better luck with 29-year-old women who have money. And I could still probably mess my pants driving the M3 on a track.

How about this.... getting road head from a blond southern college student on spring break in an M3 while driving fast on a freeway in florida, and then, that night, fucking a more mature 30ish woman in the back seat of your other car, an M5.

[bmwfreak]

Both cars are icons. Legends. ANd they're not even 10 years old. I want both.

But gievn a strict brief to pick only one? The M5. its styling has aged alot more gracefully than the 'younger' 3 -series M, has more space, is more comortable, and is a one of a kind.

Granted the M3, and to a greater extent, the M3 CSL, are driving excellence embodied. 343Bhp/360Bhp from 3.2 litres of straight six tradition. Nurburgring lap times, 0-60 times, etc. braking, visual appeal.

The M5, is a different beast. But remember, it is still a beast, nonetheless. V8 Roar, a top end that can go to 180Mph unrestricted, and FOUR doors. With a practical boot. (actually, the M3 has a practical boot too, to behonest).

But the M5 is just so much more...suave, as opposed to the M3 being a punk with a spray can. I love both cars, and for the tradition they both represent. But An M5 would be my choice.

[twboy1999]

Originally Posted by Bavarias_Finest M3 over M5 are you kidding me thats not even an argument......Go to a BMW forum and tell them you think the M3 is the benchmark over the M5 theyll laugh at you. M3 E46 ----- 333 bhp M5 E39 ----- 393 bhp Z8 ---------- 393 bhp M5 handling isnt that good...??? Since when..... the four door is an automotive beast and in my opinion looks much better than the M3. The new and improved M5 will have a V10 with 500bhp, continuing its stature atop the BMW pedestol with the Z8. Granted the M3 is a nice car, but to compare it to the M5???

m3 is the bench mark for the luxury coupe, and m5 was and probably still the bench mark for 4 door sedan


i personally like the look of m3 over m5,, just more aggresive
even thogh it is not as fast as m5 on the highway,, but fast enough for me^^

[Tsjilp]

You can compare the M3 with a ferrari 360 modena and the M5 with a ferrari 575 ...