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Home  JST's Cornered Test Drives Driven (hard): M3 SMG, M5, X5 4.6is, 760iL, Z4 3.0
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Driven (hard): M3 SMG, M5, X5 4.6is, 760iL, Z4 3.0 |
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Written by JST
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Sunday, 19 October 2003 |
At the Performance Center two day school, they turn you loose on one of
the "autocross" courses in a range of BMW models. You only get two laps
in each car, but the upside is that you can thrash them all you want.
The section also included slightly less than a quarter of a mile or so
of straightaway at the beginning to get a feel for acceleration.
Some impressions, first to last:
X5 4.6is: Even the Alpina engine strains to launch the X5, but once you
get rolling the acceleration is impressive. Especially through second,
the truck really pulls. Handling is, for an SUV, very good, but by car
standards it feels big, heavy, and slow to react. The monster meats on
the wheels provide lots of grip, and the chassis is well balanced, but
flickable this thing isn't. OTOH, body roll is less than expected. I
continue to miss the point, I guess; I'd much rather have, say, an Aero
and a Porsche.
760iL: Looong. Handles decently, but the steering is slow. The V12
provides smooth acceleration, but it doesn't feel as powerful as it is,
probably because of all of the mass. The car can be man-handled through
a slalom, but it's not happy about it. Body roll is essentially zero.
They spent 10 minutes explaining the transmission, and some still
couldn't figure it out. They didn't even attempt to explain the iDrive.
M3 SMG: After the 330s and the beasts above, the M3 was a revelation.
It takes driving the same course back-to-back at close to the limit to
realize how much more capable the M3 is than the 330i. The SMG was as I
expected it to be. It provides clean, sharp shifts and is very nice to
have on a track, since you don't have to worry about rev-matching. It's
also surprisingly tractable at slow speeds. OTOH, the driver
involvement is definitely lower, and you don't get the satisfaction of
pulling clean up and down shifts. The paddles are hard to find when the
wheel is cranked over, though my co-driver pointed out you could use
the stick for this (it didn't occur to me). All in all, I'm impressed
with the SMG, but I concur with the analysis of one of the instructors:
On the track, I'll take an SMG, because it will definitely give you
faster and more consistent times. On the street, the 6 speed is more
fun.
Z4: This was the biggest surprise for me. I've driven Z4s before (on
the street) and not been impressed. On the track, the chassis is
brilliant. The car is really capable at the limit, and is far more
tossable than I expected it to be. The 3.0 has a lot of punch, even
with a slushie. I still think it drives like a cut down 3 series, but
closer to an M3 than anything else. I wouldn't buy one because it's
damn ugly and still no fun on the street (IMHO), but it'd be fun as a
trackday car.
M5: Fast, fast, fast. The torque of the engine is incredible, and
babying the shifts is critical as a result (a series of novice stick
drivers before me left a palpable stench of burned friction disc). It
handles very well, but it's noticeably bigger, heavier and not as
tossable as the M3. I like this car.
But I like the M3 better.
Bottom line? The 6 speed M3 was my favorite of the group, even if cost
is not an object. And I couldn't help but wonder what it would have
been like to have some other cars there for comparison, like, e.g., an
E36 M3. Or a Z06 Corvette.
Originally posted on bimmerfest.com and carmudgeons.com.
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