Test drove the M range
I was invited to an M event or M-day as they call it. It took place in Belgium, Waterloo.
It was a quite private event as you can see on the pics below. Not many people and not many cars but they were all there: M2, M3, M4, M6 and X6M.
We were not able to drive the M2 for some reason. You could just look at it, which was a bit of disappointment.
The M6 Gran coupe was very impressive and felt very fast. I was really surprised in a positive way because the car never really caught my eye and I thought it would feel way too big and heavy on the road despite the 560 bhp. Well, I can report that I was wrong. The car felt a lot shorter than it is and quite light on its feet (for a 2T car that is). The engine is incredible, I absolutely loved it. The M6 is really aggressive in its power delivery, making it a good laugh behind the wheel. Each time you (barely) squeeze the throttle, you get some sort of an "On and Off" effect but in a good way.
The car is very comfortable (in "comfort mode" at least). I think the M6 would make a great & fun DD. You don't get too much body roll in turns. Handling is OK and steering fell is not that bad. Obviously, it's no 911 but for such a heavy car, the M6 is quite impressive indeed. The sound of the V8 is magnificent and addictive.
The interior quality & materials are really good but it doesn't feel that special inside. All BMW's interiors look a bit the same but at least you don't get the cheap plastics like in the M3/M4.
So all in all, I really like that M6 Gran coupe. On the road and for everyday driving, the M6 is fun and a good laugh, even if it's not the fastest 4-door coupe on the market. Frankly, I really do not car about 0 to 60 times anymore. So well done BMW.
The M3 was quite unimpressive compared to the M6. It's probably the better driver's car of the 2 and the fastest (I think), it's also lighter and more agile but the engine was a disappointment. The power delivery is very linear and quite boring IMHO. On the road, It lacks the drama of the M6 and for that reason alone felt ordinary and generic. I have 435i GC and even if the M3 feels more powerful, the engine feels very similar to 3 liter in the 435i.
The M3 was equipped with a competition package and a louder exhaust. IMO, it sounded idiotic. I absolutely hate cracks and bangs, especially when you lift your foot off the accelerator, and this car had plenty of those. With that exhaust, it felt like a boy racer car. I'm sure my wife would have been too ashamed to even get inside such a car and for once, I felt the same way. Even the "bump" on the hood looked stupid from the inside and made it feel even more idiotic.
The ride was harsh, even in comfort mode. It might be due to the competition package but the ride was really poor. While the M6 flies on the road, the M3 crashes on very bump and loses traction all the time. I don't know if the M3 had winter tires or not, but traction was not impressive at all, except maybe if you're the "smokey tires at every red light" type of guy.
The M3's interior quality & materials are very average. The carbon bits don't add anything and it feels inside like in any 3-series.
In the end, I was not that impressed by the M3. Yes it's fast and powerful but the ride quality is terrible and the car badly needs 4WD IMHO. Keep in mind that we're in December and the road was slippery but the M6 had a lot more traction than the M3 despite it's 560 bhp.
If I was in the market or a very powerful 4-door car, I'd be very interested in the M6 GC. You can get a good one for the price of a new M3 on the second hand market.
The all point of an M3 is to have a performance car dressed in a suit and not a boy racer car.
and all of the sudden BANG a shove of power would slam you at the back 
I loved the 964 RS though, can't get this car out of my mind. Very raw, pretty forgiving (for such a car) and fun to drive.
