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New Car - BMW M3 E92 Monte Carlo- write up on p.2


jjt

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Okay so today I covered a few miles of country road, and had the opportunity to explore the new car a bit more.

 

This is the first car I've had where I have felt the need to 'learn' all the settings to see exactly how it changes the set up of the car. For instance, I couldn't understand why in manual mode you had to be going quite slow i.e. approaching a junction to get 1st gear.. However in M Dynamic mode it will give you any gear asked for (although I presume if you tried to change into an unsuitable one it would stop this).

 

After quite a bit of tinkering it was a shock that with the 'Power' mode selected, there was definitely more of a shove in the back when you pinned the throttle at any speed. It is also easy for the engine/transmission to be overpowering and just use it as a point and pin the throttle car; however with the dampers in a firmer than normal setting you can lean on the car and it feels so nicely balanced and poised.

 

The transmission was a big choice for me, as I always enjoyed the satisfaction of shifting gears myself and heel n toeing when required; I had read a lot about how the DCT suited the engine well, and I am VERY pleased that I chose it. If you do pass someone with it in auto mode it won't scream to the redline, and makes quick cross country progress a pleasure. However with the shift speed ramped up to maximum in manual mode it really is seamless, with the auto throttle blip on downshifts sounding pretty great.

 

Compared to the Porsche and to some extent the 350Z, it is nice to drive on country roads without the car hunting for cambers and trying to pull the car off the road!

 

So is there anything that it I'm not particularly impressed with, or that it isn't as good as previous cars owned? Erm... its a bit thirsty. On mixed driving since I bought it I've got around 22mpg on the computer, and with a bit of maths I work this out to be accurate. But I probably do have a heavier than normal right foot seeing as I have just bought it! Also, the tank is pretty small, so that equates to about 200 miles worth of petrol.. But then again I don't use it to commute, it is purely for evening and weekends. As mentioned previously in the thread, I am tempted to make it a little bit louder by modifying the original backbox, but other than that is is staying original/reversible in the case of the exhaust.

 

Overall, it is considerably better to drive in every way than anything I have owned before, hiding its weight well and changing from relatively comfortable cruiser to something that is genuinely quick and capable with the press of a button. If anyone is tempted I highly recommend taking one for a test drive :thumbs:

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Good write up matey, glad you're enjoying it :)

 

How's the steering? I can't remember if the dynamic steering thing was an option on the E92.

 

Yeah it has Servotronic on it, I was concerned about that but feels consistent so far!

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Servotronic, that's the one!

 

Can you turn it off using the M button? Or set it to full hard?

 

The latter I believe. Even when it's lightest it's still not as light as most cars I've driven!

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Hey Jon! Nice choice mate! I'm glad you got the DCT! I regret to choosing this in hindsight but my vision was clouded by the disappointing SMG boxes.

I also think it's the right thing to leave the car std apart from 2 or 4 pipe mod. 2 pipe will be just right.

If I keep mine longer I would go with better pads than oem eg pagoda RS25 and ss brake lines and RBF. Lighter 18" wheels would be desirable with MPS cups tyres and winter tyres on the oem 19"s but the lure of the V10 RS6 is getting impossible to resist if I'm looking for that one car to do it all.

 

I can relate to your assessment of the car mirror your sentiments. Let's hook up before the weather goes foul and have a hoon😎.

 

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Hey Jon! Nice choice mate! I'm glad you got the DCT! I regret to choosing this in hindsight but my vision was clouded by the disappointing SMG boxes.

I also think it's the right thing to leave the car std apart from 2 or 4 pipe mod. 2 pipe will be just right.

If I keep mine longer I would go with better pads than oem eg pagoda RS25 and ss brake lines and RBF. Lighter 18" wheels would be desirable with MPS cups tyres and winter tyres on the oem 19"s but the lure of the V10 RS6 is getting impossible to resist if I'm looking for that one car to do it all.

 

I can relate to your assessment of the car mirror your sentiments. Let's hook up before the weather goes foul and have a hoon😎.

 

Cheers Bennett :thumbs:

 

You mean to say that you haven't bought the RS6 yet?!

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