Automotive

As asked by Captain Scarlet, I wrote up some additional thoughts on the current BMW M3 Competition Touring. While I made some initial observations / a comparison to the other estate in our household (to be found here: if you want to have a look), in the ...  

I’ve been driving wagons for 10 years plus and have to say I love them, definitely more on the roads in Europe than the US. Had an MB E63 for 4 years, now the Audi RS 6 and sort of eyeing the M5 wagon, so it was with much curiosity to read the conclusion.... 

It will come in wagon form again and still has the V8. But in spite of adding ca. 100hp and significantly more in torque, it doesn’t accelerate faster than the old one (weight being an issue). But the estate is said to have 570 liters of boot space, which... 

I’m happy to see the M5 wagon in the US. I don’t think it’s as attractive as the Audi and I hope MB has an update to the E63 wagon. The E63 wagon sounds better and handled better than my RS 6, but not quite as pretty and Quattro is hard to beat. That gree... 

The AWD one of the last generation is very difficult to get to unstick 😊👍🏻 The green is Isle of Man Green and is available on the new M5 as well 👌🏻

In the M5 you can pair it with a Kyalami orange interior, if you want the maximum effect 😁

The post-naturally aspirated M cars -- i.e., the true M cars, not the M230iX-drive1Sis or whatever -- are real performance upgrades from their predecessors, no doubt. But the genuine motorsport feel seems to have departed the range. Faster, yes. Better su... 

But try as we might, we’re probably not seeing the likes of the E90 returning 🤷🏻‍♂️ I also agree that a 3x premium is steep for performance that you might not use most of the time. As said - all a side effect of the GT-R the way the genre has developed an... 

Gone for good. Too much easy power to be made via forced induction.

The US manufacturers and Toyota being the last ones still offering naturally aspirated V8s 😊🤷🏻‍♂️ But none in a car like this (I believe there is a Lexus ISF but that no longer makes it to Europe)

Replaced by the forgettable B48 2 liter turbo. Not BMWs best, sadly 🙁

I am still driving my 2010 e92 with a stick. A dinosaur by today's standards, but a real hoot to drive.

....do you really expect 'practicality? Did they fix the steering feel?

In an estate I do expect it - it’s not a 911 after all 😉 Sure, a weekend trip away is feasible but a week is a bit of a stretch (at least the way it’s packed in our household). Glad you enjoyed the review 😊🙏🏻

It’s certainly not a Lotus 😉 You will know roughly what the wheels are doing but then again the grip is so prodigious that you learn to trust it, even when the steering is not providing detailed information on where you stand 👍🏻

Glad you like it 🙏🏻

A most impressive machine for sure. I thought you were an editor at one of the major car magazines 😎 I mean that in a good way 👍🏻 As you managed to convey your experience perfectly and in an extremely detailed manner, to your audience . Well done ... 

Wouldn’t mind having a more regular experience of driving different cars, though 😉🤞🏻

From the outside, not bad. From the inside? The most offensive part of the car, especially if you turn on the "enhanced" exhaust mode. It is absolutely dreadful. Even without the enhanced exhaust activated, BMW pipes in fake sounds through the speakers. I... 

And I expect the engine is 100% the same 👍🏻 You are right that there is artificial sounds piped in - nowadays sadly a standard. As far as artificial sounds go it’s not the worst in my opinion. Without would be better but to be honest, opening the window d... 

Mine was a 2022, and everyone hated it. Maybe BMW got the word. Replaced with a manual transmission CT5-V Blackwing. I went from one of the most bland "sports" cars to the widely established most visceral smile machine sedan known to man It is that fun to... 

The Touring was launched later and quite possibly some of the artificial sound was dialed out - if the feedback was as you describe (sadly do not have an older M4 to compare). As for the Blackwing, read gushing reviews of it - also from the British press,... 

Having gone thru 2 gens of lexus LS, i wanted to give the germans a try and test drove Audi RS6, S8; BMW M5; Alpina B7; and Benz S63. In the end it was between the S8 and B7 considering my family needs and my want for something that has to surpass the lex... 

First of all you probably mimic the experience of quite some Lexus owners - the product started disappearing, forcing the customers to look elsewhere. We used to be a Lexus family for a long while but the ones my parents drive now are probably the last on... 

I guess it was gut feel 😁….and the B7 is rarer.

With probably one not hundreds having been built of any generation 🙌🏻

If you have a moment I would be very interested in your opinion of the F10 M5 - that one somehow passed me by (came out when I was not living in a car friendly place) 🤞🏻

I have had mine for 5 years. Flawless reliability and a great family car as well. I have the competition pack so a bit lower, more hp (575) and a sports exhaust. It’s a twin turbo and you do notice the turbos. The gearbox is sublime.

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Like how it’s still very understated compared to the current line-up.

It’s a great all rounder and now holdings it’s value, albeit a fraction of the new cost!

When you say you do notice the turbos, do you mean lag, or a turbo kick, or the noise? First BMW with the hot V turbo setup, right? A generation I have not been looking at so far but maybe going some years back is the solution 😊👍🏻

It is the turbo kick you notice. There is no lag. Essentially each turbo is a 100 hp bolted on to the 400 hp unit. The power is immediate and immense. You have to be careful in the wet. It’s the last of the rear wheel drive models so an entertaining drive... 

As said - from an era when cars were not keenly followed by me 😊👍🏻🤷🏻‍♂️

like a German dinosaur myself and driving an M440i Coupe, now I know what I'm in for should I choose to upgrade. (Actually I'm fine with what I have.) Cheers Marc ...  

There’s still the Alpina B3 or B4 that will look a lot more like yours yet have the performance of the M. Glad if you felt the review was helpful 😊👍🏻🙏🏻

This is definitely not out of place in a Top Gear publication. I have a soft spot for BMW 3 series station wagons. My first BMW was a 2000 323i in burgundy. I loved that car. I still think it is one of the best looking 3 series ever. It had around 185 hp,...  

The car certainly has more performance than can safely be exploited on most roads and definitely more than all but a handful of owners will be able to command. There used to be an adage that if you feel you need a faster car, a driving course will probabl... 

Thanks for this genuine owner review ! I find most car reviews are written by people that don’t own them and live with them over a long enough period. BMW’s have always had an interesting reputation in the wet but I was hoping that the four wheel drive M3... 

I would assume the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S* it originally came with should be a solid choice and the Merc does significantly better with the Pirelli, which have a somewhat wonkier reputation 🤷🏻‍♂️ Putting it on the Conti SC7 would probably clarify that - ... 

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is a good tire. I spent a day hammering an M3 round a circuit in mixed conditions and playing with the traction controls. I came to the conclusion that the car relied heavily on “the systems” to keep the car heading in the righ... 

As for the RS6 I am surprised. But then the whole theft thing is a non-issue here and the insurance companies also don’t hike the premium to the impossible for specific vehicles as a result 🤷🏻‍♂️

I kept a Golf R, amongst others, as it was superb in the wet. It always felt in any conditions rock solid, pivoting beautifully around your hips. I remember a particularly wet late night drive home, I was in a hurry and it was an epic demonstration of jus... 

Golf VIIR or VIIIR?

It needs four seats and should be fun. Beyond that pretty open 😂

I’m looking for another daily that will be a fun drive 🤔

Probably being the last of their kind, as does the Giulia QV. But some left field choices have also started exerting a draw 🧐 Could end up being a CLA45S, haven’t tried that one yet, either… On the electric front I would like to check out the Alpine A290 ... 

I’ve had similar thoughts … Having been lucky enough to be a serial Group B style owner, the Yaris GR is really appealing, especially with a few carefully selected subtle modifications. I feel it’s a true successor to cars like the Delta Integrale. The A2... 

So several Group Bs - impressive 🙌🏻 As for the Macan GTS - for some reason I still try and stay away from SUVs as well as I can 😊🤷🏻‍♂️ I am sure it will be accomplished but t had it been an estate it would have been better 🤷🏻‍♂️ ... 

...  

The only downside being that the current generation dropped the wagon 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ A great one irrespective 👍🏻

A good friend of me works at a BMW dealership and every time he takes an M3 out he's blown away but at the same time he doesn't like it. The big 'flaw' in his opinion is that it is simply to potent ... I can understand him, coming from a time where we wer...  

And thanks for taking the time for that really considered response. I’m considering different options after the M3 (technically there is no need for a second car but it would be nice). Today I was at a oldtimer restorer by accident and he had some cars to... 

I had a short go in the Yaris and this is again a fun car but pretty fast. The Type-R is considered the best hot hatch ever, together with the Megane 3 RS. Both Yaris and Civic are manual and turbocharged, great cars. You could also consider the Megane 3 ... 

So what were your impressions of the Yaris? 😊

.. but would defy prefer the Megan 3 RS ! There's something about the Yaris that makes it feel a bit ... vulnerable ... maybe just my feeling.

.. I think I read about a few engine issues .. blowing up :-(. Also I'm not really a fan of the 3 cilinder sound.

Will research this 👍🏻