M badging

[Lurcher]

Thought this was more than a little funny...

http://blog.caranddriver.com/the-num...is-staggering/

[nicknaz]

But... I'm really looking forward to the lighted seat logos.....

[rking117]

///M is becoming worthless. With every car now having some ///M parts it, in my opinion, devalues the real mccoy. Long gone are the days of the true ///M i am afraid.

[jparnes1]

M logos appeared a long time ago on non-M cars. All you needed was a sport package and you got an M on the steering wheel, like on my brothers 2000 5er.

[Nkc]

I'm afraid that the last borderline true M car is the 1M. just wished it came in a v8 instead of the turbo. Aside from that, my mz3 still feels extremely emmy.

Let's wait and see how the M2 turns out.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Nkc

I'm afraid that the last borderline true M car is the 1M. just wished it came in a v8 instead of the turbo. Aside from that, my mz3 still feels extremely emmy.

Let's wait and see how the M2 turns out.

Hope I'm not opening a can of worms here but what's your objection to the m3/m4?

[Hujan]

This is not unique to the F8x M3/4. My E92 M3 has ///M logos all over the damn place. Suspension components, under trays, transmission coolers, the inside of the hood, it's nuts. Even the rubber subframe bushings which no one would ever see unless they tore them out (which I did) have little ///M logos embossed on them.

As the owner of one of the supposed "last true" ///M cars I don't mind the badging on non-M cars. It does get a little silly when you see it on a 328i that has wood trim and is the furthest thing from a performance car you can get or a bloated 5 series that drives like a tug boat. But I don't mind it on, say, a 135i or 335i with the M Sport package or a sporty car like the Z4.

Our Z4 has the full M Sport conversion and so there are ///M badges on the door sills, steering wheel, and the wheels, not to mention I did a custom engine cover with an "M Power" badge. To me, it's a reflection of injecting the performance bloodlines of the M cars into one of the "regular cars."

I do draw the line at an actual ///M badge on the exterior or the vehicle. That, to me, is just poser. But this is also coming from someone who doesn't like badges as a general matter and has often considered of de-badging the M3 as well.

[Hujan]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Hope I'm not opening a can of worms here but what's your objection to the m3/m4?

I know you didn't ask my opinion, but I'm sure the answer you'll get is that it is more luxury automobile than race car, especially now that it has a FI engine. I understand that attitude to a degree and must admit that the F80 I drove did, in someways, remind me more of a sup'd 335i than M3.

But whatever. Honestly, the car is fast as hell, handles well, brakes well all out of the box and will make a fantastic dual-duty car, especially in the F80 M3 configuration (which I like much more than the F82 M4). You lose a little bit of the raw, visceral feel you get with the S65 engine revving out to 8,600 RPM, but you gain a lot more practicality, speed, and out-of-the-box track readiness from the chassis.

My only gripe with the F8x M3/4 is the throttle sensitivity. I found 1st gear basically useless in most of the throttle settings and with the torque, it feels very "on/off" compared to the exceedingly linear nature of the V8. But this can cut both ways: On one hand, it could be a pain in the ass on the track by making it difficult to smoothly squeeze on throttle on corner exit. On the other hand, those inclined to hang the rear end out and slide around every now and then will love it. (I have a hard time getting my E92 to step the rear end out even when I want it to.)

Bottom line: You are going to be grinning your cheeks off with that thing, especially in AW. Holy cow, I'm excited for that car to get here and it's not even mine.

[nicknaz]

Hujan , I think there need to be some SD m3 meets in 2015 to count m badges.

Edit: by the way, interesting take on the other m3s from Chris Harris

https://grrc.goodwood.com/road/drive...ing-new-bmw-m3