In the October issue of Top Gear Magazine the new BMW M3 is taken to the Isle of Man along with the following driver’s cars:
Audi R8
Ariel Atom
Caparo T1
Renault Megane R26
Ford GT
Jaguar XKR
Aston Martin Vantage
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
Ferrari 599
Porsche 911 GT3.
Different reporters were allowed to test the car and their views are related below:
Matt Master: What needs highlighting is just how real-world this car is. Everything else we took to the Isle of Man was in some significant way flawed, even Jeremy’s beloved R8 that neither Bill nor I could change gear in comfortably because the clutch travel is hampered. But the BMW is perfect in every respect. Good looking and respectable with the Wanker Factor set low, easily the most usable with four seats, big boot and comfortable ride, and, of course, at any given time or place, astonishingly fast.
Paul Horrell: Yes, the Jag is a mighty GT. And when I was following it in the GT3, the Porsche couldn’t reel it in on a straight. That’s proper all-round talent, though naturally not as rounded as the awesome M3. When you lean it into a bend it gives you usefully more sensation of the road than the old one did. Yet when you’re not flat-out, it’s more refined. How did they manage that? Brilliant. Oh, and the V8 isn’t just about 8k-plus mania. It’s got torque too. I don’t think any other car here gives you so much exotic engineering for every pound sterling. It’s not just a souped-up 3-series – it’s truly fit to touch the hem of any car here, including Ferrari’s.
Matt Master: The M3 is the car I have to end up championing, even with money no object. Beset by image problems as it doubtless will be, and less desirable as it doubtless is against the big guns here, it’d be the car I’d most happily live with, share experience with, fall back on in a crisis, ravage in a rash moment. It’s not perfect, and it’s certainly not the car I most want, but it’s the car that’d let me sleep deepest at night.
Pat Devereux: Was I the only person not to get on with the M3? It’s got tons of power but you’ve really got to thrash it far more than you should have to in a car with a 4.0-litre V8. Actually, it’s not just the engine that has masochistic tendencies. The whole car gets a bit sulky if it’s not being bent sideways into a corner. We all like a car that likes to be thrashed, but I also want one that works with me when there isn’t the space to do so sanely. The M3 doesn’t do that. You dance its tune, or dance alone.
Interesting views, isn't it?
Well, I always look at these reviews as a personal opinion or choice, so in my case, I need to test drive the car before I make a decision on whether I like the car or not.
