VIDEO: 004 Gives You An Exclusive Ride In The New BMW M3 On The Track At Laguna Seca
Agent001 submitted on 2/21/2008 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 2:57:35 PM
56 user comments | Category: Videos | Source: www.autospies.com
As if it's not thrilling enough to just drive the new BMW M3, the Spies kick it up a notch and test it at the world famous Laguna Seca Racetrack.
And this video with ace BMW PR man Tom Plucinsky driving, Agent 004 shooting the video and 001's commentary, puts you on the track!
Enjoy the ride in this insanely fantastic new rocketship!
Agent004's Take:
I think the M3 sedan will save this model. I think the 135 is going to give the coupe a run for its money. The acceleration of the 135 is so close to the M3 it's almost a wash. Handling is also very close, but where I think the 135 edges out the the M3 was in braking on the track. The M pads aren't race pads, or track pads for that matter, but the M3 is supposed to be track ready given the M moniker. The 135 has those sweet 6 piston calipers, a lighter weight and on a slower track, we noticed no brake fade in the 135. Truely though, I would have liked to have driven the M3 earlier in the day to give the brakes a real test, but having talked to the morning group, they also did mention brake shudder and fade.
However, the new DSG transmission is what would push me to make the jump to the M3 over the 135. The new system primes the next gear on a seperate clutch, so when you're in 1st gear, 2nd gear is primed to go, and when you're in 2nd gear, 3rd is ready to go, etc... making gear changes near instantaneous, and no manually shifted tranny is going to be able to keep up with that.
The look of the M3 is also unique, exciting, and masculine, where as the 135 has a little bit more of a feminine sleeper look to it. On the coupe, the roof stands out from far away and brings you in to take a closer look at the carbon weave, almost like Donald Trump's hair; you want to get close enough to really give it a good look to see if it's real and check out the quality.
For a street car, it is a HARD decision which car to buy, the 135 or the M3 Coupe. There's a $20,000 price difference, and if you're never going to track it, the extra HP in the M3 probably won't be very useful. However, at $40,000 fully loaded, the 135 is a fun, light version of the M3. Easy to toss in corners, fast to stop, fast to start, and a little softer over bumpy roads.
What's my choice? BMW M3 SEDAN, DSG, there's not much else out there as versatile nor as nice looking as that beast.
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