Continuing
last weekend's test drive battle royale, it's time for Round 2. This time, the Lexus IS-F, Nissan GT-R and BMW M3 fight!
The Lexus IS-F failed. Given my previous bad experience with the IS series, specifically the IS350, and Lexus in the general, I admittedly had a negative preconception of the IS-F going into the test drive. However I'm willing to give Lexus a second chance and hoped that the IS-F would impress. It didn't change my opinion, not even close.
When you sit inside an Audi S or RS series car, BMW M series car or the Mercedes Benz AMG series car, you know that you're sitting inside something special. Special badging, thicker steering wheel, power or sport button, the rumbling sound of the 400+ HP engine. In the IS-F, there's none of that... Well, except for the faux silver carbon fiber trim. The IS-F is much like the standard IS, albeit faster, but not fast enough. IS-Fail.
The Nissan GT-R rocked. Ever since I saw photos of the JDM only R33 GT-R, I wanted one. Now the almighty Godzilla is finally available in the US. It's a stunning sports car, won numerous automobile journalist's accolades and awards and bettering the 911 Turbo at the Nurburgring. There are a few issues holding me back - expensive maintenance costs, the GPS/data logging big brother black box, voiding the GT-R warranty due to mods, including changing the wheels (WTF?), competitive racing, putting it on a dyno.
We checked out two GT-R's at Glendale Nissan but were unable to test drive them as their GT-R specialist was not available. In person, the GT-R looks quite stunning and bigger than photos may suggest. I hope to test drive one soon.
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The BMW M3 impressed. We received an invitation to attend
BMW's M Power Tour and jumped on the opportunity to take the E92 M3 M-DCT equipped for an extended test drive.
One of the few weaknesses of the E46 M3 was its handling. There was a lot of body roll, not stiff enough and the steering was a bit floaty. However the engine was magnificent and sung a beautiful metallic rasp. BMW transplanted the E46 M3's S54 inline-6 engine into the E86 Z4 M Coupe, a lighter, more nimble chassis resulting in better handling. The finished product is amazing. What would make it even better? More power.
The solution as I pleasantly discovered is in the E92 M3. From the time the S65 V8 engine rumbles to life to it's pause pounding acceleration and tight handling, the E92 M3 is BMW's best M3 to date. With a light blimp of the throttle, the M car shoves its driver into the seat as it accelerates with focus and power. Engage the Power Mode, the rev counter LED lights up as the M3 transforms into an angry beast on steroids. The handling is quite responsive and tight, which is surprising as the new M3 is 100 lbs heavier then its older E46 brother.
The integrated technology is what makes the E92 M3 really special, at least for those that are gadget geeks. iDrive, navigation, DSC, EDC, M Drive all enhance the driving experience. The 7-speed M-DCT dual clutch transmission is engaging but I think I would see prefer to row my own gears in the standard 6-speed manual.
Round 2 goes to the E92 M3. I still want to test drive the GT-R however.
Labels: Automobiles, Life
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