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13K views 32 replies 19 participants last post by  Guru0006 
#1 ·
I'm curious to know if anyone has cross-shopped a 2009 M3 sedan with the CTS-V. Any significant pros or cons to either?

Thanks.
 
#4 ·
The M3 will be quicker in transition in the corners. But it will be outrun by the V in the straights. The M3 sedan has decent room in back but not near the V's room. The V has a nicer interior. The exterior design to me is a draw. I love them both.
 
#7 ·
I had a couple of ladies driving the V2 with me and an instructor at Monticello. With the seat up a little bit, it was very comfy in the back of the V2. I made it a point to have the seat set to where I liked and then sit in back. It was maybe a tiny bit better than the V1, which is excellent for the size of the sedan.

As for the M3, it's tight, but even with my large frame, I could sit behind my setting for the driver's seat. It may not be super comfortable, but it's doable. But I don't think it's even close to your M5...
 
#8 ·
Surely buying an M3, you'd be a cock anyway?

What I cant understand is why in America, there seams to be alot of financial isses and unemplyment, yet the true blue American would still by a foreign product? And continue to complain about the state of the economy and country.
 
#12 ·
These two cars M3 and CTS-V were my two finalists. I had driven the M3 with dual clutch on three different occasions and was ready to buy because I didn't think I could get a test drive in a cts-v. Once I drove the cts-v
it was an easy decision, I bought the cts-v with recaros. I judge cars by entertainment value (ev) and reliability. l love the cockpit interior of the cts-v and the electronics. The handling is remarkable for a car this size and is almost equal to the M3. I happen to like the growl the car makes under load, but some have characterized this as a drone. On long commutes this could be a negative for some. The power is a given just like the gas mileage. The biggest objection to the M3 is the same one I had with my 07 M5. You have to rev the crap out of it to get any sense of "pull" i.e. entertainment value. Reliability is another issue with BMW's. Their electonic design and reliability has been an issue on every bmw I've owned. Here's a big problem they're having right now is with battery discharge problems if you don't take trips of at least 20 miles in duration you will have problems and they will not cover charging or battery replacemnt under warranty. This is covered under the fine print in the warranty and they call it a "bad driver profile". These problems tend to crop up in the eight months to one year time frame. The more loaded the car the greater the problem. The final nail in the coffin for the M3 was the other car I own which is a bmw 135i. This has the best engine I've been exposed to (19 mpg city) and is pure entertainment. With a $2000 Dinan mod I can get equivalent power to the m3 and probably better performance.
 
#16 ·
Funny, I think the high revving characteristics of the newer BMW V8 is just as addictive as the lazy tq the LSX engines give...

I actually think the M3 vs the CTS-V is the only legitimate comparison now. Any benefits (fun alternatives) the M5 has over the V, the M3 has as well, like the dual clutch trans and hi revving engine, but has sharper handling. The E60's V10 doesnt sound as good as the E90's V8, imo, and thats important to me. The M5 costs a lot more, as well and doesn't corner like the M3 does. Since the CTS-V matches the M5 in every way except for technical bragging rights, the M5 seems kind of redundant.

For argument purposes, the M3 beats the M5 around the Top Gear test track by .9 seconds.
 
#31 ·
I drove both the new V and the M3 (coupe not 4 door). The M3 looks nice on the outside but the interior is aweful compared to the V. Not sure what things are being considered. The M3 engine wasn't as much fun as the V either and I thought the V rode better and handled just as well. I was as impressed with the V as I was unimpressed with the M3 (considering all the magazines gushing about it all the time). Now to keep things in perspective and to show that I am not a fanboy of either I ended up buying a GTR.
 
#32 ·
The design of the M3's interior is aweful, but thats subjective. I know people who love it. One area the BMW is still better in the interior, tho, is the build quality. Even the new V I drove had a flmisy feel to the dash, you could lean against the dash and feel and see flexing of the plastic...something I couldnt replicate in the M3. I think you can still get a full leather interior in the M3 as well, and thats something Id pay for. The V has a much more inviting design, tho.
 
#33 ·
And don't forget the V has one of the best NAV systems out there. Way better than either the M3's or my GTR's. I really liked the dash design on the V and controls were all intuitive. I really was VERY impressed with the interior. If you get the NAV on the M3 you have to deal with that stupid knob behind the shifter. Who the hell though that one up?
 
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