So this is now sitting in my driveway and I decided to post up a little side by side. Although the M3 is a cabriolet so it isn't completely fair. It's a 2002 SMG Carbon Black fully loaded... here goes:





Comfort:
M3 hands down, the ride is smoother, the car feels smoother in general and more refined. The seats are more comfortable, there are more creature comforts. Also, the visibility is excellent

Handling:
The 350Z wins here, it corners sharper, there is more steering feel, the steering wheel has quicker response (although this could be because the M3 is a cab and thus the structure isn't as stiff... the coupe I drove felt more like the 350Z). The 350Z has less body roll, and just feels more maneuverable. VERY VERY close to the M3 coupe IMO.

Speed:
The 350Z feels much faster at high RPMS, HOWEVER, the M3 has low grunt power. Overall, the 350Z has a greater sense of speed. I LOVE the SMG on the M3, I am an avid fan of stickshift vehicles but IMO SMG is the future, it does everything a driver can do in a stickshift but better, and there's full auto mode... All the while it doesn't lose power like a TQ does on an auto tranny and it shifts slowly to almost full race-shifting speeds (5 shift speed modes + 1 burnout/race start mode).

Looks:
The 350Z gets much more looks, even though the BMW is a drop top. The 350Z IMO has a much cleaner and refined and unique style to it. The M3 is starting to look slightly dated i'm sorry to say.

If I had to choose however, i'd have to say the M3... I will say though, that the 350Z does a damn good job of providing driving performance quite equal to the M3 at almost half its price. AND, IMO it wins in the looks department. I can't wait till I get my TE-37's in for the Z... Feel free to post questions or comments.

 

Very nice.And no flames intended but how can you compare
a M3 to a 350z.I may be mistaken but does'nt the M3
have about 333hp.That is a big difference.I could be wrong
and as I said I don't mean to flame you.Just wondering.
95yellovett(Z07)

 

They are probably closer in acceleration than you think. The M3 cab weighs about 3800 lbs (I think) and the SMG is a little slower than the manual (at least in the tests I have seen).
I figure the M3 cab is around 5.0-5.3 sec 0-60.

I drove a M3 coupe and thought it was too much on the comfort side so the steering was too light and the handeling was not as sharp as I was expecting.

Great car though

 

First off what do you do for living.

Second car looks pretty damn spectacular.

Personally this is how I view things. M3 is a nicer car BUT it costs lots more then a Z. Just looking at MSRP:

M3 = 46k
Z Track = 35K

M3 = very professional car with a nice boost under your foot and the prestige of BMW name behind it.

Z = fun car with a new style and a new look.


I have not had a chance to drive and M3 but I think its a great car and I think if I had the money it would be standing in my driveway. Good choice.

Another aspect is age. Z has a more youthful look. M3 feels a little more grown up.

 

The problem with the M3 is that it looks like all the other BMW's. Here in Florida BMW's are everywhere and they all look the same. I agree that the M3 is a mover and shaker, however because they look so much like the other bimmers they seem very common place and therefore do not have the overall presence of the 350Z. I like the M3 and was about to buy one when I heard of the 350Z preorder program. I choose the 350Z and don't have a single regret.

 

Hey, what are you doing taking pictures of my driveway???

j/k

 

Uh sorry, but the M3 coupe is more like 53k base and the M3 cab is more like 59k base. I saw a few last weekend, new fully loaded cab was 62k, coupe was 56k. The coupe is much faster as well, 0-60 in 4.7. In my opinion the speed in the Z is more comparable to the E36 M3.

 

No doubt the M3 is a very nice car. However, I've driven a couple and was not impressed with their performance. The only reason that car has the low end grunt you speak of is due to the car's rear end gearing. Shifting hard, I was out of first and second gear in less than 4 seconds. Very tall gears.

My dad ordered one of the convertables when they first came out and he sold it within six months because he was disappointed with it as well. And that man LOVES BMW. We had it dynoed and that 333 hp loses a lot through the drive train! I think he came out with less than 240 rear wheel hp.

I'm certainly not flaming the car--it's a great little car and looks beautiful, but it just didn't hold up to my standards for performance.

 

That's almost 30% drivetrain loss. Unlikely. More likely is that
you dynoed on a Mustang dyno.

This page has a good explanation and some BMW dyno charts that show 278-280hp at the wheels for the 01 M3:


dyno charts M3

dyno type explanation

 

BMW also finally admitted there was something wrong with the car after they saw the dyno runs. It really was only 240 hp. They never did get it up to the 280s, that's why he sold it.

I don't bull **** about cars and their power.

 

Wow. Delusional posts.

 

Yea.. this M3 was 73,000 after taxes. Got it at 1,500 over MSRP and it's fully loaded with all options. Also added lo-jack to it. So before tax and lo-jack @ MSRP it was about 63,500.
HOWEVER, like I said before, it doesn't actually drive better than the Z, the Z has better steering feel and feels like it handles on rails, the M3 feels more like the G35C.

Also the cab and Z can definately compete in performance, the Cab has 3800 lbs and only around 280 lbs of torque. The Z has a very close amount of torque, but about 40 less HP, HOWEVER it is also close to 500 lbs lighter than the M3 Cab.

 

M3 is GOD!

 

how is the feel of smg? i have never had the priveledge to drive anything with an F1 style tranny. It would be a great experience to not have to take your hands off the wheel. I noticed the new maseratis come with f1 as well.

 

According to BMWusa.com the M3 cabriolet has a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds. Which is identical to that of car and drivers test. No doubt the M3 is better, and faster, but in a race i beleive we could keep up with it..... The coupe is another story........


Do you all beleive the new E55??? Now that car is hot!476hp, over 500lb/ft of torque..... 0-150 in like 22 seconds or somthing like that!!!!! Thats equal to a 575 Maranello!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now thats a car........

 

Back in June when Automobile Magazine came to Nashville to do a story on the 350, they also brought an M3 with them. It was a nice car but...

At 33k miles, those of us who got to drive it were pretty amazed at the squeaks and rattles. And this was a coupe, not a cabrio. Naturally this car had probably been hammered over the months by the press corps, but so what. It should be hammered - that's what it was made for.

Like others who have driven both and have posted here, the performance between the two cars is fairly similar. I think the Z is tighter, personally, and I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible. The Z definitely felt more powerful at the top end of the curve, as Zs have always been known for.

I have to say that the M3 is a work of art under the hood. Nothing like an engine with a separate throttle body on every cylinder and all the associated plumbing. It's pretty. I'd love to have one, but until I'm really really rich (instead of just sorta rich every two weeks) I have to side for the Z.

Dead

 

Or you could get the M3 AND a Z AND mod both...