BMW 3-Series M3 (2007 - 2013) M3 Coupe (2010) 2d DCT Owner Review

Having started a family, and no longer having time to service and maintain a higher powered Impreza and a Fiesta ST I chopped both in and bought this for something fast and yet more refined. Whilst in some areas it delivers in others it just irritates. The pros: - Loads of mid to top end performance - that engine just keeps pulling, and the power delivery is very linear and manageable - beautiful to look at, much less chavvy and understated than the new M4. - incredible handling and grip - in the dry. Out handles my old Impreza that had a stage 3 handling setup, and even my old fiesta st. The tyres have a lot to do with this but it really can be thrown into corners and behaves superbly. With traction control off its well balanced and remarkably predictable. The cons - the pull of the engine at its best can't be exploited on uk roads without loss of license. Where you want the real punch it just doesn't deliver like a forced induction engine. My previous car was turbo with 100 ftlbs more torque and you can feel that missing, the car feels bigger and heavier. - In the wet it's useless - just can't get the power down and traction control constantly kicks in. - the dashboard and some switchgear look cheap compared to Audi rivals. - way too much tech for a drivers car; I don't want to have to push a button every time I want to go fast using M drive, and I don't need 6 modes of aggresiveness - it's TOO MUCH - I want it to remember what my last settings were when I start the car - it's ANNOYING! - DCT makes driving the car uninvolved and far less of a fun experience; ignore what people say about paper figures, you'll get bored of it quick - especially in corners. - the paint is so soft it scratches if you literally look at it funny; worst paint I've ever had on a car in 20 years of driving - DCT problems and blocked washer jets on a 3 year old car within 2 months of buying through AUC...dealer sorted but really not impressed by that sort of reliability given the price and the previous bullet proof nature of my old car.