davyboy

Car 0-60 0-100 60-100

P1 4.9 13.3 8.4
M3 5.4 12.8 7.4

I never realised it was over 1500kg but these are the times is I was reffering too, I got them from Evo magazine.

wilf

Davyboy,

you should know better than to read mag stats
as for on the road well Ive kept up with an M3 in a UK turbo in a high speed drag I'm not pretending the UK turbo was as quick but I dont think they'd be much between a P1 and an M3 either way. (Indeed I've had UK turbos keep up in a similar way when driving my P1.)

Autocar got 12.7 0-100 for the P1 if you care.

Important point wooosh was making was how they drive. P1 is much more agile and wieldy than the old M3.

P1 Owner

Dare I ask chaps....

The new M3... isnt it allot more powerful...?

Vate

Had a UK Scoob from new for 2.5yrs.

Full De-cat, Grooved Group 'N'+ discs DS2500 pads Braided Hoses, 17" OZ Supperlgs, Eagle F1s, Eibachs, ITG filter, Prodrive Geometry Settings.

I consider personally the mods I have done to the car make it the most driveable set-up for UK roads. It is compliant and has superb braking characteristics. It only wants for the extra stiffness lost by the split folding rear seats. This is the real difference of the RB5 but I can't say I have ever seen more than one article that mentions the superior bodyshell construction and fixed rear bulkhead which give this car the extra stiffness that improves the handling so much over standard UK cars. Anyway I'm rambling.

I'm never interested in 'my car's faster than yours' crap. This is the stuff that should be preserved for kids down the pub or those fat, hairy guys that meet up at Utah to break land speed records. I am probably not a great driver in terms of handling powerful cars but I am extremely proficient in terms of driving itself. In the Scooby I can drive very very fast over horrendous roads easily. The term 'flatters your driving' is so very true in an Impreza. Especially one set up so carefully as mine. Noone who has been out for a ride as a passenger hasn't been totally scared and blown away by it's speed, handling/spped through corners and braking ability. These people include a Ferrari 550 owner, a 535i BMW oer, a Nissan 200SX owner, a 306 GTi-6 owner etc. etc.

Fact is I only have the chance to enjoy the car at it's best on very few occasions. Aside from that the car so begs to be driven in a certain way I have become a hooligan. I now realise that for the sake of my own safety and that of others I have to change the car for something that has enough power to plant your foot on the M-way and overtake with ease that looks great and has all the creature comforts of the Scoob. A 3-series Coupe out of all the cars I have test driven (Alfa 156, Jag X-type, Audi TT/A4, Merc C-class/CLK + many more) is by far the nicest drive. Beautifully put together, supremely comfortable to drive and the only car that when I sat behing the wheel I felt a level of involvement that I feel in the Scooby. I am not talking about steering/braking feel or knowing where the limit is because I do not intend to drive any more at the limit of any car I own (unless it is a 2CV!). The similarity I noticed between the Scoob and the Beemer (and also the Alfa 156) is that you feel part of the car. The weight of all the controls the driving position etc makes you feel that the car is an extension of the driver. I don't know if you think I am talking b******s but when you ride a bicylce your imputs are rewarded by precise and equal responses. Most cars do not reward the driver with this behaviour. I reckon that for most people this is what makes any car great to drive.

As for the ongoing argument.
Well a 330ci would not be faster than my Scoob as I have driven both over the same roads. However Ther would be little in it, perhaps a few yards over a mile of mixed roads. The difference is the frantic nature of the Scoob versus the relaxed smooth progress in the 330ci. I also drove a friends 328i sport (1996 car) and it is less refined than a 330 but similar in terms of performance. I would never change the fact that I had an Impreza and that I modded it a little. They are amazing cars but I now get a twinge of envy when on a hot summer's day whilst booming down the M-way at 70 (honest guv) a beemer glides past with the air-con on humming nicely at 90.

tiggers

Don't forget te w**ker factor.

Most people think Scoob drivers are w**kers whereas everyone knows BMW 3 series drivers are w**kers ;-)

In all seriousness this is a stupid question if it's asked on the basis of performance and handling - the Scoob will outperfrom the equivalent BMW every time. Most people can't get beyond the badge though - w**kers ;-)

Regards,

tiggers.

Mike123

P1 Owner

New M3 is 11.5 seconds to 100 according to Autocar - little quicker through the gears as well than the old M3/M3 EVO

andydan

thanks you all 4 replys ,stil undecided tho..

yikes

Chalk and cheese really.

Thats why I'm getting my brand new M3 Coupe next week

6 Speed manual of course, although the SMGII is quite clever.

And I'm still hanging onto my 94 Impreza Type RA.

I also have a 2wd Sapphire Cossie and a heavily modded Peugeot 205 for track use.

All these cars are powerful but each present a totally different driving experience.

Cheers
Richard

si325i

please, is that all you want speed? if so go for the scooby doo. but if you want speed and style get the BM. so it might be a few 10th slower here and there. but it's a few tenth's fast here and there too. and listen to all the people who can't drive my 4WD is faster out of corners/you can't put the power down in a Beemer.. i can't drive i NEED a 4Wheel Drive. and where was this 5s softtop? Ultimate driving machine? yes. get the M3 thou..

Simon

IMHO..

M3 Evo

I've had a BMW M3 Evo (321Bhp)and I now have a P1. (280Bhp)

From a standing start the P1 would win every time.(4WD)

Coming off roundabouts the3 P1 would win every time.( You can't put the foot down on the beemer as you end up pointing where you have came from, power needs to go on gradually)

What I have always queried in my mind is from a rolling start from about 70 mph, I'm not sure who would come out on top but I would go for the P1.

Dont make me laugh

Sorry but in a straight line an M3 would murder a P1. If its dry it will also match it out of a roundabout.

Look at the 60 to 100 mph times

P1 is 8 secs dead
E36 M3 Evo is 6.9

I can understand why you think the P1 may be faster as it certainly feels faster thanks to the turbo lag whoosh bang wallop effect.

I have a friend with an RS sprint evo6 and when i had my M3 evo there would be nothing into it by about 80 but from there on the M3 would pull suprisingly alot, especially once into three figures.

Anyway they are both different cars so go for a drive and take whats suited to you! E36 M3 prices are in freefall at the moment so you could easily pick up a top example for scooby money. That way you'll get the speed and the style!

330dSport

Should be intresting to compare when the next M3 comes out as it will be available in 2wd or 4wd. With 4wd it will be a better comparison.

small beamer

scoob or new m3

chrisp

The only advantage the BM has at the moment is transmission losses from 2WD take that away and factor in the weight for the extra hardware could seriously dent performance. Quite pleased really as my car new cost just over half the price of an M3 but it only 0.1 second slower 0-100 in the dry . Pays ya money .

chrisp

Actually according to nisr227 calculator my standard RA will run a 12.9 quarter mile at I guess more than 100 so in fact may be quicker.

NISR227 calculations (which BTW do seem to be fairly close)

figures are:
bhp
weight kgs
bhp/ton
0-60
1/4 mile

Chrisp 276 1240 223 4.5 12.9


Oh and thats for the standard car and mine aint .

Mmmmm

mccltd,

The E46 M3 cabs are great, you do get a little body flex over the worst roads but it gives amazing open top motoring with bags of practicality, wait till you hear that engine winding up to 8000rpm with the roof down. It's wee bit slower than the coupe with slightly less grip, but to be honest unless the coupe drivers much better than you, you are always going to be close behind (or even sometimes in front ).
The SMG box is good, can be a bit jerky till you get used to it but excellent fun, great at track days, you can kep both hands on the wheel in a racing grip, you end up in the right gear more often, its really quick changes and you never miss a gear. The auto function is poor a bit jerky and either changes up too soon or holds the gears too long depending on setting.



4wd doesn't give you any more cornering grip it just spreads the power out letting you put it down a bit easier in some situations. Interestingly on standard suspension and tyres an 02 WRX was tested at 0.84g on 200ft skidpan, a standard non sport bmw 330ci at 0.85g and the M3 coupe at 0.91g. (all these figures were from Road and Track tests).

328 e46 quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at 93 mph.
330 1/4 mile 14.8 secs @ 95.4 mph
WRX 1/4 mile 15.0 secs @ 95.2 mph

Andydan, Scoobs are great with very exploitable performance but given a bit of effort your 328 if it's a e36 or even a slightly heavier e46 shouldn't be far away from a standard scoob in the dry, the bmws have a higher top speed and at higher speeds the gearings a bit better and it should even be a fraction quicker.

Take a test drive down a road you know and time it compared to the 328, (within the speedlimits of course )

si325i

Mmmmmm what the quarter for the E36 325. ? Cheers. Mines aircon free and has had the cat replaced with a scorpion pipe, but standard back box...

Great exhaust note...

Skittles

Wow, what a fantastic picture!

mccltd

Test drove both the M3 Coupe and Convertible this weknd both with the SMG box.
Was very surprised in the difference in handling between them both.
Found the Coupe a lot nicer to driver.
And yes I agree the SMG does need getting used to, but was a lot of fine.
Test driving another Coupe on Tuesday so will see what that holds in the choice as to whether keep the STI7 with just over 300lbs of torque of go for the M3.