BMW E36 and G80 - M3 Generations Compared! Part 3/3 

I went from E46 to a 718 GT4 (Kept the M3 as well). Never drove any other Ms. I feel like the GT4 is like the perfected version of the E46, 2 NA 8k rpm rwd coupes. Love both cars and glad to hear that you rate the E46 so highly

Hey Zygrene! Loved this video series. As a diehard M3 fan this was something I couldn't wait to watch. I currently own a Manual G80 M3 and before had a M2C. I am hoping you can get to experience a manual g80. A lot of folks don't see the point of getting one of manual cars due to the insane performance the Competition XDrives offer but I do think that the way they have mapped the car and the addition of a third pedal has brought a lot of life and character back to the vehicle. I have been daily driving mine since September of last year and have put over 7K miles and have nothing but fun with the car. The ability to tear up a back road and then put everything back to comfort on the way back home is truly remarkable.

Your final summary is exactly how I feel. It’s between the E46 and E90 for me.

What an awesome series of videos, thank you for doing this. It couldn’t have been easy to shoot this.

Katie the G80 Owner here :D. There’s another setting for steering (I don’t think you mentioned changing it) and you can turn the piped in engine noise off. The rest I can’t really argue with, though. Thanks for enjoying my car!

Agree with your conclusion, the E46 M3 is my personal favorite and the S65 in the E9X just gives it so much of a boost that I don't really care about the weight. And IMO the M3 died with the E9X. From that point forward, the M3 became the M2. The F8X and G8X M3/M4s are really just M5s.

As an E36 fanboy, the E46 and E90 are the best M3 generations. S54 in the E36 makes for a more interesting comparison but I can’t say for certain if I’d pick it again over a sorted E46 or E90.

E90 M3, the last gen of the analog driving experience. Plus, the Motorsport derived NA V8 engine.

Amazing series you made here. Really cool to see your perspective of things. I’ve had both a e46 ZCP and a slicktop E90 M3. They are the golden era of M cars and golden era for all performance cars. I now drive a b7 rs4 and it also checks most of the boxes that the E90 M3 filled. 2003-2010 era of cars are truly unmatched.

Thanks for producing this M3 series. I only have experience driving the E90 and bought an E90 M3 a year ago and love driving it at any speed on any road with a manual. It has a great recipe for driver enjoyment. Maintenance is quite expensive though and according to my shop the E46 is worse fyi. I would definitely be interested in test driving more M cars and this video series was like riding along in the passenger seat so great work Z.

I agree with the conclusion. The new cars would feel less digital without the tablet screens and the pumped in engine noise. Hard to choose between the E46 and E90, both spectacular cars

Love this series and even though mine is on the slow end, I still love it.

E46 the best imo. Id put the E90/92 at a close second (those two stand out like you said), but the E90 so damn expensive to maintain. The V8 is the best and worst part of that car if you know what I mean. I'd have the F80 then over the G80, just for the looks. The lairy power spike makes it exciting also, although to some people that would be bad

I think the appropriate conclusion is one needs both 46 and 90 together. I miss my 90 like crazy.

Great video and perspectives. I agree with your conclusion regarding the E46 and the E90 as I have owned both! E9X all day everyday!😊👍🏾✌🏾

E90 is my favorite but E46 is the defining M3

They never listen. We all just want e46 styling and pricing with a quality v8 engine. Why is that so hard?

Excellent series! I confirmed some experiences, learned a bit, but most of all, feel that M3 itch coming back strong! You should do this with 911 models, would be a great way to visualize those nuances.

e36 is the most honest ///M, it wants to be tossed around and doesnt need any gimmicks. E46 is a step up from that and probably the best ///M of the ///M's. G80 is another level of ///M where it feels like it finally is a supercar. E90 has the best sound and coolest engine, still have fun characteristics sort of like a E36/E46. F80 ///M is good but it is the least ///M of all of them, and honestly it looks really good.

I'll take an E30 with S2000 Engine swap!

I have also driven them all but not on the same day - My thoughts are the same as you, E90 for the win but in 6 speed manual with a short shift kit installed, the E46 is also a sweet thing but getting too old now.

Really part of the conclusion should be that they are all clearly made to be very different from the previous. Not like a 911 which carries over so many of the same traits. Would be great to own several m3 generations 😛 I have an e93 so i can listen to the v8 with the top down 😛

Great comparison reviews! We need the same series with the Nissan Skyline

Doesn't like to rev high due to the detuned m52 manifold. Put the M50 mani on and it happily revs to 7000

Best M3 comparison out there!! Looks like I'll be S65 swapping my 1M. And maybe add an E46 cause they look so freaking good! PS: G80 is best if you want modern M5 E39.

I couldn’t agree more that e46/e92 is the Best, but I would give the edge to e92 since the DCT>SMG

Great video as always man! Ngl you’re making me totally rethink because I have a slightly differing viewpoint but I trust your opinion more. I am firmly in the category of E90 >> F80 >> G80. I haven’t driven the older M3’s so I can’t compare, but I keep my reasoning short. I have about 2 full days of experience from turo in both f and g’s series. With Active Sound disabled, S55 sounds better than S58 and exhaust is much better imo. The s55 sounds like the original N54 335’s out the back, which I loved. Beyond that, I find the S55 has more character and the fake noise is much less offensive. I find the f80 steering to be much better in road texture feedback, and I find it’s less artificially quick. I also feel like in more technical roads, the F80 transmits more chassis flex / rotation than the G80. Plus, I hate the g80 looks still and I don’t like the interior or iDrive 8. With that said, to me, the fun of the f80 is that it’s less capable. If I want a super fast car I’ll just go buy an Audi. I want an f80 because I want the nervousness, the unpredictability, the raw edge - and I don’t feel that in the g80. To be totally real, I feel like the difference between my friends g20 330i and the g80 really is not that much. Both can go insanely fast, have no emotion, and give tons of confidence. Meanwhile, the f30 340 vs the f80 to me feels like a totally separate car. Maybe that’s because the base F30 was so bad? Not quite sure, but either way I really like the F chassis M3. Thanks again as always for such great content!

e46 without a doubt, the perfect combination of creature comfort and performance. It was my dream car

i still find the novelty of the G series wears off really quickly when you drive one for over a week. the lack of soul and feedback sorta smacks you in the face when you get over how fast they are. I really wanted the g87 M2 to be amazing but it ended up feeling boring as a driver's car, more like you're "along for the ride" rather than driving. as a corporate on paper "it does these things well" its easily one the best ones you can buy today. but I just can't get passed the videogame feel

e36 no question

I have a 2023 M3 6 speed. Awesome car. More cruiser muscle than sports car. Perfect for me. Never drove priors. Size matters. Bet priors were great when new. Time moves on.

In the uk we got the e36 in 280 and 320bhp

For the US market, it was essentially a E36 328i with an LSD.

E46 is peak M3. The E9x is a bit too heavy and less nimble. The S65 is hands down the best engine ever fitted into an M3 though. S54 a close second.

Some of the best automotive videos on RU-vid!

Loved this series! Having owned the first 5 generations I can confidently say I agree with you all the way on the E46, but I couldn’t disagree with you more on the F80 lol. I respect your perspective though. If you’re up for it, when you’re back in The Bay, I want you to take a spin in my M4 Competition 6MT that’s dialed in just right.

For me in terms of looks, fun factor and driving dynamics… E92 E36 E46 E30 G80 F80

The g80 is the best m5 😎 awesome comparo.

I’d like to see a comparison between F80 M3 and F87 M2 comp. If you think F80 M3 is nervous, I wonder how much more nervous M2 comp will be.

Yup e46 for the win for me. I’ve owned mine forever and won’t ever sell it. My brother as the e90 m3 and I love it too, but could definitely feel the extra weight. I had a e36 m3 with a Dinan s3 package with supercharger with 340hp. That one felt faster and more nimble than the e46 m3 driving both at Laguna in the same track day. But the Dinan package is pretty rare at this point. E46 m3 for the straight from manufacturer feeling of a real m3. 🤙

Good video. G80 or M2C? I have not driven an F80, but after driving the G80 (only briefly) I felt that the F87 gave me more of the feeling I missed from my old E46… would have loved the E92, but didn’t want to deal with the maintenance requirements

For me, this ended on a cliffhanger. I have a GR yaris and wanted to go back to something older and was looking at E46 vs. E90. I have the same dilemma when it comes to chassis vs. engine. From what I've seen and heard, S65 is more reliable than people give it credit if you take care of the bearings and throttle actuators. On the other hand, the S54 can be reliable as well. But you can run into issues like head gasket and there is the regulat valve adjustment, etc.

E46 best looking E90 best engine Both fantastic cars.

I have an e30 m3 with an S54. I would love for you to drive that give your impressions.

I want the V8 of the E90!!

Nicely! Nicely done. E46 and e36 to me are the gens that come to mind. E30s are a bit too old and too much of a rarity on the street. The saturation of the m badge to several bmw models have spoiled the specialty. For bang for the buck you cannot go wrong w the 36, 46 or 90 Gen.

I was surprised that you preferred the G80 to the F80. Agnostic of other’s comments about styling, the G80 felt more numb in the steering and had way too much power for me. I’ve only ever driven a RWD version, though. It would be cool if you compared all the coupes, I much prefer the F87 M2C and CS to the F80 M3. And also the G87 over the G80. They’ve gotten way too big and heavy after the E90/92.

As a G87 owner, there are 4 facts which could not be accpeted if you compare to 2.5T Porsche. 1.Dull and pale steering feedback but accurately direction.2.Too slow if you switch your gear, lag in the RPM but shows ready to go.3.you canonot have response from break pedal no matter in comfort or sport.4.Break pad and tires run out very quickly as this model goes heavier.

The F80 didn’t get much love, but it’s been an amazing daily driver for us, with a great blend of speed, drama, luxury, just the right amount of tech, and practicality. It definitely has that sense of waywardness but the diff actually does a decent job of putting the power down. It’s a fun, beautiful car. Its only reasonable competition in this group is the E90, because I find the G80 uglier than a baboon’s ass.

e46 m3 is the pinnacle for me because of the e46 m3 gtr

Any modified e36,46,92, M2 and 1m(135i 1m clone) are amazing. We don't modify e30 m3's so l don't even talk about them. Anything else after the e9x platform just looks like too gigantic and less sporty. I think the modified e36 with an s54 swap is most likely the best bmw you can have. With that... l've given no real answer to the actually question.😂

Loved my dad's E36 M3 and my mom's E46 ZHP. wish I could have bought the M3 from him before someone totaled it. The US actually got a detuned version of the motor, vs Euro's which came with 320hp for the late model. A cammed US S50 felt great though. Would love to drive an E92 since it feels like it would be the best generation.

I'd pick E46 all day if the big 3 reliability issues have been taken care of and I can accept the rather high ratio of maintenance cost to vehicle price. For a reliable daily driver, the G80 would be (and was) my pick and has no major documented issues. X-drive auto is basically easy mode though.

E46 and E90 WINRAR!!!!

review a bmw m roadster! german s2000

The G80's ride looks unforgiving, going by the amount you are bouncing.

Best M3 ? F87 M2 CS baby !

Wonder which one you’d chose e36 m3 evo or e46 m3

Yo should try the Euro spec e36 m3 3.2

Try the 2013 V8. Not the fastest, but the best

E30 is the only real M3 and would be my choice given garage space, and funds. The only one that is a homologation special, motorsport bred and honed, a classic, and according to this and everything I've read, a better steer than any of the others. The E46 and E90 sound like great cars also, but they're just fast (very well engineered) luxury sport sedans in comparison. A base 911 of equivalent age would be a better drivers car, a 996 or 997. Nothing overshadows an E30 M3 though. The reason the M3 is an icon is because of the E30.

as an e36 owner from the uk, I'm always curious as to what you guys would think about the euro e36 M3 evo/competition where the S52 is very similar to the S54, 3L making over 300hp so delivering similar performance to the e46

Major ego-boost incoming! Let me guess, E46 or E9x

E36 best m3 made with the least maintenance 👨‍🔧 🎉

E46m is too heavy, numb steering and its ugly. The e36 is really the best all rounder. And power is easily addresssed ...if you want to

Well I have to get an e90

none. they're all garbage. jk. they're all amazing.

My m3 is best m3.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the F80 is a twitchy car that never feels planted.

g80 is the best- everything else is a contarian/hipster reddit midwit take.