E36 Vs. E46

[TTBoy]

Originally posted by JimmyDoanM3nomo
Ok buddies, this is a general poll, which one is it..E46 or E36..1 thing u cannot take into consideration is acceleration...I want opinions on looks, handling, and over feel of the car...I want to know why you would choose any particular chassis over the other.

I say E36...Looks better, feels better, and it is just more fun to drive..I feel more confident going into a turn sideways in an E36 then in an E46...the E36 has a LOT better handling then the E46. and then, dont forget the agressive looks of the E36 over the E46.

Lets get your opinions going ASAP!

-Jimmy

dude, you had a e46 330ci vs e36 m3 thread where you obviosuly stated your dislike of the e46's even calling them lady mobile's...that really hit home hard as a happy e46 owner...now what's the point of starting a never-ending thread like this one.....there are many different reasons why people chose one over the other...I love my e46 and take an e46 over an e36 anyday...i love the e46's bodylines....the luxury and comfort...i love it all....

[PrinceE30]

How about a true fact based thread where we talk about the chassis design of the two and which is a more rigid body?

What about center of gravity in either of the two cars?

How about which has better aerodynamics?

-Prince

[runetang]

I think its pretty obvious that bmw steered away on the sportyness for the regular 3 series models, while still being able to offer it in the higher trims (m3, 328ci, 330ci, etc). The regular 4 door is probably a better overall car for the intended customers than the e36. But I think the e36 sport models like the m3, the 325is, and the 328is are probably a little better aimed at the sporty performance oriented customer than the e46 is. Getting all technical Just trying to show that both cars are good even if one is a little better than the other in this way or that, even the lesser of the 2 in the said category would still be way better than the competition.

edit: and when i say this, im not refering to raw numbers when i say one is sportier than the other, im refering to the feel of the car and the styling, interior and out.

[JCM3]

Having driven both an e46 330 & 325 and having an e36 m3 & 325 I like the way the e36 feels. It is more responsive and gives better feedback. The e46 is far more comfortable and luxurious. The e46 coupes are very beautiful cars but if in sedan form i like the e36 a little better. Both are very nice regardless.

[robfrmny21]

the e46 handles better but because of all the eletronic there tell you stop that it might be tamer. the e46 also has that mean as looking wide body , the stance is so wicked that car is just hot. both car are a joy to drive but i know u said don't talk about acc. but if you made the e36 333hp like the e46 i tink you would have to upgrade alot to make the car just handle that alone. i am not talking about if you feel comfy in the car i talking about bmw comfy where the company wouldn't mind putting that car on the road.. love the both they both look sweet but i take the e46 because i really don' t plan on racing every where i would mostly use it to look for chics why else get a bmw. all a girl has to see is a bmw sign and a car that look pretty new and you got them.

[James]

I've seen these mind-numbing threads pop up every month or so for the past 3 years, so I will finally chime in here. My brother recently totalled his e36 M3 and is now in the market for another vehicle. After a fairly substantial insurance settlement (for a stock 99 M3 with 50k miles that is), we have been test driving many cars recently trying to pick a new one. I'll leave all non-bmws out of the discussion, but as far as BMWs go, I can comment on a couple of e46s we drove.

First off was a 2002 e46 m3 with 15k miles at a local used car dealer. I've probably put 2-300 miles on e46 m3s, so even though I am not 100 percent familiar with the car, I feel that I can adequately comment on their performance. First off, the car is enormous, much bigger than my E36 m3, yet the interior (at least in the front seats) did not seen any less clostrophobic. Steering wheel, seats, etc, are all very nice, but it's very difficult to forget the weight of the car. The power delivery is nothing to write home about. I love the fact that the motor can finally breathe at higher RPMs, but even with the more aggresive gear ratios, and adequate torque, the throttle response (maybe because of the drive-by-wire), is nothing like in an e36 M3. Sure, an e46 M3 will thoroughly outrun me from 60-whatever speed, but the feeling is not exhilirating whatsoever. Maybe something was wrong with this particular car, but I figured with 30 degree weather that the acceleration would be quite impressive, and it simply wasn't.

Next vehicle, which we didn't drive, but had a chance to look over was a 330i. I really like this car, and have about the same amount of mileage at the wheel as I do with an e46 m3. What's the point of paying 55k for an M3 coupe if the performance doesn't really outshine a car you already have? This is merely an opinion, but I am willing to bet that an equal amount of e36 M3 owners chose to keep their cars and/or look elsewhere, versus buying the e46 M3 after a test drive. Having said all that, stock 330s will run with stock e36 m3s. Mildly modified 330s are a hair slower than similarly modified 3.2L m3s, and I think the same would be for 3.0s. 330s do not have the same visceral response that e36 M3s do, but they have great brakes, handle quite well, and the power is better than anything else in it's class. But, as with the e46 m3, the car is disconnected from the road, although I feel its a little better because it doesn't weight 4 billion pounds. For someone who isn't necessarily looking for a huge step up in performance, or any at all for that matter, from their e36 m3, then the 330 is the car for you. It does about 95 percent of the things that an e36 m3 can do, albeit not nearly as much fun to drive, and the price isn't completely out of this world.

Last but not least was an e46 325ci, which I had not driven before. My friend has a 99 323 that I have driven a fair amount, but i had never driven one of the 323/5 coupes before. Titanium Silver/black leather, moonroof, 5 speed, xenons, S/P, titanium trim, etc, etc...car is pretty damn nice for around 35k MSRP (although we wouldn't pay anywhere near that, probably closer to 31,5). After driving the e46 325ci a few miles we more or less figured out that this is the car. Given that he doesn't want to pick up a payment right now, and since his 99 m3 was already paid off, the 325ci is a perfect interim car until BMW comes out with a true driver's car again. A lot of people gave BMW shit when the e36 m3 came out, especially the U.S. version, saying it was disconnected from the road, etc, etc, versus the e30 M3, but I think the e46 M3 is far worse than the gap between e30 vs. e36. Don't get me wrong, if someone gave me that car, I would drive it, but carrying an 1100 dollar payment on a new car for something that is obviously overengineered, but in a grocery getter kind of way, no thanks. 33k out the door on a car that has the same amenities and chassis as it's overpriced brother, and saving that 1100 dollar payment for a used 993 twin turbo in a couple of years was my brothers choice in the end.

[JimmyDoanM3nomo]

Originally posted by TTBoy


dude, you had a e46 330ci vs e36 m3 thread where you obviosuly stated your dislike of the e46's even calling them lady mobile's...that really hit home hard as a happy e46 owner...now what's the point of starting a never-ending thread like this one.....there are many different reasons why people chose one over the other...I love my e46 and take an e46 over an e36 anyday...i love the e46's bodylines....the luxury and comfort...i love it all....

HEY BUDDY...I did not start that thread...and that was an e46 330 vs an e36 M3 so that makes this different...anyways, i have the right to express my opinion, and my opinion, AS WELL AS OTHERS is, that the E46 DOES feel more like a womens car and does not handle as well (that is a fact)

[NOC]

Like I said earlier, if you drive & own an E46 or E36, you will say that is the greatest car ever made.
The point is it's all the same, IT'S A BMW the Ultimate driving Machine.

[TTBoy]

Originally posted by JimmyDoanM3nomo


HEY BUDDY...I did not start that thread...and that was an e46 330 vs an e36 M3 so that makes this different...anyways, i have the right to express my opinion, and my opinion, AS WELL AS OTHERS is, that the E46 DOES feel more like a womens car and does not handle as well (that is a fact)

understood but next time try to express it in a manner that doesn't offend us e46 owners and our grocery gettin' lady mobiles...

[TTBoy]

Originally posted by Steel
Like I said earlier, if you drive & own an E46 or E36, you will say that is the greatest car ever made.
The point is it's all the same, IT'S A BMW the Ultimate driving Machine.

exactly

[330Ci St.Grey]

Originally posted by PrinceE30
How about a true fact based thread where we talk about the chassis design of the two and which is a more rigid body?

What about center of gravity in either of the two cars?

How about which has better aerodynamics?

-Prince

E46 is a stiffer chassis (duh, it's newer)

E46 has better aerodynamics (slips through the air smoother)

E36 is a good deal lighter, so it will handle better and go faster with the same amount of power even though the E46 has a newer suspension design (the E46 is 8 years newer and we learn a lot in that span of time). Handling and performance is a function of design, engineering, stiffness, and weight. Weight is key, and a few braces will stiffen an E36 right up. That said, BMW has an amazing ability at disguising the real weight of a car and making it handle like it is a LOT lighter.

Me personally? I just swapped my 330Ci (a stripper with only the sport pack, steel grey metallic paint, and leatherette) for an E36 M3 (a dakar yellow II beauty with every option under the sun - you name it I got it). Found the M3 to be a much more thrilling ride - the E46 was amazing for comfort and luxury but I love the stiff and very sporty feel to the older car and I like the full leather, hk sound, dual zone climate, etc. too.

[NOC]

Well, All I know is that I will not trade my E36 for an E46. I have grown too attached to my E36 [+ all the $$ already gone in it, it better last me a lifetime], now I would not mind having both, E36 ///M3 & E46///M3. That would be grand....

[TTBoy]

ye but u have an e36 M3, most people on this boad would trade an e46 for an e36 m3-cars are different so that's not a fair statement...

[TTBoy]

whoever started this thread should ask this question on E46Fanatics.com i wonder what your answer would be then...

most people replying are also e36 drivers...so the answer to this question is this...to each there's its own.....
anyone gonna stand up for e46's here...or am i the only one who loves my e46.....

[XxE36M3Xx]

hey TTboy i think u should just let it go lol