Car and Driver has injecting straight shots of nostalgia directly into my veins, lately. In 2008, I had been out of high school a year and was really starting to grow my appreciation for cars, as I’d been driving around in my E36 BMW 328i for about a year. At the time, cars like the E92 BMW M3, B7 Audi RS4, and W204 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG were my dream cars. So Car and Driver retro-review is bringing all those feels right back.
Back in 2008, C&D tested the three aforementioned performance cars back-to-back-to-back, to see which was best. At the time, I had no issue with whichever one was deemed best because I loved them all and would have gladly taken any of them to be my daily driver. I still would, in fact, because they’re all excellent cars. What’s fascinating about them, though, is not only how different they were compared to their modern counterparts but how different they were from each other.
Today, the BMW M3, Audi RS4, and Mercedes-AMG C63 are so similar in power, performance, engine-type, gearbox choice, and even drivetrain that they’re almost boring. But back then, the three cars were very different machines with very different flavors.
The E92 BMW M3 has been talked about a lot lately, as the release of the new G82 BMW M4 has sparked enthusiasts to remember the days of the E92; its glorious V8 and sweet steering. Back in 2008, it was considered to be the best in its class, better than even the incredible Audi RS4 and Mercedes-Benz C63. It’s crazy to look back at all three cars and see just how wonderful they all were in their own ways and to still see the E92 come out on top.
If you’re a bit sick of hearing about BMW’s lacking steering feel, communication, or purity, have a read through this retro-review from Car and Driver and remember that BMW M used to know how to do those things better than anybody else.
[Source: Car and Driver]
