ok, well my initial thoughts as i haven't actually had my grubby mits on it for any length of time really.
Build quality of the body is not up to e46 m3 standards, mostly niggles really with bits of trim not sitting quite flush to the body, some fading to the trim detail etc etc but hardly a major concern. interior wise it has stood unto its 90k admirably, no visible wear at all really, though again the absolute fit of some things is not of a massively high standard. Electronically the car is over complicated as it appears that most things are linked with fibre optics ( i discovered this when the cd shuttle played up for a moment, this however was quickly resolved by hitting it quite hard and it has since worked faultlessly).
Specification is impressive, cd head unit, changer, heated electric everything, sat nav, etc etc, oh and a very good Bose sound system, I initially thought a chav with a sub had stopped behind me in traffic, on closer inspection the road was clear and the pounding (verging on brown note) bass was coming from the boot.
Onto the important thing, the drive:
AutoboxFirst off, i am not going to lie, not a day goes by when i don't think it would be a bit better as a manual, I just prefer them. However, the auto in this particular car is excellent, its a AMG box and as such locks up the torque converter in all gears bar first, so its not quite as smooth as other auto's but it it a lot more immediate, it also holds gears based on lateral G, so none of this changing up gear mid corner crap that you get in a conventional auto. Viewing the box as an auto its a hooligan, the smallest suggestion that you want to get a crack on and it drops one or two cogs and your really building speed. Hit the kickdown ad its dropped into the lowest possible gear, spun the rear tyres and piled 40 mph onto your current velocity by the time your brain has registered the click at the end of the pedal travel. In manual mode its more aggressive again and wil happily ding the rev limited for a moment if you have not changed up.
Drive train The drive train is very good, not much elasticity but not to thumpy either, lsd is missing and lacking but the esp seems to use the callipers to give an e diff effect so not all bad.
Engine what a ****ing unit, really naughty thing it is too, its a polar opposite to the s54. with the s54 the power is there, but its only really there form 6k plus so if you want to cook you really have to mash the pedal and keep the revs up. with the c32 the power is always there and there is ****loads of it. it feels like if it was put on a dyno the result would be a flat line indicating 345hp from 700rpm to the redline, the torque is also considerable and constant. Foot down at any speed in any gear and you are piling on speed, it really doesn’t matter what speed you start off at, the acceleration is relentless, its very very fast from 30-70, and just as fast from 100 - however brave you feel, there is no rest bite, no pause, just more and more. If you wondering, it would crush an e36 m3 and i wouldn't have spilt my macchiato or even had to turn up the volume on the stereo.
Brakes four pots at the front on drilled ventilated discs, two pots on the rear on undrilled ventilated discs, they feel a little ponderous but i would be willing to be money on that being down to £2.99 pads that lack initial bite.
Dynamically Its actually quite pointy, but the rack is too long, so to hustle you are doing a bit of arm flailing this isn't really helped by the slightly over large wheel, but it is perfectly possible to get it crushing a B road, its not like its born to do it, but its not lacking in the talent. The suspension never lacks grip or composure and is monorail smooth, but is a bit on the softer side, though this should be easily resolved.
overall I like it, bottom line is that its not quite as entertaining to drive as an m3, its not as immediate or connected, but then its not that far off and bmw don't make an m3 estate. Its far comfier, quieter and in any real world (or otherwise) sense, faster. With a manual box it would bee too much for most, and certainly nearly all of Mercs audience, it really would be a handful.
It must sound naughty as people keep staring at it whenever i apply more than about 20% throttle, and as i can see it from my office window people keep looking at it, its not the sort of "what the hell" look the yellow m3 got, more of a curious interest. Perception is a strange thing too, despite the fact that it cost roughly 35% of the price of the m3, people assume that its expensive despite clearly being 11 years old.
Strange car, its like a lead filed velvet glove, i will have to keep it for a while as i have a suspicion that its a grower. I keep finding myself wanting to drive it even when its only a 5 minute trip.............
