What we’re looking for Quality and
equipment count but the one that makes us grin more is likely to win
The contenders
BMW M3 DCT
Exclusive new Limited Edition BMW M3 Coupé and Convertible
models are coming to the UK from March this year.
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List price $98,832
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Target Price $98,832
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The 3 Series super-saloon ditches
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V8 power in favour of a cleaner, leaner
twin-turbo straight six.
Porsche Macan Turbo
Underneath the bonnet is a 3.6-litre twin-turbo
V6, putting out 394bhp which helps make this model 0.6 seconds quicker to 62mph
than the standard Macan S.
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List price $99,867
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Target Price $99,867
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Flagship baby SUV matches the M3 for pulling
power, but can it deliver the same smiles per mile?
Yes, one's an suv and one isn't.
Regardless, the similarities between the BMW M3 and Porsche Macan Turbo are as
obvious as the glaringly mismatched body shapes. Both temper serious
performance with practicality, plush cabins and prestige badges.
When we say serious, we mean face-bending,
off-the-wall, serious. So if you’ve got around $101,046, and need something
that’s suitable for the commute, family transport and Niirburgringlap times,
then look no further.
What are they like to drive?
The M3 is available with a manual gearbox,
but we’re testing the seven-speed M DCT auto, through which the twin-turbo,
straight-six engine sends 425bhp to the rear wheels.
If anything, the BMW feels faster even than
its power output suggests. Put the multitude of adaptive elements into
maximum-attack mode, and it rips up the road with a resonant bassy roar,
snapping through gears by itself just when you want it to, or allowing you to
take full control via the paddles. The 30-7Omph dash is the one you’ll use when
overtaking, and the M3 can cover it in a supercar-like 3.isec.
The BMW M3 is capable of reaching 62mph from rest in
just 4.6 seconds (Coupé with M DCT) and on to a limited top speed of 155mph.
Plant the Macan’s throttle and its 394bhp
V6 twin-turbo engine revs with clean ferocity, while the standard seven-speed
PDK auto ’box flicks through ratios slickly and without the thunk that the M3's
gearbox generates in flat-out up-changes. The Macan gets from 30-7Omph in a
stonking 4.2sec. Nonetheless, you get less of a sense of the speed you're doing
in the Porsche, and not much of the M3's drama, either.
The two disparate characters are evident
even before you consider the way both cars handle. The Porsche is the calm, relaxing
GT with a hooligan streak, next to BMW’s white-eyed sports car tamed for
everyday use. The M3 is unashamedly noisier and more tiring over long
distances, mainly because of the sheer volume of road noise at motorway speeds.
Comfort definitely favours the Porsche,
which is the more supple of the two. It's so good on the standard steel springs
that we wouldn’t bother with the optional air suspension. That’s not to say the
BMW is uncomfortable just that it’s tauter, although the ride is choppier at most
speeds.
