E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

[anguswholesale]

Hi guys,

I have been thinking this for somewhile already. Which is faster:

1.E46 M3
2.EVO IX
3.WRX STI

Any personal experiences with them? Just drove my good friend's evo IX. Really torquey past the 3k mark. did a search online, but it seems to me that the STI and the EVO is more torquey than the m3.

I'm really undecided. Iike the looks of the m3, but i like the performance and price of the evo is okay. however, the STI is not too bad either and really value for money. Too me, imho minus its looks, the m3 is rather pricey for its specs. I am not trying to invite a flame thread, and these are my genuine concerns. I like the looks of the e46, otherwise I wouldn't be this forum.

What do you do say.

Hope to have more opinion and advise on this.

Thanks

 

[SHAMELESS]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Hi guys,

I have been thinking this for somewhile already. Which is faster:

1.E46 M3
2.EVO IX
3.WRX STI

Any personal experiences with them? Just drove my good friend's evo IX. Really torquey past the 3k mark. did a search online, but it seems to me that the STI and the EVO is more torquey than the m3.

I'm really undecided. Iike the looks of the m3, but i like the performance and price of the evo is okay. however, the STI is not too bad either and really value for money. Too me, imho minus its looks, the m3 is rather pricey for its specs. I am not trying to invite a flame thread, and these are my genuine concerns. I like the looks of the e46, otherwise I wouldn't be this forum.

What do you do say.

Hope to have more opinion and advise on this.

Thanks

bro i think u oredi said it all leh.....like u said u like the m3 looks and evo's performance......

to get the same performance, got $, buy m3, no $ buy evo or sti. my shameless opinion that is.....

 

[jason3s]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

perhaps the question here shud be what kind of an engine u're personally looking to get..

you're comparing the NA M3 to the two other turbo-charged blocks in the evo and sti....
they're rather different in nature, both in maintenance and subsequent tuning potential....

also, aren't they of different categories?
the sports coupe M3 vs the 4-door sedans?

perhaps you can shed a little more light on what you're looking for, besides a question of which is faster?
do you plan to mod the cars?
how far and how much would you put into modding, etc.

i'm no expert but just my 2 cents,
hope it helps none-the-less.

 

[chickenbackside]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

STi and EVO get their power by turbo charging, and they are AWD.

M3 gets it's power by having a bigger capacity and is naturally aspirated. RWD.

They don't belong to the same category. The Jap cars are 4-door sedans with big tubos bolted onto relatively small 4-cylinder engines with handling enhancements. The BMW has a legendary straight six engine with individual throttle bodies and also handling enhancements.

You want speed and easy/cheap moddability, get the turbo cars. You want decent refinement/build-quality and a fun/brisk car, get the M3.

Not everything in life is about speed.

 

[anguswholesale]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

STi and EVO get their power by turbo charging, and they are AWD.

M3 gets it's power by having a bigger capacity and is naturally aspirated. RWD.

They don't belong to the same category. The Jap cars are 4-door sedans with big tubos bolted onto relatively small 4-cylinder engines with handling enhancements. The BMW has a legendary straight six engine with individual throttle bodies and also handling enhancements.

You want speed and easy/cheap moddability, get the turbo cars. You want decent refinement/build-quality and a fun/brisk car, get the M3.

Not everything in life is about speed.

hi thanks for all of your inputs.

The issue and cost of maintenance is not a problem.

What is the modability for the e46 m3.sorry, i'm really newbie to the e46 m3. I know that m3 and the two jap cars are of different classes altogther. Audi RS4 will be a better choice, but I'm not really a great fan of Audi's looks and not likely to pay a high priec for them.Maybe I should be more specific.

I'm interested in the accurate numbers for all three cars:

1. The century sprint 0-100km (comparing the 3 cars)
2. The accurate torque values
3. The HP.
4. Modability
5. reliability as a daily use car (is the e46 m3 having problems ike the e36 m3?)

The seraches on online are not very helpful and my forned knowns nuts about his evo ix. I just need stock figures for the m3, evo and sti.the values from the sgcarmart seems to be inflated.

6. Possiblity for an engine transplant?

I am not really familar with this. If have a E46 320, is it possible for a legal evo ix engine transplant? Has anyone done it in Singapore before? I read from LTA website that I need to have 2 cars of same capacity. e.g a 320 BMW and evo ix 2000cc. After removing the engine from the evo ix to be transpkated to the 320, the evo will be deregistered immediately. Is there any alternatives, like directly importing an evo engine rather than buying two cars.

Thank you.

 

[Ahbengdriver]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

I dont drive any of these 3 cars but these are what I gathered from eavesdropping kopitiam conversations. .

The EVO/STI can overheat easily at times. Friend of mine drives a NA Honda Accord Euro-R to sepang. His hiadees with EVO/STIs had to stop on the way home along NSH to allow their Turbo cars to cool down. His NA Euro-R did not had a single problem driving to sepang, around in sepang and back to SG.

You should also look up the Youtube video of topgear testing the EVO8 and see what is super big time turbo lag. In that show they also said the car requires sevicing every 4k km or so:screwedu:

I like the power of the EVO and STI too myself, but I very much prefer the M3. The M3 is a very versatile car, and is one I will drive up to the hotel during a function n throw the car keys to the valet, but I will not do the same if I have an EVO/STI.

I will buy an EVO though, but minus those weird looking vortex fins, which I find very ugly looking. For the subaru, I will buy one if it doesnt come with the air scoop and stop getting ah seng from ah seng aquarium to advertise on radio

 

[totoseow]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

put evo engine in bmw...first time i hear...for me i cant afford lambo engine...i wanna put vespa engine in gallardo....

 

[TripleM]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Evo n Sti, can own this marque anytime.
M3, maybe once in a lifetime

 

[MRacer77]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Different cars altogether... EVO and STI are stop light to stop light cars... M3 is more of a GT/Sports car, long distance high speed cruiser. Depends on what you are looking for in a car... M3 is definitely more liveable as a daily driver. But if you want all out speed and want to mod the cars then get the Jappies. But if you want something you can enjoy out of the box then I suggest get the M3. Much better driving enjoyment.

 

[TripleM]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Different cars altogether... EVO and STI are stop light to stop light cars... M3 is more of a GT/Sports car, long distance high speed cruiser. Depends on what you are looking for in a car... M3 is definitely more liveable as a daily driver. But if you want all out speed and want to mod the cars then get the Jappies. But if you want something you can enjoy out of the box then I suggest get the M3. Much better driving enjoyment.

Then why u sold your M3 and STi? :nehnehhh: hahahaha

 

[chickenbackside]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

For the Jap cars, you know the possibilities. They're everywhere.

For M3 moddability, see: BMW PSI.com - BMW Performance - BMW Supercharger - BMW Turbo - BMW Forced Induction & Nitrous

If I got an M3, I'd change suspension, brakes and some cosmetics and leave the engine stock. That's how it's meant to be enjoyed.

 

[MRacer77]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Then why u sold your M3 and STi? :nehnehhh: hahahaha

If I don't sell my cars, how can you enjoy my Spec C now? hahaha!

Sian of them already lah.. need more kick! Hopefully can find something to tickle my fancy soon... but for now DISPLACEMENT IS KING!!!

 

[Crufty Dusty]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Have driven all 3 cars...

M3: It's a BMW. Quick throttle response, good brand image, good driving dynamics. If you want to be seen in any of the cars, this is the one. Modding one to produce any appreciable gain of power is expensive.

Evo: My favorite among these 3 by far. Never meant to be just "280 PS" there are many local examples doing 300 whp with just intake/exhaust/ECU tuning, engine and turbo untouched. 330 whp on stock turbo is not news. Depending on fuel quality, 350 whp and upwards is possible. Econobox interior does not impress in-laws or business associates, but more than makes up for it in terms of passenger leg-room and excellent steering sharpness and feel. Models with SAYC make a horrendous driver look good, but in skillful hands few cars can match its pace on winding roads, even more so if traction is limited. Eats brakes, clutches and tires like there's no tomorrow.

STI: Talking about the Euro-spec which MI brings in. The one I test drove was horrible... dodgy gear box, DCCD on the way out making it difficult to make slow speed turns, terrible idle control via DBW throttle makes rev response lazy, almost stalled a few times. Many variations in parts requires knowledge of unnecessary details between models. Decent car but I would rather get a base WRX and do up from there. Like the Evo, a lot of workshops cater to this make.

 

[///M3]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Evo n Sti, can own this marque anytime.
M3, maybe once in a lifetime

wa..agree..haha u are the best person to ask here..u got both in ur hands..now u need the IX..

for me,E46 M3..why? becos Evo & Sti is under the Beng mobile list..lol
E46 M3 is RARE:woowooo:

 

[anguswholesale]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

I dont drive any of these 3 cars but these are what I gathered from eavesdropping kopitiam conversations. .

The EVO/STI can overheat easily at times. Friend of mine drives a NA Honda Accord Euro-R to sepang. His hiadees with EVO/STIs had to stop on the way home along NSH to allow their Turbo cars to cool down. His NA Euro-R did not had a single problem driving to sepang, around in sepang and back to SG.

Is this true? Thanks for the input. One of my ex-partners drives a sti. Before i got my first bimmer, I used to take his car to KL. We average around 150kmh or more. It seems to me that he do not have to let it cool down. What i remember was that, he told me in city driving, he will have to on the aircon to cool the turbo.

Is this always true forn high pressure turbo.

 

[gadaffi]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

i dont need to stop or cool down the car. it werks well at the NS....

 

[anguswholesale]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

oh yes. Another concern that i may have is that I do travel (drive in) to Malaysia as one of my offices is in there. I have seen lots of Rexes in Malaysia and a couple of sg evos. However I have not seen an m3 before. I am also worried about the attention that I will be drawing as those stop over points. I hope that I do not end up like those with wrists being cut off because of the rolex on their hand...

Just three weeks ago, one of my clients' z4 cab softtop had been cut open. this gives me the creeps.

 

[centurion]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Get a white M3, pimp up them wheels with OZ Superleggeras, and debadge it. They'd just think that you have a modified 3-series. Lotsa them around in KL.

 

[///M3]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

Get a white M3, pimp up them wheels with OZ Superleggeras, and debadge it. They'd just think that you have a modified 3-series. Lotsa them around in KL.

haha yea..alot of white CSL there..

 

[The Mixmaster]

Re: E46 M3 vs Evo IX vs WRX STI

I don't think that a M3 attracts as much attention as a Ferrari, Lamborhini or Porsche. Some people think that it is a normal 3 series and only enthusiasts can tell the difference.

Anyway, you'll be alright if you do take precautions such as parking in well-lit and secured carparks of hotels & shopping centres. Have common sense not to do yaya-papaya things and attract attention.

Having said that, the other day I made sure that I parked my M3 cab overnight in my brother's house's gated front porch rather than leave it by the roadside.