What will you choose?

[tony_danza]

Pov's right, they're power restricted in 1st and 2nd, so unless you're breaking the law, you're probably going to feel like its slower than an ED30. Of course the handling is leagues ahead.

[Poverty]

Obviously the m3 has the looks, badge and noise, but from a everyday perspective I don't think it's all that, or what the media build it up to be.

The M3 will be so much better to drive though. A Golf irrelevant of whether it has GTI, ed30 or R after its name will be completely numb and soft against an M3.

I agree with you from a on track perspective. On a every day driving point of view not so much. My experience with the e92 left me wanting more.

I personally think the e46 m3 is a much better car.

[Mk5 GTian]

Golf R all day long.

We have 5 months of cold, slippery roads every year in this country, plus the Golf R's performance is more accessible in every day driving. Plus it's a Volkswagen. Plus no-one lets you in in traffic in an M3!

[dan930]

Obviously the m3 has the looks, badge and noise, but from a everyday perspective I don't think it's all that, or what the media build it up to be.

The M3 will be so much better to drive though. A Golf irrelevant of whether it has GTI, ed30 or R after its name will be completely numb and soft against an M3.

I agree with you from a on track perspective. On a every day driving point of view not so much. My experience with the e92 left me wanting more.

I personally think the e46 m3 is a much better car.

Why do you think the e46 m3 is a better car??i had one 2years ago & liked it but I thought the e90m3 is in a different league

[Poverty]

All IMO, but

E46 m3 is a better drive
Has better engine in terms of what it's been designed to do. It just seems a more frantic experience than the 4.0v8
The e92 is too heavy

The e46 IMO is legendary especially thanks to the CSL version. The e92 just isn't as special. I'd still own one though, but more so on looks and status than the actual drive.

[Leeds s3]

An e90 m3 will run rings around an e46 all day everyday.

The e90 is a quick car and it would need to be a special ed30 imo to be quicker.

[Poverty]

An e90 m3 will run rings around an e46 all day everyday.

The e90 is a quick car and it would need to be a special ed30 imo to be quicker.

M3 csl runs rings around the e92 m3 ;)

In rolling start straight line race a stage 2 plus eddy would destroy a e92 m3

[Janner_Sy]

but the OP was talking about a stock Golf R and a stock M3.  No mention of modifications.  So what a modified one will do is irrelevant. 

[Leeds s3]

Real world driving the e90 is quicker than the csl plus the smg is dog sh*t.

Rolling start and straight line!! How often does this happen?

A stage 2 plus may be marginally quicker in a straight line but it wouldnt destroy it. dsg vs dct it would be a close call.

Are your views based on the real world or youtube?  

[Oli]

And just bare in mind the fuel economy - The M3 will guzzle, no matter how you drive it - My old V8 RS4, even driving at 60mph, would barely scrape high twentys, a Golf R will hit 40 - But do you buy this sort of car for economy........

If you go M3 get the updated sat nav model, I think 2012 onwards, it makes a massive difference.  The M3 is also a £50k plus car and will have £50k running costs

Hi mate..won't b able to afford a 12plate m3,it's going to be 08-09 reg...how many miles did you get from a tank on the rs4 mate??i think the m3 might be just a bit better on mpg due to it having 7gears on the dct model..

The RS4 had a long term average of around 17 mpg, but my Ed35 is approx 23-25, as they are mainly used for town work, school runs etc, and me blatting about at the weekend.

[Poverty]

Real world driving the e90 is quicker than the csl plus the smg is dog sh*t.

Rolling start and straight line!! How often does this happen?

A stage 2 plus may be marginally quicker in a straight line but it wouldnt destroy it. dsg vs dct it would be a close call.

Are your views based on the real world or youtube?  

It's more than marginally quicker.

We ran a stage 1 Cupra k1 vs a manual e92 m3 and the m3 was barely quicker to 140mph!

Not saying the m3 isn't a great car, I'm just saying to the OP to not expect to be blown away.

Edit

GIAC stage 2 plus manual ed30 vs m3

[tony_danza]

Roughly 5 hours to turn into a pointless pissing contest. 

[tony_danza]

You can mod M3s too you know. Here's what a standard engine and some suspension work gets you.

If you want to get really silly, but still legal, Tom Schirmer's E92 gets around in low 7s 

Can you can find me a 2.0T road legal VAG that'll do a 7:3x BTG in traffic? I've found some heavily modified TTRS that come close - so that's the kind of ballpark you need to be in to keep with an M3.

[Bradruss]

How about an M1

[Andy_Ed30]

How about an M1

Awesome car!!!!