Hi. I’m a BMW fan, so I don’t know a lot about american cars and engines in general. But I find it funny that the m3 with the 3.2 Liter engine, beats the mighty Corvette c5 (exception Zo6) with a 5.7 liter engine. Thats weird if you ask me. 0-60 times are faster in a m3 and also top speed without the limiter. And the corvette has more HP, 345 vs. 333hp for the m3. The weight shouldn’t really be an issue on this one, because the m3 isn’t lightweight at all. Even at fuel economy and handling the m3 is superior, based on my research. Not to mention the interior. The m3 is amazing when it comes to the interior. I got a chance to drive one, and Its my favorite car.
I wanna see what some corvette fans have to say about this. Thanks
the only thing that I have to add to this, which was my main question actually is: How come a small engine (3.2 litre) can be compared to a 5.7 litre, and still be faster. I don’t understand this. This shows that chevy engines are very unefficient if you can achieve better results with a much smaller engine. I know the corvette is the national pride of america, and I like it too, but can’t compare it to the M3.
It is better? After about 10 minutes of research, I found the following information:
BMW M3 e46:
0-60 in 4.8 seconds, 1/4 mile in 13.1 @ 105 mph
Top Speed = 155 with limiter, 189 without
Corvette C5:
0-60 in 4.55* seconds, 1/4 mile in 13.25 seconds @ 109 mph
Top Speed = 175 without limiter
(* Assuming 6-speed manual. Auto trans times range a bit higher. See source for details.)
Looks like the BMW wins that argument. Lets look at more stuff, shall we?
BMW M3 e46:
Curb Weight: 1,570 kg
Base Price: $47,407 (per Car and Driver, March 2003)
Corvette C5:
Curb Weight: 1,458 kg
Base Price: $40,475 (per Wikipedia)
Still pretty close. All in all, they are very comparable cars. The Vette beats the M3 in 0-60, weight, and pricing (the most important factor, in my opinion), and the M3 wins out in top speed and quarter mile time. Everything else that you mention, such as interior, is personal opinion and not open for debate (everyone has their own opinion).
Both are excellent performers, and based on the stats, it looks like it would be a driver’s race. Bottom line, German engineering is superior to American. Everyone knows that. So the German sports car is on the same plain as the mighty Vette. Happy now? In all honesty, with the $7,000 price difference, you could upgrade the Vette and embarass the BMW (that’s what I’d do).
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