Originally Posted by grandpawmoses

I almost bought a new 2012 M3 in 2013. I traveled to a dealer that had one in stock & discovered some "deal killer" things I didn't like. I was used to a 535i M Sport and had assumed that the M3 features would have been alike.
The "keyless" entry and ignition was only semi "keyless", you had to plug the fob into the dash before you push the start button.
The seats were narrow and hard, not something I'd like to take on a long trip. The leather was of a lower quality than the 535 too.
The turbo lag was the worst I even felt. The salesman agreed and said that was not normal and they would "fix" it.
Now I really dislike BMW's I-Drive system on the 535 because it is complicated menu driven with sub-menus, sub-sub menus, and more. To use it safely, you need to stop. The M3 was less complicated due to less features but it still took your eyes off the road for too long. The pre-set buttons under the radio are not just for the radio, they're programmable via the I-Drive system to perform any function you want from calling home on the cell phone to finding genre specific music.
The navigation unit was on par with units of several years ago. Not even touch screen.
That said, earlier this year I looked at the new 435i and liked it much better. The last I heard the M4 should be out soon. That would get my vote.