Discussion
So I've just got back from another week up in the Highlands with a friend of mine. Set off very early on a Saturday morning to collect them on the way. The weather heading up was very hit and miss, with some dry sections, but also some sections of pretty heavy rain. Despite that I managed to make decent progress. We were going to arrive early so I stopped off at Loch an Eilein, which isn't too far from where we stayed for an easy 30min run around to stretch the legs a bit. Got to the cottage and the total mileage that day was 626 miles.
Sunday morning the weather was clear, and I fancied a good drive, so headed along the A939 from Grantown-on-Spey, having filled up with Esso's finest there, and continued along A93. Stopped briefly at Balmoral Castle for a quick nose around and continued further and over Glenshee ski centre and down to Glenshee.
The road between the A939 and the A93 - The B976 - yielded some great scenery
This road, the more northerly section above Glenshee in particular, is a magnificent stretch of tarmac and I really got to push the car. Once back we refuelled, across the Cairngorms it got 14mpg over 132 miles!
Later we headed to Loch Garten for a walk around there too.
I also did a running session near Boat of Garten in the evening and spotted this
Total mileage that day was about 240.
Monday we drove down to Glencoe. We did a loop, so from just outside Aviemore down the A9, having filled up with Esso Supreme at Newtonmore, to just past Pitlochry, through Aberfeldy and past Loch Tay via Kenmore - this was an unexpected gem. It was really pretty there so we stopped briefly before pressing on to Glencoe.
I found a Gulf petrol station which only had E10/95 RON, I wasn't 100% sure if we'd make it the whole way back (hadn't decided the route back) and even though I still had about 2/3 a tank left I opted to add just 10L in just to be ensure I'd have enough to get back, whilst limiting the amount of poor fuel in the car. Whilst Loch Tay and Kenmore were lovely, they were very much the "starter"....Glencoe....wow. The weather was very "bipolar" in the sense it was chucking it down one minute, and then sunny another minute. The scenery is very rugged and quite fantastic, it really is breathtaking.
I also did another run from Glencoe. We came back the other way, heading back via Fort William. Stopped again at Newtonmore for more Esso supreme to dilute the 95 RON stuff. Did around 210 miles that day.
Tuesday was a more local day, we visited both Loch Morlich and went back to Loch An Eilein for some walking, and yes, another run (session). I think I only did about 30 miles that day. Both of these places are so special!
Wednesday we headed a bit further north to Lossiemouth beach. I headed there via the scenic route - from Grantown-on-Spey I headed up to Forres via Dunphail....what a brilliant stretch of tarmac to be able to enjoy the M3! Lots of pretty fast sections and great scenery. I was far too busy driving to get any photos of this one! The beach, when we got there was almost deserted! Lovely place for a beach walk, but the surrounding areas were clearly areas with little money.
After spending a while here we went to Aberlour, stopped into a recommended place for some good food bits, "The Spey Lardour". Walked a bit to a rather quiet place and had lunch by the river Spey, after lunch we walked along the footpath for about a mile before heading back.
Came back to the cottage via Esso (theme here....!). Later I went back out for a run from near Loch Morlich up, and past, "the green Loch" which was really pretty. I think I did around 110 miles that day.
Thursday we headed down to River Garry Falls, not too far from Pitlochry. After an hour's walk we continued to Loch Rannoch, which was beautiful. Unfortunately on the way here I hit a nasty pothole, almighty thud through the car but all seems well.
I also did another run from here too. After visiting Loch Rannoch we headed back to Aviemore, but I decided I wanted to drive up the Cairngorm mountain road again, this is a brilliant bit of road for some fun if it's clear. On the way back from Loch Rannoch the road was one of the wildest roads I've ever driven. The B847 from Trinafour to the A9, it is an incredible piece of road..... Not one to enjoy driving but it is just so remote from anything and it's incredibly twisty with tight, steep hairpins. I didn't get any great pics, just this one:
On the way back on the A9 we witnessed the aftermath of a nasty accident. As we were headed north there was a smashed car on the left in a hedge, and two lorries had come off the road down a ditch on the right. I hope everyone was OK. Once passed, Cairngorm mountain road didn't disappoint and I pushed the car fairly hard. After having had this car for a fair bit over a year now, when you use full throttle and the full rev range the noise.... It never gets old. At the top I swung around and the had some more fun coming back down. By the time we got back I'd done just over 130 miles.
Friday was a somewhat more local day. Off to Uath Lochans. Photos don't do this place justice really, the tranquility and the sheer scale of the trees in the forest.... Breathtaking, truly.
Walk around here for a bit, had some lunch too, drove back past the cottage to Grantown-on-Spey again to Esso to top up for the trip back. Also did a running session near Boat of Garten in the evening. A little over 60 miles driven that day.
Saturday..... 624.1miles back! Ended up being over 2000 miles in the space of 7-and-a-bit days. Weather was bad in places, as was the traffic but still managed to make half decent progress. Overall time including stops was exactly 10 hours.
Car was flawless throughout really, save it's propensity to consume petrol at an alarming rate. It's going in for an oil and filter change, recheck the alignment, brake fluid change and also the cabin filters in about 1.5 weeks.
Sunday morning the weather was clear, and I fancied a good drive, so headed along the A939 from Grantown-on-Spey, having filled up with Esso's finest there, and continued along A93. Stopped briefly at Balmoral Castle for a quick nose around and continued further and over Glenshee ski centre and down to Glenshee.
The road between the A939 and the A93 - The B976 - yielded some great scenery
This road, the more northerly section above Glenshee in particular, is a magnificent stretch of tarmac and I really got to push the car. Once back we refuelled, across the Cairngorms it got 14mpg over 132 miles!
Later we headed to Loch Garten for a walk around there too.
I also did a running session near Boat of Garten in the evening and spotted this
Total mileage that day was about 240.
Monday we drove down to Glencoe. We did a loop, so from just outside Aviemore down the A9, having filled up with Esso Supreme at Newtonmore, to just past Pitlochry, through Aberfeldy and past Loch Tay via Kenmore - this was an unexpected gem. It was really pretty there so we stopped briefly before pressing on to Glencoe.
I found a Gulf petrol station which only had E10/95 RON, I wasn't 100% sure if we'd make it the whole way back (hadn't decided the route back) and even though I still had about 2/3 a tank left I opted to add just 10L in just to be ensure I'd have enough to get back, whilst limiting the amount of poor fuel in the car. Whilst Loch Tay and Kenmore were lovely, they were very much the "starter"....Glencoe....wow. The weather was very "bipolar" in the sense it was chucking it down one minute, and then sunny another minute. The scenery is very rugged and quite fantastic, it really is breathtaking.
I also did another run from Glencoe. We came back the other way, heading back via Fort William. Stopped again at Newtonmore for more Esso supreme to dilute the 95 RON stuff. Did around 210 miles that day.
Tuesday was a more local day, we visited both Loch Morlich and went back to Loch An Eilein for some walking, and yes, another run (session). I think I only did about 30 miles that day. Both of these places are so special!
Wednesday we headed a bit further north to Lossiemouth beach. I headed there via the scenic route - from Grantown-on-Spey I headed up to Forres via Dunphail....what a brilliant stretch of tarmac to be able to enjoy the M3! Lots of pretty fast sections and great scenery. I was far too busy driving to get any photos of this one! The beach, when we got there was almost deserted! Lovely place for a beach walk, but the surrounding areas were clearly areas with little money.
After spending a while here we went to Aberlour, stopped into a recommended place for some good food bits, "The Spey Lardour". Walked a bit to a rather quiet place and had lunch by the river Spey, after lunch we walked along the footpath for about a mile before heading back.
Came back to the cottage via Esso (theme here....!). Later I went back out for a run from near Loch Morlich up, and past, "the green Loch" which was really pretty. I think I did around 110 miles that day.
Thursday we headed down to River Garry Falls, not too far from Pitlochry. After an hour's walk we continued to Loch Rannoch, which was beautiful. Unfortunately on the way here I hit a nasty pothole, almighty thud through the car but all seems well.
I also did another run from here too. After visiting Loch Rannoch we headed back to Aviemore, but I decided I wanted to drive up the Cairngorm mountain road again, this is a brilliant bit of road for some fun if it's clear. On the way back from Loch Rannoch the road was one of the wildest roads I've ever driven. The B847 from Trinafour to the A9, it is an incredible piece of road..... Not one to enjoy driving but it is just so remote from anything and it's incredibly twisty with tight, steep hairpins. I didn't get any great pics, just this one:
On the way back on the A9 we witnessed the aftermath of a nasty accident. As we were headed north there was a smashed car on the left in a hedge, and two lorries had come off the road down a ditch on the right. I hope everyone was OK. Once passed, Cairngorm mountain road didn't disappoint and I pushed the car fairly hard. After having had this car for a fair bit over a year now, when you use full throttle and the full rev range the noise.... It never gets old. At the top I swung around and the had some more fun coming back down. By the time we got back I'd done just over 130 miles.
Friday was a somewhat more local day. Off to Uath Lochans. Photos don't do this place justice really, the tranquility and the sheer scale of the trees in the forest.... Breathtaking, truly.
Walk around here for a bit, had some lunch too, drove back past the cottage to Grantown-on-Spey again to Esso to top up for the trip back. Also did a running session near Boat of Garten in the evening. A little over 60 miles driven that day.
Saturday..... 624.1miles back! Ended up being over 2000 miles in the space of 7-and-a-bit days. Weather was bad in places, as was the traffic but still managed to make half decent progress. Overall time including stops was exactly 10 hours.
Car was flawless throughout really, save it's propensity to consume petrol at an alarming rate. It's going in for an oil and filter change, recheck the alignment, brake fluid change and also the cabin filters in about 1.5 weeks.
Edited by E90_M3Ross on Saturday 15th June 19:41
Nice job, Ross. Glad the car was as you wanted. A group of us friends do a trip every so often, and sample the roads locally. Most recently we took a 130iLE and X3 M40i for five of us.
I did decent miles in both and the 130 was my fave, even if less comfortable on the longer stints. I’m sure an E90 M3 would be ideal, and I’d like one.
I did decent miles in both and the 130 was my fave, even if less comfortable on the longer stints. I’m sure an E90 M3 would be ideal, and I’d like one.
Great write up and pictures, love the E9x M3 but the MPG figures you have got are quite eye opening, are they able to break 30mpg on a steady run or are they more expected to be in the mid 20's?
I think I actually saw you this morning on the M6 between Jct 33 an 32 southbound (or a very similar car).
I think I actually saw you this morning on the M6 between Jct 33 an 32 southbound (or a very similar car).
Bloody good run out there Ross! Some fantastic roads and scenery...
Newtonmore....nowt there but the Esso station (thankfully) and the Newtonmore Stone down the Coffin Road
https://youtube.com/shorts/_D3YWMmx7Bk?si=xkMwLdQw...
Only been there in the thick of winter...
Newtonmore....nowt there but the Esso station (thankfully) and the Newtonmore Stone down the Coffin Road
https://youtube.com/shorts/_D3YWMmx7Bk?si=xkMwLdQw...
Only been there in the thick of winter...
It looks as though there was a hospitalisation as a result of the RTA of which you witnessed the aftermath.
Really nice coverage of the tour there Ross, though I felt drawn into reading it as fast as you were driving it! Are you happy with the M3 and does it feel box fresh after all the suspension work and subframe etc that you’ve overhauled?
Many of those roads were sampled in the FFRR last year and even in that they were so enjoyable, given the advantage of height and generally excellent sight lines and visibility.
Really nice coverage of the tour there Ross, though I felt drawn into reading it as fast as you were driving it! Are you happy with the M3 and does it feel box fresh after all the suspension work and subframe etc that you’ve overhauled?
Many of those roads were sampled in the FFRR last year and even in that they were so enjoyable, given the advantage of height and generally excellent sight lines and visibility.
PistonbrokePaul said:
Great write up and pictures, love the E9x M3 but the MPG figures you have got are quite eye opening, are they able to break 30mpg on a steady run or are they more expected to be in the mid 20's?
I think I actually saw you this morning on the M6 between Jct 33 an 32 southbound (or a very similar car).
You weren't in a red 1 series? I saw one with a PH sticker on the back. And I would have been on the M6, yes.I think I actually saw you this morning on the M6 between Jct 33 an 32 southbound (or a very similar car).
Yes, they can get 30mpg on a steady run if you're careful. The 14mpg across the Cairngorms included some very hard driving!
This photo was taken a some time ago, but proof they can crack 30mpg. That was a run mostly sat at 70mph on the speedo with the small bit of town driving and at the start and end.
edit - just clicked your profile....yes, that was probably you then
Edited by E90_M3Ross on Sunday 16th June 08:20
bolidemichael said:
It looks as though there was a hospitalisation as a result of the RTA of which you witnessed the aftermath.
Really nice coverage of the tour there Ross, though I felt drawn into reading it as fast as you were driving it! Are you happy with the M3 and does it feel box fresh after all the suspension work and subframe etc that you’ve overhauled?
Many of those roads were sampled in the FFRR last year and even in that they were so enjoyable, given the advantage of height and generally excellent sight lines and visibility.
The car is driving really well. I'd say the most notable thing after all of the suspension work is how tight the rear end is (snigger). Before the work if I was pressing on really hard, let's saying going round a fast sweeping corner and you hit a bump, the car would just feel a bit loose at the back, now it is just so stable and planted Really nice coverage of the tour there Ross, though I felt drawn into reading it as fast as you were driving it! Are you happy with the M3 and does it feel box fresh after all the suspension work and subframe etc that you’ve overhauled?
Many of those roads were sampled in the FFRR last year and even in that they were so enjoyable, given the advantage of height and generally excellent sight lines and visibility.
That's a shame RE the accident. I did get a photo from my dash cam. If you zoom in you can see the car on the left, and the top of one of the lorries on the right side.
Coming back yesterday morning, the car was still there.
Having had a think about what I'd replace this car with when the time comes....it's a tricky one.
The later M3/M4s don't appeal to me. I like the styling of the later generation, but the engine sounds very disappointing to my ears and I don't like the image they portray. The current gen M3/4 are very, very good cars (having driven the M4) but they're also quite big. Again, engine sound is pretty rubbish and there were a few things I didn't like with it....the steering, the size, the styling (I could live with it in a dark colour) etc.
The most modern, nice sounding car to me is the 5.0 Jag supercharged V8. XFRs are available for a pittance, but they're too big for what I'm after and I know it will be much faster in a straight line, it won't be as sharp to drive on the fun A and B roads (I don't like just looking at lap times, but when you consider just how much more power it has than the E90 M3, the fact it's still slower around a track kinda tells you it isn't going to handle as well).
Then I think....F Type R. My old man had one. I loved it (save the cracks/pops on the overrun which can get tiresome).....I would definitely consider an R AWD....but then I wonder whether it'd struggle with these sorts of holidays because of a lack of luggage capacity.
On those fun Scottish roads I never feel I need more power, the only time when more power would genuinely be useful is for overtaking, or perhaps on the motorway at times. But, more power can be fun, but I don't think the M3 is particularly lacking if you're willing to use the full rev range.
It's a tough one to replace, when the time does eventually come, I think!
The later M3/M4s don't appeal to me. I like the styling of the later generation, but the engine sounds very disappointing to my ears and I don't like the image they portray. The current gen M3/4 are very, very good cars (having driven the M4) but they're also quite big. Again, engine sound is pretty rubbish and there were a few things I didn't like with it....the steering, the size, the styling (I could live with it in a dark colour) etc.
The most modern, nice sounding car to me is the 5.0 Jag supercharged V8. XFRs are available for a pittance, but they're too big for what I'm after and I know it will be much faster in a straight line, it won't be as sharp to drive on the fun A and B roads (I don't like just looking at lap times, but when you consider just how much more power it has than the E90 M3, the fact it's still slower around a track kinda tells you it isn't going to handle as well).
Then I think....F Type R. My old man had one. I loved it (save the cracks/pops on the overrun which can get tiresome).....I would definitely consider an R AWD....but then I wonder whether it'd struggle with these sorts of holidays because of a lack of luggage capacity.
On those fun Scottish roads I never feel I need more power, the only time when more power would genuinely be useful is for overtaking, or perhaps on the motorway at times. But, more power can be fun, but I don't think the M3 is particularly lacking if you're willing to use the full rev range.
It's a tough one to replace, when the time does eventually come, I think!
E90_M3Ross said:
You weren't in a red 1 series? I saw one with a PH sticker on the back. And I would have been on the M6, yes.
Yes, they can get 30mpg on a steady run if you're careful. The 14mpg across the Cairngorms included some very hard driving!
This photo was taken a some time ago, but proof they can crack 30mpg. That was a run mostly sat at 70mph on the speedo with the small bit of town driving and at the start and end.
edit - just clicked your profile....yes, that was probably you then
Haha yeah, that was me in my M140i.Yes, they can get 30mpg on a steady run if you're careful. The 14mpg across the Cairngorms included some very hard driving!
This photo was taken a some time ago, but proof they can crack 30mpg. That was a run mostly sat at 70mph on the speedo with the small bit of town driving and at the start and end.
edit - just clicked your profile....yes, that was probably you then
Edited by E90_M3Ross on Sunday 16th June 08:20
Thanks for the info regarding MPG, having had an E90 330d in the past, I always wanted the M3 but the running costs scared me a bit, but maybe worth looking now there is more established specialists and majority will have had the common faults sorted and the fuel economy isn't quite as ruinous as I was expecting.
Gallons Per Mile said:
You'll drive it like it's supposed to be driven though. My long term average was a smidge over 20 so plan for that if you want one. Around town is ruinous but it sounds immense! You're looking at numbers starting with a 1 then. Very fun but you'll be spending money on petrol!
ThisE90_M3Ross said:
It's a tough one to replace, when the time does eventually come, I think!
That is always a great place to be for me, because it means that you love what you've got so much. 
E90_M3Ross said:
Gallons Per Mile said:
You'll drive it like it's supposed to be driven though. My long term average was a smidge over 20 so plan for that if you want one. Around town is ruinous but it sounds immense! You're looking at numbers starting with a 1 then. Very fun but you'll be spending money on petrol!
ThisMr Tidy said:
Some brilliant photos of a great trip Ross.
Reminds me of my NC500 trip last year. Your car seems more economical than I would have expected as I've only ever managed over 30mpg in my Z4M once while coming home on a busy, wet M6!
Don't get me wrong, it's not economical Reminds me of my NC500 trip last year. Your car seems more economical than I would have expected as I've only ever managed over 30mpg in my Z4M once while coming home on a busy, wet M6!
I think the whole trip averaged 23-24mpg. Given how I drove it etc I think it's tolerable. Court_S said:
Looks like a great trip.
I really enjoyed the road from Balmoral up past Glenshee. I think it was one of my favourites.
The fuel economy isn’t that bad…my N52 powered cars are only 6 or 7 mpg better. My old M140i made super vanish pretty quickly if you drove it hard.
That is a superb road Sam; done that a few times now... Bit sketchy in winter at times I really enjoyed the road from Balmoral up past Glenshee. I think it was one of my favourites.
The fuel economy isn’t that bad…my N52 powered cars are only 6 or 7 mpg better. My old M140i made super vanish pretty quickly if you drove it hard.
Court_S said:
my N52 powered cars are only 6 or 7 mpg better.
If you think of it in terms of the percentage gain in fuel economy it's quite a lot! My M54 powered E46 is around 50% better on fuel compared to the S65 which means for every tank I use in that car I'd have had to use 1.5 tanks in the M3. It really adds up, even with smaller percentages.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff