[irablumberg]

I traded my one year old 2014 GT-R on an M4 about 6 weeks ago. Prior to the GT-R I owned the following in order from most to least recent, 2010 CTS-V, 2008 C6, 2005 C6, 2001 S4. In addition, in 2012 I purchased for my wife a 2012 C63 which we still own (wife says its her favorite car ever and will never let it go) and I drive it at least a few times a month.

I have also been to the AMG driving school at which I got to drive at least briefly the E63, S63, and an SLS.

With that as background, I have never experienced anything that even comes close to the GT-R in terms of raw performance and capability. That is both a blessing and a curse. If you want to track the car, I am sure it is amazing and thrilling. If you daily drive the car, as I did, the car's limits are impossible to challenge or even approach legally on public roads. The problem this creates for some, including me, is a feeling of invincibility and a temptation to push the performance envelope as the car is always ready for more. In these circumstances, the car never failed me or even gave so much as a hiccup, but at a certain point, the police take an unhealthy interest. Since I was not in a position to track the car on even a semi-regular basis, after some very sober thinking, I decided that continued ownership could result in serious legal problems. This was one of the factors that led me to switch to the M4.

The other factor that helped with this decision is practicality. While I was not overly concerned with the torture chamber rear seat in the GT-R (I was never going to sit back there ;-), it was inconvenient as I really could not drive my wife and son with me in the car. More importantly, the GT-R really only permits you to focus on driving and nothing else. At any speed above 30 MPH, the tire noise and exhaust drone completely drown out the audio system (unless you turn it up to ear damaging volume) and the hands-free mobile phone system. Even after I switched to Michelin PSS tires which were a huge improvement in noise over the stock run flats, it was still impossible to have a phone conversation. The ride was also quite firm, although this did not bother me much. The bottom line though is that the car is not very comfortable as a daily driver. For me that was offset by the pure excitement of the power and capability of the car. It was really exciting to drive, but see the previous paragraph for the downside of this aspect.

By comparison, the M4 is incredibly civilized. The interior is more comfortable and infinitely quieter. The audio system and phone are easily audible at all speeds and in all conditions. The M4 seats are more comfortable and more adjustable. Also, the driver aids like nav and other gadgets in the M4 are more advanced since most of the things in the GT-R are 2008 vintage with some slight freshening in recent years. Without doubt, the M4 is by far the better daily driver and I find myself far more relaxed when driving this car.

There is no question that I have sacrificed performance in the switch, but this was part of the plan. The M4 is certainly fun to drive, but it does not corner or accelerate in a way that convinces you that you are driving one of the fastest street legal cars in the world.

As you can see, I am at least somewhat ambivalent about this switch. The devil on my left shoulder says that was the most fun you ever had driving a car. The angel on my right shoulder (and officer friendly) say you can't handle the fun.

Cheers