The 330d is a great piece of kit!! Some of the section speeds are slightly lower than in the M5 - a quick summary:
Crest before Schwedenkreuz - 125mph instead of 135mph
Up Kesselchen - Top of fourth at 105 instead of 115mph in the M5
Under the Gantry - 110 not 120.
However (I'm still collaborating the GPS evidence to confirm) I believe that some of the corner speeds are higher.
However, this E46 has the same mileage as my M5, and the steering and handling are a delight. - I know I've complained about the M5 steering before and there are some dedicated E34 people who don't believe it's a problem, but in my humble opinion, the steering box system is rubbish and I'd rather feel what was going on at the front wheels than just *watch* what's going on!! Furthermore, the factory brakes are GREAT and the DSC doesn't prove to be a hindrance (as it was with older revisions of the system, such as on the 2000 M5)
I reckon the difference with me at the helm of this car amounts to less than 30 seconds per lap (so far) over a really good lap in my M5 on a tourist day. Unfortunately I'm not entirely sure since this weekend the diversion for the grandstands at T13 cost precious time!
The traffic was a bit mental (busier than the DTM last year), but the NS was pleasingly quiet!
So the Derv Burner is a great piece of kit and will be going back. I see my choice of a potentially controversial line at Wippermann has been discussed on a fellow Ringers' website:
http://www.ring-world.nl/Verslagen/... 05-08-07.htm
See also:
http://ringbunny.fotopic.net/p18534485.html
http://ringbunny.fotopic.net/p18534486.html
This kerb used to upset the M5 a little bit but the E46 glides right over, saving about four feet of otherwise and unsettling left-right pendulous oversteer promoting bend.
The outstanding difference is that in the zero-midrange M5 it's necessary to swap cogs quite a lot to keep the power up. I even found second best at Adenauer Forst and Bergwerk. In the 330D (I didn't count them) but very few gearchanges are needed due to the stump-pulling bottom end - it's just a simple choice of 3rd or 4th and just twice (SX and Schwalbenschwanz) 5th.
So in summary, I thought it might be a little bit crap on the Nordschleife. It's not. You run out of revs fairly quickly in each gear, but change up and still find yourself blatting towards the horizon fairly swiftly (and smoothly!). The steering is lovely with weight and feel. The brakes are great. There's loads of grunt (perfect when exiting Wehrseifen, for example). There's also plenty of grip (although the ride quality is a bit poor out on poorly surfaced roads).
Although it's a relatively minor consideration (refreshing nontheless) the 330d also consumes half as much fuel as the M5 in all the same situations.
With a little bit more familiarisation with the car, and a fully dry day, I hope to be putting in some really smooth and fast laps. We'll see, in time this is the view everyone will see... (Yeah, Right)
