BMW M2

[Pablo]

Went to the Seattle Auto show, fell in love with the new BMW M2. Crazy I know.........caught my eye so to speak

I am NOT a BMW guy. AT ALL. Straight six, twin turbo. Not the fastest BMW, but still. So on Amazon, I watch the first episode (debut) of The Grand Tour, and sure enough, M2 review. It's a conspiracy I tell you.

Anyone own or drive one or have some input?

 

[AirgunSavant]

If it's in your budget, go for it.
I did the same thing when the new Challengers came out.
I had seen a hemi orange one on a lot and I drove up and bought it.

 

[d00df00d]

I don't own or drive one, but I've seen several reviews and they're uniformly excellent. Everyone who's truly into driving absolutely loves it, and doesn't give a hoot that other cars might be faster.

It's basically an updated 1M. It sacrifices some steering feel and rawness, but it's better in every other respect -- acceleration, handling, braking, ride quality, overall refinement.

There are few new cars in existence that'll be more fun to drive; of those, few are as livable day-to-day, and I don't think any have back seats.

(slight correction BTW: it's single-turbo)

 

[cpayne5]

A buddy at work just took delivery of one at Spartanburg a couple weeks ago. Awesome car.

Go for it if you have the means and want it!

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Went to the Seattle Auto show, fell in love with the new BMW M2. Crazy I know.........caught my eye so to speak

I am NOT a BMW guy. AT ALL. Straight six, twin turbo. Not the fastest BMW, but still. So on Amazon, I watch the first episode (debut) of The Grand Tour, and sure enough, M2 review. It's a conspiracy I tell you.

Anyone own or drive one or have some input?


I own the M2's little brother the M235i, and I've driven the current M2, M3, and M4. Of the true M cars the M2 is definitely the pick of the litter. I was able to get some track time in a DCT equipped M2 and it was pure heaven. I like it a bit more than my own 2er, but then my car was a low mileage CPO loaded with most every option and priced less than a new V6 Accord coupe.
In the M235i/M240i I prefer the 8 speed ZF automatic, but if I was buying an M2 I'd definitely go with the stick. That said, the DCT is a fine transmission.
The only downside is availability; at my center there is an open order slot but the car won't be delivered before 3rd. quarter 2017.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Went to the Seattle Auto show, fell in love with the new BMW M2. Crazy I know.........caught my eye so to speak

I am NOT a BMW guy. AT ALL. Straight six, twin turbo. Not the fastest BMW, but still. So on Amazon, I watch the first episode (debut) of The Grand Tour, and sure enough, M2 review. It's a conspiracy I tell you.

Anyone own or drive one or have some input?


I don't see how any real car guy could not love that lil BMW. It's a real sweet ride.

Drive what you want, life is short...

 

[Mr Nice]

Buy it and enjoy it.

 

[Farmer]

I have a friend who has a 2017 M2 with the manual transmission, really nice car.

 

[Patman]

After I watched The Grand Tour I also started obsessing over BMW's little 2 series!

After doing some research online, I decided if I were getting one I'd actually go for the M240i with X drive instead of the M2. With all wheel drive it would be the perfect daily driver for me! Anyone have $60,000 they want to give me?

 

[Quattro Pete]

You really don't need xDrive. Proper winter tires will do more for you than awd.

If I ever get another bmw, it will be rwd. Sadly, that means I'll probably have to special order it. Everything I'm seeing on dealer lots here has xDrive.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
You really don't need xDrive. Proper winter tires will do more for you than awd.

If I ever get another bmw, it will be rwd. Sadly, that means I'll probably have to special order it. Everything I'm seeing on dealer lots here has xDrive.


My dealer orders more RWD cars than most. Unfortunately, the typical American vehicle operator-"driver" is far too generous a term-has been convinced that RWD cars can't even be driven in the rain. I can see going with AWD if winter weather was a constant concern and you didn't want to swap tires, but the ones who need AWD for wet weather? I just can't believe it.

 

[Taildragger]

"Communist Car" Gotta love Mike Skinner!

HIs wife once told him,, "All of these other SOBs are doing this for fun, you are doing it for a living"!

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
You really don't need xDrive. Proper winter tires will do more for you than awd.




I know, but with all wheel drive AND snow tires the car will be practically unstoppable. Plus even on dry pavement that thing will take off like a rocket with almost no wheelspin, making it a ton of fun.

 

[d00df00d]

M240i xDrive advantages:
- Better acceleration from a dig on slippery roads

M2 advantages:
- Better acceleration in all other circumstances
- Better handling
- Better braking
- Better feel
- Available with a real transmission (i.e. 6MT)
- Can do burnouts, if that's your thing

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
M240i xDrive advantages:
- Better acceleration from a dig on slippery roads

M2 advantages:
- Better acceleration in all other circumstances



As far as better acceleration under all other circumstances, I beg to differ there. I believe on paper the M2 with manual only beats the 240i X drive auto by one tenth of a second in 0-60. But I would also be willing to bet that if you gave the average non professional driver both cars and let them make a bunch of 0-60 runs in each, that the M240i x drive would win 9 times out of 10. Even if you gave the professional driver both cars it would have similar results too. It's simply too difficult to repeatedly get a perfect launch with a rear drive manual trans car. As a former drag racer, I know this very well. I've made well over 1000 quarter mile runs in many different street cars both auto and manual and know full well that autos are more consistent, but also know that with a rear drive manual you really have to launch perfect to get a great run. Launch too hard and you'll spin, launch too soft and you'll bog. With all wheel drive and automatic you could probably make 10 quarter mile runs in a row and run almost identical times (as long as the engine doesn't heat soak that is, but that's a different conversation)

Don't get me wrong, I do love rear drive manual cars a lot! My manual trans Corvette is a ton of fun to drive, and one of the reasons I traded up from a C5 to a C6 Corvette was to get back into a manual once again (for the overall fun factor), but honestly I don't launch it hard off the line (the 05s have super weak rear ends that can easily explode into a thousands pieces on a hard launch and I've witnessed that first hand with a friend's 05 at the strip) But for my particular situation, if I were to ever get a 2 series BMW of my own, it would be my daily driver and I'd prefer auto and AWD for that, hanging onto the Corvette still for nice weather duty of course.

 

[d00df00d]

....but auto-vs-auto, M2 wins handily. And in-gear acceleration is always going to be better with the M2. Which is the point.

Not to mention the rest of the car...

 

[jeepman3071]

The M2 is definitely a sweet car! It reminds me of a more modern version of the e46 M3. I saw one in that turquoise/blue color and it looked really sweet. It is a shame that due to their limited availability so far that dealers around here have been marking them up like crazy.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: Patman
After I watched The Grand Tour I also started obsessing over BMW's little 2 series!

After doing some research online, I decided if I were getting one I'd actually go for the M240i with X drive instead of the M2. With all wheel drive it would be the perfect daily driver for me! Anyone have $60,000 they want to give me?

Why not trade in your Vette for BMW ?

 

[JHZR2]

Love my 135icM more and more every day...

I suspect this is better in most ways, but slightly more disconnected and techy...

 

[MCompact]

I think that this comment from the November 16 issue of Car and Driver just about nails it:

The M240i has a sporting suspension, but it won’t liberate any loose dentistry. The rigid M2 will, this extremist shaking our fillings over the rougher sections as the steering sniffed feverishly for apexes. The M2 prefers corners to straights the same way a German shepherd prefers pork chops to applesauce, but that’s part of its hyperactive charm. Cars like the M2 form the radioactive core of BMW’s performance credibility, and the M240i backs off just enough to please drivers who find it a little too hot at the center.

As I said earlier, I do prefer the M2, but the price delta between my CPO M235i and a new M2 made the M235i hard to pass up.