Who's selling to get an M2?

[snareman]

Originally Posted by Hazey82

Looking for honest feedback here. I switched from ordering the M2 to the M3 because the special bespoke engine and extra touches (seats, CF, mirrors, dome) but was always concerned that the potential to get playful with the M3 on twisty backroads or the track (just like Sam was from the Bimmerpost review vid) would be out of my league. My current E46 M3 I can push close to the limits and feel totally connected and be playful. From the review it seems this is easily achievable with the M2 even with MDM and its made me question my decision.

So the big question, can an average enthusiast driver get to those playful limits with an M3/M4 in euro MDM mode without worry of killing themselves or the car on a backroad like it looks like you can on the M2?
My concern is I won't be able to have as much fun in the M3 on an early morning backroad rip, as the M2 or even my E46

Thanks

I mean no disrespect here, but people talk about in this case "playful" and in other cases "tossable" in relation to cars. I love a twisty back road just as much as the next guy, but realistically for people that aren't going to track them, how much crazy driving are you doing on regular roads? Are you sliding around wet corners doing 60mph?

[W///]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

$55k is right on top of other new 2dr cars like gt350 and definitely in range of used cars the next level up (z06, 997.1 TT, etc)

For the bmw lineup its priced right but for what else is out there, i think it is in a tough spot.

The other thing i have to wonder is that if the size of m car is so important why not just get an e30? $55k wil get you a nice one

It's obviously not just about size alone. Otherwise we'd be all driving Miatas. It's the whole package, and the M2 is what BMW is great at (just missing a really high revving NA engine).

I'm comparing the M2 to the CLA45 AMG and RS3. In that regards, I think the price is spot on. Hell it's same price as a base+stripper Cayman too. I don't think it makes too much sense to compare to used cars.

You could argue that the GT350 and Corvettes are in the same price range, but then why did anyone buy an M4?

Originally Posted by BuzzE46

I do agree, the m235i should prob have never existed and yes they do appear to dilute the M letter.
something about my E46 M3 makes me love it so much, maybe bcuz back in 2003 just seeing them gave me that WOW factor. how is the92 vs the e46, would you consider it an upgrade?

2 completely different animals. I personally prefer the E92 but I certainly respect the E46.

Good call on saving up for an M4. Add, not replace. Especially cars that you think you'll regret selling.

[Brosef]

Originally Posted by BuzzE46

I do agree, the m235i should prob have never existed and yes they do appear to dilute the M letter.
something about my E46 M3 makes me love it so much, maybe bcuz back in 2003 just seeing them gave me that WOW factor. how is the92 vs the e46, would you consider it an upgrade?

never owned an e46. they ended production before I even graduated college. I've just always wanted to own one (still do, and almost certainly would pick one up as a second car for me if I had a third garage bay).

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by W///

It's obviously not just about size alone. Otherwise we'd be all driving Miatas. It's the whole package, and the M2 is what BMW is great at (just missing a really high revving NA engine).

I'm comparing the M2 to the CLA45 AMG and RS3. In that regards, I think the price is spot on. Hell it's same price as a base+stripper Cayman too. I don't think it makes too much sense to compare to used cars.

You could argue that the GT350 and Corvettes are in the same price range, but then why did anyone buy an M4

No clue on the m4. I would have gone c7 z51 if i wanted a 2 door car. Guess thats why i have an m3

Not sure why the comparisons to used cars don't make sense, especially for a toy car. 997.1 TT was neck and neck for me when i got my car, but checking the euro delivery box off my bucket list won the day.

Bmw is great at ///Marketing these days for sure, and part of me thinks that's what the M2 is. Raid the parts bin, add some fender flares and cash in on the nostalgia for smaller form factor.

[BuzzE46]

Originally Posted by Brosef

see, I think they should actually just get rid of the M235i and take a couple thousand off of the price. then let all those consumers trade up to the M2. I just don't like these half assed M models. they dilute the brand and make no sense to me.

is $55k fully loaded right? I thought you could option it to over $60k.



bingo. I think the e46 M3 is the best looking BMW of all time. the F80 is next, to my eyes. I was an e92 owner, and I liked the looks but never loved them.

Originally Posted by Brosef

never owned an e46. they ended production before I even graduated college. I've just always wanted to own one (still do, and almost certainly would pick one up as a second car for me if I had a third garage bay).

contact me next year haha

[auf Deutsch]

Sorry if this has already been posted:

Motor Trend did a full test of the M2.

12.8 @107.5 for the 6MT compared to 12.5 @116.5 for the M4 6MT

[04cobra]

No interest in the M2. I don't like smaller size cars. Also I am nervous there will be too much throttle or turbo lag in the m2. The m3 is perfect for me.

[Sedan_Clan]

I agree with those saying that the m235i was a complete waste of time.

[paradoxical3]

I was on the fence between the M4 and the M2. The M3 is a different thing entirely with 4 doors.

I test drove a M235i and M4 back to back. DCT in the M4 was far better than the 8 speed auto in terms of excitement. The interior of the M4 is three steps above, it's not even close. The engine in the M4 truly sounded like shit, however the instant torque and throttle response were remarkable for a turbo engine.

But - it's just a huge car. The M235i I drove was more fun to hang the back end out with, and I immediately felt more at home in the cabin. I am a smaller guy, and the M4 just felt enormous to me. The M235i had pretty dead steering and was obviously a softer suspension setup, but I was betting that the M2 would fix the steering and transmission issues.

I know I will modify cars (it's in my blood) so I buy cars based on what is easy to modify. I cannot modify chassis size, steering feel, or transmission. I can modify power, interior, and suspension.

Price was not an issue to me - my SA advised that the M2 will likely lease very poorly and would be about equivalent to a M4 lease. I have to lease since it is through my company.

In the end, I went with the M2. I will drop a Pure Turbo stage 2 in it and have 450whp on pump gas, with a MCS suspension. Best of both world, a true german hot rod that is exciting, with great engine sound and the correct proportions. M4 is a great car, but not for me. I understand why people prefer it though.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by paradoxical3

The engine in the M4 truly sounded like shit, however the instant torque and throttle response were remarkable for a turbo engine.

.....The ENGINE sounded shit? Really? The ENGINE sounds more or less like every other I6 configuration that BMW has put out. Maybe you meant to suggest that you didn't like the sound of the EXHAUST?!?!?!?

[paradoxical3]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

.....The ENGINE sounded shit? Really? The ENGINE sounds more or less like every other I6 configuration that BMW has put out. Maybe you meant to suggest that you didn't like the sound of the EXHAUST?!?!?!?

It's the engine that sounds like shit. It sounds nothing like any of the other I6 BMW puts out. I have owned I6 BMWs for years. S54, N54, and N55 all sound better. The aftermarket exhausts don't do anything much to change the sound. Armytrix is okay but it's still not great.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by paradoxical3

It's the engine that sounds like shit. It sounds nothing like any of the other I6 BMW puts out. I have owned I6 BMWs for years.

The E46 didn't sound that great, and neither did the E36. The E92 sounded better, but the engine configuration can be attributed to that. The M2 sounds more or less just like an M4 with an MPE, so your statement sounds pretty ridiculous.

[paradoxical3]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

The E46 didn't sound that great, and neither did the E36. The E92 sounded better, but the engine configuration can be attributed to that. The M2 sounds more or less just like an M4 with an MPE, so your statement sounds pretty ridiculous.

I agree that the e36 sounds like shit as well with most exhaust configurations. But the M4 with MPE (which is what I drove) sounds nothing like the N55 (which I have owned).

All of the reviews of the M2 agree. From Motortrend: "The M3/M4 sounds like an air compressor choking on concrete; the M2’s sings like a BMW engine should. Deep, throaty, and refined; just starting the engine brought a sigh of relief."

[Lups]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

The E46 didn't sound that great, and neither did the E36. The E92 sounded better, but the engine configuration can be attributed to that. The M2 sounds more or less just like an M4 with an MPE, so your statement sounds pretty ridiculous.

Steven we two are old friends. Can you just finally tell me from which angle there sound freaks are enjoying their cars from?

I'm aware the oem setting is a bit quiet, I ran an eisenmann. But the car for me was the feel of the road and the bitching manual which kept me wanting to drive.

Did I get it all wrong?

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by paradoxical3

I agree that the e36 sounds like shit as well with most exhaust configurations. But the M4 with MPE (which is what I drove) sounds nothing like the N55 (which I have owned).

All of the reviews of the M2 agree. From Motortrend: "The M3/M4 sounds like an air compressor choking on concrete; the M2’s sings like a BMW engine should. Deep, throaty, and refined; just starting the engine brought a sigh of relief."

...but from what I've heard via audio (..which I'll concede is never fully representative of the sound regardless of the car), it sounds like an M4 with an MPE and the valves open. The "air compressor choking on concrete" statement made by Motor Trend is ridiculous considering that the F8X sounds relatively throaty for an I6 with the valves open. Totally different character.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

The E46 didn't sound that great, and neither did the E36. The E92 sounded better, but the engine configuration can be attributed to that. The M2 sounds more or less just like an M4 with an MPE, so your statement sounds pretty ridiculous.

Yeah every time I hear an E46 M guy bag on the way an F8x sounds I'm like "really the E46 sounded that good?"

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Lups

Steven we two are old friends. Can you just finally tell me from which angle there sound freaks are enjoying their cars from?

I'm aware the oem setting is a bit quiet, I ran an eisenmann. But the car for me was the feel of the road and the bitching manual which kept me wanting to drive.

Did I get it all wrong?

I'm as puzzled as you are Lups because I can't quite figure out what's wrong with most of them.

[paradoxical3]

Anyway it was not my intention to create a debate about sound, the m4 is a great car and anyone buying a car just for the sound is a poser anyway. It was just a small part of my overall decision process. Just thought my perspective was relevant since I was deciding between the two cars at equal cost and drove the M4 extensively back to back with a M235i before ordering the M2. Seems strange so many M4 owners are so defensive about sound. Never heard a e92 M3 owner get defensive about it. Wonder why...

I wish I liked the M4 driving dynamics better because I would far rather have that interior and a more expensive car for the same lease payment. But I will have more fun on the track and the backroads with the M2, and ultimately I am getting the car to beat the shit out of it.

Jalopnik (Robb Holland, race car driver in BTCC): "Is the M2 the perfect M? It is hands down better than the M4, which has turned into more of a grand tourer than a sports car."

Motortrend: "But by then, the race has already been won. In fact, any race between these two cars is over before it even begins—the M2 is a far more entertaining car to drive. For starters, its steering feels directly connected to the front wheels. Not only does its weight build in lockstep with cornering loads, it actually transmits road-surface texture back to the driver. This is something that hasn’t happened since BMW switched to electrically assisted power steering. The low-frequency feedback (camber changes and tramlining) is still muted, and the mid-frequency stuff (such as quick one-wheel dips and surface irregularities) is similarly missing in action, but the high-Hertz stuff is back, meaning you can feel road texture and through the helm, helping you place the front wheels. The old 1 Series M Coupe’s hydraulic rack was far from BMW’s best, but was certainly more communicative—but had BMW’s electric assist started out this good, we wouldn’t have blasted it. (OK, we would have, but we’d have remained hopeful that it was fixable. We now have that hope.)"

Top Gear: "There’s lots of grip, but – much more than in the M3/M4 – a sense of how much is left. Now confident of the state of play at the front, you can joyfully get to work on the throttle and bring the rear end into play. Traction is colossal but gradually you can get the back to edge outward. It’s uncannily progressive and you’ve a delightfully transparent channel of messages to work with."

Car and Driver: " Skip the M4, go directly to the M2, and collect $14,000."

I could go on and on.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by dmk08

Yeah every time I hear an E46 M guy bag on the way an F8x sounds I'm like "really the E46 sounded that good?"

+2

I've owned two E46 M3's, and while I loved the whiny rasp of that exhaust coupled with the high revving wail of the S54, I never thought it sounded particularly good. The E92 got me going a bit, but again, it was the sound coming from up front that titillated my senses. With my 335i, both the motor and the exhaust were fairly underwhelming, but not bad by any means. The S55 is a gem of a motor, and like all of my other M's, it's the motor that I pay attention to. I always find myself listening judiciously when people drive my M4 (...mostly the dealership, Supreme Power, EAS, etc.), and I can't figure out where the sound issues stem from.

[Adem1534]

Both cars are great, and some of you guys screaming "LOL NO Y WUD ANYONE DO THAT" are downright oblivious. Get a grip. A lot of people are going to think the M2 is better and a lot won't. Unless you want to remain ignorant, you'll have to accept that there are things that the M2 does better than the M3/4.

Go ahead, keep saying how much pussy your M4 gets you. Lol.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by Adem1534

Both cars are great, and some of you guys screaming "LOL NO Y WUD ANYONE DO THAT" are downright oblivious. Get a grip. A lot of people are going to think the M2 is better and a lot won't. Unless you want to remain ignorant, you'll have to accept that there are things that the M2 does better than the M3/4.

Go ahead, keep saying how much pussy your M4 gets you. Lol.

So people that prefer their F8X to the M2 are oblivious and ignorant? That has to be one of the most oblivious and ignorant posts that I have seen on here.

People have a right to their opinion and it really doesn't need to match yours.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by mephiska

What weight savings?

250 lbs I believe.