Quote:
Originally Posted by Germanauto
Maybe I'm just a noob but I thought the M2 was legit.  It's as pure a "BMW" experience as you'll get. I was enamored and it moved to the top of my shopping list.
I didn't drive the M5. Experiencing the power would've been cool but I just had a 540 loaner that kind of bored me so I didn't think the M version would be that thrilling. Maybe I was mistaken. |
I bet it would be on a track where the suspension and chassis could shine. However, on the street, my lowly M240i with the B58's almost naturally-aspirated power band characteristics and excellent 6-speed manual transmission feels far more "purist" to me. It's also lighter by a couple hundred pounds and you feel this. The only place the M240i lacks is with front suspension and tire width. This was felt big time when I did a 2-day HPDE with the BMW CCA. It's also the reason I was seriously hoping I would like the M2 Competition enough to buy one as I REALLY do not want to spend $5-6 grand on wheels and coilover upgrades for my car when the M2C already has these perks with wide body sheet metal as icing on the cake. However, the DCT was also a big factor for justifying the upgrade cost as I wanted less to worry about on the track i.e. shifting my own gears was far more challenging than it was worth in terms of lap times with my 6-speed. Now, though, after driving the DCT, I feel it is too compromised and I appreciate my manual transmission that much more. So the decision becomes, "Do I spend $20 grand more for a 6-speed M2C for the suspension and wide body when I really don't like the engine characteristics and added weight?" For now, I'm leaning towards "No."