Quote:
Originally Posted by fuddman
I don't agree. If it's a huge step, then it's a huge step sideways.
Look, the M2 is a reduced sized M4 with a less luxurious interior, meant for entry level customers. That's about it. Lots of tough competition out there for the M2. As evidenced by the fact it could not achieve the Car & Driver Editors Choice Award in its class.
I agree with the poster who implied BMW needs to step up their game, particularly in the design area. They need something they can point to as a halo car and which helps separate BMW from the pack. I expect they are going to resurrect the CSL badge to achieve that goal. Given its current purpose for existence, I just don't see the M2, in any form, as suitable for that role.
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People need to get off this entry level customer BS. BMW knows that there is a large enthusiast pool of buyers that could easily afford to step into an M3/M4, but don't a want a high performance car that is wider (a problem the M2 also suffers from) and has a wheelbase similar to the last generation 5 series. If the thought of people purchasing an M2 because they couldn't afford an M3/M4 is what helps 3 series owners sleep at night then so be it. But it doesn't change that the M2 is the true enthusiast choice for a fun street car. Did BMW do some brand engineering to keep the price and performance down? Yup. If they truly offered an individual program for the M2 and decent options, M3/M4 sales numbers might start mimicking those of the M5/M6.
Having just DD an M3 for 6 months, my feelings are a that shrunken M4 with reduced power is the medicine for what ails the BMW enthusiast sect. While some will use this car as the gateway to the M brand, many others will use it as a gateway to fun. Those that that associate their car with their station in life, and there are a lot of them in this community, will cling to the notion of a less luxurious interior in the M2. The rest of us will just laugh at them for thinking that spending near S-Class money on a churched up 3 series makes it a luxurious car. The only reason for purchasing an M3 at this point is if you're a single or dual car family that needs 4 doors for the kids, think of it as the modern M5.