[Chuck-fu]

First off, what a great 2 weeks I've had with this car. I work out of my house, so I don't have any guaranteed number of miles each day- so each time I find an excuse to get in my car feels like a special moment. What an incredible machine.

After reading so many reviews and watching so many videos on this car for the past couple of years, I've been surprised at the number of things about having one that have ended up surprising me. I thought it might be fun to list out some of those thoughts:

- The biggest for me is rev-matching. As a bit of an old-school purist (like many of you), I expected to pretty much hate it. I read all kinds of articles about how to code it out, etc and planned on doing that. Well, turns out I absolutely LOVE it. Maybe I've come to terms that I'm not the world-class heel-toer that I wish I were and the sound and feel of perfectly matched downshifts has won me over. I don't know, but I have zero (ZERO!) interest in disabling this now- even if it were simple to do. Shocking to me.

- ASD: Another "how dare they!" feature that I planned on disabling asap. Well, I have no idea what percentage of the sound I hear from the driving seat is natural vs synthesized, but I love 100% of it. I'm still breaking the engine in, so I haven't gotten to hear the full fury of it- but even the midrange RPMs are glorious. I just rev up and down the range in mid boil and giggle at the (possibly fake) sounds. I still may try to disable ASD at some point to hear the natural sound- but it's no longer a priority (i'd love to sit in someone's Fabspeed catted downpipe at some point, as that seems to be so well regarded).

- rough ride: I have to admit, this took me by surprise- even after the couple of test drives. We have some awful roads here in Omaha and it took my butt a bit of time to re-calibrate to the stiffness of the suspension. But even after just 2 weeks, I no longer think that it is shockingly stiff- now it is just how it is.

- the power: I came from a ~220hp car (1st gen IS300). I was used to ringing out the first few gears around town and still staying at sane speeds. Obviously not the case here. The speed at which you can get into dangerous territory has been an adjustment.

- tech: sort of an afterthought, I had no real opinion or expectations of idrive and the tech- but have been pretty happy with it. The surprise for me is the little BMW connect app. I love being able to open my Android phone and easily searching and sending destination directions to me car and having them wait for me. and how the app knows my upcoming calendar locations for a very easy 'send to car' command. Very pleasant surprise.

- door handles: I saw this mentioned a few times, but have to agree that the door handle situation in the car is frustrating. I have a very narrow garage and not having an arm rest door handle makes it a pain to manage slowly opening or closing the door in narrow quarters. I've learned to grab the bottom storage cubbies as a way to work around that.

- sunglass storage. No obvious place to keep these. strange.

- differences from most m2 reviews: no rear seat arm rest/cupholders or left of the steering wheel storage door.

Anyway- I love this thing. I'm counting down the miles for the break-in service so I can really drive it and take it out for my first ever track day. Can't wait!

[termigni]

I agree with you on the rev-matching feature. although I knew it was going to be an awesome feature, I was planning on shutting it off. but I freaking love it. I do not need to be heel-toeing when I'm going to pick up some eggs.

[DanG]

I’m glad you are loving it. The rear seat arm rest are not on US cars. You need to go to Canada to get them.

My sun glasses are in the middle pocket on the door.

[IS+1]

Originally Posted by Chuck-fu

- The biggest for me is rev-matching. As a bit of an old-school purist (like many of you), I expected to pretty much hate it. I read all kinds of articles about how to code it out, etc and planned on doing that. Well, turns out I absolutely LOVE it. Maybe I've come to terms that I'm not the world-class heel-toer that I wish I were and the sound and feel of perfectly matched downshifts has won me over. I don't know, but I have zero (ZERO!) interest in disabling this now- even if it were simple to do. Shocking to me.

I thought I'd hate the auto rev-matching, then when I got my car last May I didn't mind it so much cuz I would still go through the motions of rev matching even with the auto-rev match on. Fast forward to the present, and now I drive with DSC off on a daily basis just to make sure my rev-matching skills don't go soft. I don't find heel-toeing is really 100% necessarily in daily driving but rev-matching on the downshift in the absence of braking is something I do all the time, and that is a skill I'd like to retain.

[Chuck-fu]

Originally Posted by IS+1

I thought I'd hate the auto rev-matching, then when I got my car last May I didn't mind it so much cuz I would still go through the motions of rev matching even with the auto-rev match on. Fast forward to the present, and now I drive with DSC off on a daily basis just to make sure my rev-matching skills don't go soft. I don't find heel-toeing is really 100% necessarily in daily driving but rev-matching on the downshift in the absence of braking is something I do all the time, and that is a skill I'd like to retain.

How do you find driving around with DSC off? How manageable is it around town? Does it ever like to oversteer under casual driving?

[champignon]

I have only had my car for 6 days, and only put about 200 miles on it, the majority in highway driving on twisty 2 lane roads in the mountains. So far I have found the rev matching to be less annoying than I thought it would be, but maybe that is because I already make an effort at rev-matching in my use of MT cars and have done so for decades, so the "feature" doesn't really kick in noticeably very often for me. It is mostly an issue when I have the clutch fully depressed and I change the gear, and sometimes I don't even ever go into that gear at all, so it rev-matches in a completely useless way with the gear not even engaged. Maybe this is just a bad habit I have developed? Otherwise it just doesn't do anything much when I actually do downshift or otherwise change the gearing.

I am finding the ASD to be annoying, and plan to code that out with the Carly 2 adapter and software that I have already purchased for my 1-Series cars.

[dcmac]

Originally Posted by Chuck-fu

- The biggest for me is rev-matching. As a bit of an old-school purist (like many of you), I expected to pretty much hate it. I read all kinds of articles about how to code it out, etc and planned on doing that. Well, turns out I absolutely LOVE it. Maybe I've come to terms that I'm not the world-class heel-toer that I wish I were and the sound and feel of perfectly matched downshifts has won me over. I don't know, but I have zero (ZERO!) interest in disabling this now- even if it were simple to do. Shocking to me.

- ASD: Another "how dare they!" feature that I planned on disabling asap. Well, I have no idea what percentage of the sound I hear from the driving seat is natural vs synthesized, but I love 100% of it. I'm still breaking the engine in, so I haven't gotten to hear the full fury of it- but even the midrange RPMs are glorious. I just rev up and down the range in mid boil and giggle at the (possibly fake) sounds. I still may try to disable ASD at some point to hear the natural sound- but it's no longer a priority (i'd love to sit in someone's Fabspeed catted downpipe at some point, as that seems to be so well regarded).

- rough ride: I have to admit, this took me by surprise- even after the couple of test drives. We have some awful roads here in Omaha and it took my butt a bit of time to re-calibrate to the stiffness of the suspension. But even after just 2 weeks, I no longer think that it is shockingly stiff- now it is just how it is.

- the power: I came from a ~220hp car (1st gen IS300). I was used to ringing out the first few gears around town and still staying at sane speeds. Obviously not the case here. The speed at which you can get into dangerous territory has been an adjustment.

- tech: sort of an afterthought, I had no real opinion or expectations of idrive and the tech- but have been pretty happy with it. The surprise for me is the little BMW connect app. I love being able to open my Android phone and easily searching and sending destination directions to me car and having them wait for me. and how the app knows my upcoming calendar locations for a very easy 'send to car' command. Very pleasant surprise.

- door handles: I saw this mentioned a few times, but have to agree that the door handle situation in the car is frustrating. I have a very narrow garage and not having an arm rest door handle makes it a pain to manage slowly opening or closing the door in narrow quarters. I've learned to grab the bottom storage cubbies as a way to work around that.

- sunglass storage. No obvious place to keep these. strange.

- differences from most m2 reviews: no rear seat arm rest/cupholders or left of the steering wheel storage door.

Anyway- I love this thing. I'm counting down the miles for the break-in service so I can really drive it and take it out for my first ever track day. Can't wait!

Loved your post. I feel almost exactly the same way about the features you've mentioned. I have a tiny garage too and am going to install soft pads on the brick walls where the door opens, because I'm terrified of chipping the paint off the door trying to open it with the silly forward-placed handle.

Re Rev Match, I'm actually now wondering how I get it to activate in DSC OFF mode.. because I'd love to have the option to use it on track. I thought I'd hate this feature but have grown to love it! Still wish they'd given it an OFF button too, though.

A few quirks that popped up for me during my first 4 weeks of ownership:

- Center armrest feels a bit too high and makes me unnaturally lift my elbow to shift. If you put it up while driving it's a more comfortable shift. Not a huge deal of course.

- In DSC OFF the throttle response feels like the car is in comfort mode (eg. response is slow and dull) whereas the car feels much livelier in Sport+. This is annoying, because for track days I want the throttle to feel just like Sport+ but with no nannies!

- When using nav.. it's a bit annoying it won't let you use the wheel to scroll around an active map without first having to select 'interactive map'

Just small quirks in an otherwise epic car. I'm at 450 miles and just STRUGGLING to drive it conservatively. Break in can't come soon enough

[IS+1]

Originally Posted by champignon

I already make an effort at rev-matching in my use of MT cars and have done so for decades, so the "feature" doesn't really kick in noticeably very often for me.

^^^ This was the case for me too. ^^^

I tended to pre-empt the auto-rev match, but then sometimes I started questioning whether the auto-rev match might be compensating for my potentially sloppy rev-matching, so I decided to just do away with it and go DSC fully off, - that way I can't allow myself to get rusty

[IS+1]

Originally Posted by Chuck-fu

How do you find driving around with DSC off? How manageable is it around town? Does it ever like to oversteer under casual driving?

On clear roads (no snow, ice or rain), you can drive in a reasonably spirited manner around town without it oversteering. I'd say it is a non-issue, as long as you have some common sense about it

[akkando]

Originally Posted by dcmac

- In DSC OFF the throttle response feels like the car is in comfort mode (eg. response is slow and dull) whereas the car feels much livelier in Sport+. This is annoying, because for track days I want the throttle to feel just like Sport+ but with no nannies!

DSC off should feel like Sport mode, which is in between Comfort and Sport+

Perhaps this can be configured in iDrive? I know you can change Sport to feel like Comfort throttle, or steering weight, or both in iDrive. Not sure if that applies to DSC fully off though.

[drewF87]

Agree with everything you said.
Don't you have a small compartment to the left of your steering wheel?

[Chuck-fu]

Originally Posted by drewF87

Agree with everything you said.
Don't you have a small compartment to the left of your steering wheel?

Nope. From what I've learned, the LCIs have lane departure and collision avoidance buttons in place of the small compartment.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by Chuck-fu

Nope. From what I've learned, the LCIs have lane departure and collision avoidance buttons in place of the small compartment.

That is a true statement from a LCI owner,

[mike@x-ph.com]

Thank you for sharing

[qnet]

The car is fantastic. I drove my car from the performance center to ATL, then to Orlando and back; so I've had my break-in service already. I followed the break-in procedures while traveling. I'm already over 1600 miles and don't care. Like you, I find reasons to drive the car.

One of the things I like is how this car exits a corner. Not since my Evo X have I had a car that exits a corner like this. My Focus RS nor my M235i felt this way. I thought it had something to do with the Evo's AWD system but it must be something else, because the RS didn't feel that way unless I really pushed it, and it still wasn't the same feeling.

I feel the same way as the OP about the auto rev-matching, with the exception of, I didn't have any experience doing it before.

I use the paddle shifters about 95% of the time now, which is a surprise to me. It really adds to the experience of driving the car, and the DCT is nice in heavey traffic or when someone is driving really slow in front of me.

Having had an M235i, and having a Focus RS in between; I realize some of the things I missed about driving a modern BMW. I missed the thick steering wheel, the Idrive system, and overall nicer interior. Another surprise is the stereo system sounds better. I read somewhere on here that they upgraded the amp.

[BMWEnthuTony]

I have very similar experience. Just love to take it out every time I get a chance. I am using it for my commute, so really like to start late from office to get to drive it in a free stretch of road. I love the Rev match feature..anyways I wasn't great at heel and toeing and hence it helps . Also I wasn't completely sure on going with MT considering I was going to use it for commute but I am absolutely loving it now. Also this is my first car with this much of BHPs and hence don't try to be to adventurous anyways till I get few M classes done. I love the way it corners with no roll and it is absolute joy to drive on the 3rd and the torque is just exhilarating..I feel the 1st gear is too short but again I am now used to it.
In fact the first thing I noticed after the purchase was the missing armrest and cup holders in the rear seat as I had seen it in the reviews. Didn't notice it at all while purchasing but then realized from forums it isn't available for US vehicles. Most of my experience so far has been very similar to yours. Also like the ASD and doesn't annoy me much. So tempted to now get different mods done but i guess will take it slow

[Aloha Joe]

Originally Posted by Chuck-fu

- ASD: Another "how dare they!" feature that I planned on disabling asap. Well, I have no idea what percentage of the sound I hear from the driving seat is natural vs synthesized, but I love 100% of it. I'm still breaking the engine in, so I haven't gotten to hear the full fury of it- but even the midrange RPMs are glorious. I just rev up and down the range in mid boil and giggle at the (possibly fake) sounds. I still may try to disable ASD at some point to hear the natural sound- but it's no longer a priority (i'd love to sit in someone's Fabspeed catted downpipe at some point, as that seems to be so well regarded).

- sunglass storage. No obvious place to keep these. strange.

First of all, Congrats & Aloha!

Next, +1 on Fabspeed and disabling ASD. Got it on mine, and won't go back.

Regarding sunglasses: Replace the area above the lighter.
http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1429318&page=2

[Chuck-fu]

Originally Posted by Aloha Joe

First of all, Congrats & Aloha!

Next, +1 on Fabspeed and disabling ASD. Got it on mine, and won't go back.

Regarding sunglasses: Replace the area above the lighter.
http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1429318&page=2

Thanks for that link Joe. That's a really interesting little mod. So, it is basically the same as what is there now, just a bit deeper, huh? Do you have that in your car?

[Chuck-fu]

Originally Posted by Aloha Joe

First of all, Congrats & Aloha!

Next, +1 on Fabspeed and disabling ASD. Got it on mine, and won't go back.

Regarding sunglasses: Replace the area above the lighter.
http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1429318&page=2

I really wish I knew how to test out something like an FS downpipe / ASD disable. As I said, I really, really love the sound that I get from the driver's seat, so I don't feel like i have some kind of unmet desire. I can appreciate that some people simply don't like the sound of the ASD, but hey, maybe I'm lucky and shouldn't search out ways to spend more money. At the same time, I don't know what I'm missing here- maybe I'd crap myself with glee with the FS downpipe.

Problem is, youtube videos don't do things like this justice. Is there any way you can describe the difference in sound that you now get? Is it louder from the inside and/or the outside? Does it have a higher frequency inside? more induction sound, etc? I've never seen anyone able to try and explain what a non ASD m2 even sounds like inside (let alone one with the FS downpipe).

[cookiesowns]

Yup same. I used to be the guy that will revmatch downshift into every gear, sometimes even 1st. And blipping every downshift.

After getting the M2 and getting used to it, I fell in love with the revmatch. When I drive in comfort or traction mode for those damn burbles, I rev match myself and sometimes heeltoe, as I find the revmatch in those modes to be slower than I'd like. In sport/sport+ they are so on point I've learned to let it do its thing.

I occasionally still drive the car with DSC off, it's definetly not unmanageable. I hate the sport+ throttle setting as it's simply too sensitive and not linear at all. Sport is more like it!

I have my car remapped to use sport throttle maps in sport+ with M4GTS EuroMDM, makes for a ton of fun.

[ZPrime]

Originally Posted by Chuck-fu

Nope. From what I've learned, the LCIs have lane departure and collision avoidance buttons in place of the small compartment.

It's not the LCI, it's having the Exec pack (which adds the lane departure and collision avoidance stuff).

If I thought it would be easy to swap, I'd pop the buttons out and get the storage cubby part and just leave the buttons tucked behind the dash... the lane departure at least is completely pointless. I can barely feel the steering wheel vibrating over our shitty roads.

[ZPrime]

Originally Posted by Chuck-fu

Thanks for that link Joe. That's a really interesting little mod. So, it is basically the same as what is there now, just a bit deeper, huh? Do you have that in your car?

Can't do this on an LCI. Our center console is different and we have a slider that can cover the drink area.
That under-radio storage area on LCI is very different from pre-LCI (which got an ashtray-ish thing with a cover on it, instead of over the cupholders, IIRC).

It's really important that people take note of pre-LCI vs. LCI when discussing interior mods...

I would highly suggest at least hearing the car without ASD once. I found that ASD made me not want to drive in Sport mode on the highway, because ASD itself actually "drones." When I disabled ASD, I suddenly didn't have that annoying thrum, and now I can use Sport mode all the time. I vastly prefer the throttle feel in Sport, and I like the quicker rev-matches.

Now I'm adding an aftermarket catback to get a little more noise... because I got rid of the fake noise.