[M3PGH]

I had my M2 for 3 weeks and thought I will report on my views vs M3 both F80 and E92.
Background:
1. had E92 2008 for 2 years . Manual
2. had F80 2015 non competition for 1 year. DCT
3. M2 is manual
high light of differences
1. Manual transmission was notchy, first to second gear on E92 , which was annoying, M2 does not have this problem
2. Steering feel is much better on M2 vs F80. F80 steering was accurate but numb.
3. Exhaust sound is better in M2 vs F80 M3 both from inside and outside. The Active sound in the F80 sounded artificial. Don't notice that in the M2 . Best exhaust is E93
4. M2 feels smaller than both F80 and E92
5. Interior is cheaper but acceptable
6. Engine is good , but not as special. Prefer F80 for both power and torque. I think M2CS will be great.
7. M2 seems less jumpy vs F80 M3, and better balanced.I think it is the smaller size.
8.M2 seems less noisy on highways vs F80, not sure why ?? carbon fiber roof means less insulation ??
overall I think BMW did a good job on the M2
hope this will help someone debating the differences

[Motivate]

Thanks for the write up. Can you expand on the performance aspect for the M2 vs F80 comparison?

-Realistic everyday acceleration

-Track/spirited driving acceleration if you got to try that.

-Handling performance & suspension feel

-Further comparison of the N55 vs S55

[M3PGH]

certainly the F80 is more beastly than M2
M3 is faster as far as acceleration
handling and suspension feels a little better in M2 I think because of size difference.
both engines to me are linear with minimal if any turbo lag, S55 certainly is more of a beast of an engine and feels more special . But S55 does not sound as good. Before I bought the M2 , I thought about buying an M3 competition package and I test drove couple. Every time I was driving the car, I said to myself : do I have to listen to this sound and that is probably the biggest negative against M3.
as far as tracking , after tracking my F10 M5 and somebody almost crashed into me , I started doing different schools like M , AMG, Porsche, and feel this is less risky and more fun and get to try variety of cars.

[JTO24]

Thanks for this.. I had the exact same progression of cars with the same transmissions.. well I don't have an m2 but am considering one in 6mt.

[Motivate]

Originally Posted by M3PGH

certainly the F80 is more beastly than M2
M3 is faster as far as acceleration
handling and suspension feels a little better in M2 I think because of size difference.
both engines to me are linear with minimal if any turbo lag, S55 certainly is more of a beast of an engine and feels more special . But S55 does not sound as good. Before I bought the M2 , I thought about buying an M3 competition package and I test drove couple. Every time I was driving the car, I said to myself : do I have to listen to this sound and that is probably the biggest negative against M3.
as far as tracking , after tracking my F10 M5 and somebody almost crashed into me , I started doing different schools like M , AMG, Porsche, and feel this is less risky and more fun and get to try variety of cars.

So going from the E92's V8 to the F80's S55 to now the M2's N55, do you miss the crazy power that you get from the S55?

[stefan]

M3 simply too big for me, and I think most old school M guys will feel that way. So that alone is a huge difference.

For the S55, I dunno if it was the fact that I drove a 2015 and I've heard they aren't as good, but I didn't like it at all. I found it very peaky and the sound was truly atrocious and headache inducing. It felt, to me, like a JB4 N55. I wasn't enjoying it. I didn't find the interior any better than the M2 in fact it had more to scratch up and the leather was already wearing badly on the 6,000km CPO I test drove. Honestly I went in there nearly 100% sure I was going to buy it and the test drive made me reject it after 20min of driving. I found the M2 much, much more characteristic of BMW.

As for the M3 being faster... who cares? When the hell does that matter? The Nurburgring? You get used to ALL amounts of power over time. And flat acceleration when you're already sub 4.5s is really not all that important anymore. It's more just how fast you run out of room or break the law. So I was never wooed by the S55s total power. And ultimately terrible, terrible sound and even worse ASD.

Agreed; M2 has better steering though nothing like the old cars. M3 had better ride quality. Seats felt better on the M3 but then again both cars seem to have crap leather. Much prefer the CF roof on the M3 though I noticed some NVH coming from the roof area on my test car. Gear shift felt typical BMW M to me, notchy from 1-2 nothing new there with the M2 being a bit smoother but that could have been wear on the 2015 M3 talking.

[Transcon]

Ill weigh in on this as I too came from a 2015 F80, E36/46 M3's before that....all manual

Out of all of the cars prior to the F87 I liked the E46 the best. The F80 was a beast as far as raw power but seem disconnected as a drivers car. Also, as others have said, it just seemed too damn big. The E36 was my baby for years and I do sometimes miss the compact size of it as well as a more analog experience. The E46 somehow hit the sweet spot for me of a great mix of the old and the new. Never owned an E92 but have plenty of friends that swear by them.

After seeing the F87 debut and then finally getting to drive it I agree that it is the spiritual successor to the E46. Feels very connected and I find the size to be perfect. Sure, the interior is lacking compared to the F80 but I find it perfectly acceptable for my needs. The Dinan S1 tune, exhaust, intake, and suspension set it up perfectly and smoothed out some of the power bands rough edges.

For now I am very content with the F87 as a daily driver and the 2002 for a pure analog experience. Im sure the CS will be nice but I can tell will be sticking with my F87 for awhile.

[Transcon]

Originally Posted by stefan

. M3 had better ride quality

Just for me personally, the setup I had on the F80 (stock adaptive with Macht Schnell springs) was almost intolerable on all but the smoothest ribbons of concrete. The F87's stock ride was fine by me but improved greatly when I put on the Dinan quasi-coilover suspension. I find the ride now to be perfect

[M3PGH]

Originally Posted by Motivate

So going from the E92's V8 to the F80's S55 to now the M2's N55, do you miss the crazy power that you get from the S55?

No, that is what my E63 S AMG is for

[M3PGH]

I agree with " stefan" , the sound of S55 was headache inducing, and in particular after my son unplugged the fuse that controlled the muffler valves. I was getting a headache every time I was driving the car.
though it is nice to have the power of the S55, and it can be used legally
the E 63 S has 577 HP and it is fun to have that kind of power. Is it absolutely needed ? no, but nice to have
overall BMW did a very good job with the M2 and kept my interest in the brand

[stefan]

Originally Posted by Transcon

Just for me personally, the setup I had on the F80 (stock adaptive with Macht Schnell springs) was almost intolerable on all but the smoothest ribbons of concrete. The F87's stock ride was fine by me but improved greatly when I put on the Dinan quasi-coilover suspension. I find the ride now to be perfect

Well FWIW, a matched spring/damper combo or proper coilover system is going to vastly outperform any spring-only solution. I get that everyone loves the look of a low car but just slapping stiff, short springs in there always ruins handling.

[untzklee]

Same here.. I purchased the M2 over the M3 because the balance and sound is perfect on the M2 compared to M3 and M4.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

It is very calming to hear all this positive feedback.

My progression was 128i to M235i to M4 and now soon to be M2. i loved the M4...that is after I modified the hell out of it but I always missed something about the M235.

The M4 had JB4 & E85, MPE and dyno'd 502 at the rears, full coil overs dropped 1.5 f & 1 r and 9.5/10.5 Vorsteiner meats on it. The thing sounded sweet and ran like a raped ape. Loved it......

That was till I took it to the tight mountain roads and chased GT3's and Cayman S's. The car performed awesome but felt huge. It was a handful to manage on the small roads and felt like it had no business there instead it should be doing pulls at Mexico.

Then I realized what I was missing was the smaller nimbleness of the 1 & 2 series and that is all it took. I went and ordered the M2 to replace the M4....done.

I have been a little worried about all the negatives i am hearing about the motor, heatsoak, hard to get HP and the HP to weight ratio is much lower than the M3/M4 but fuck it....I want a road car not a hot rod

[Zero_Cool]

Originally Posted by m2ruder

It is very calming to hear all this positive feedback.

My progression was 128i to M235i to M4 and now soon to be M2. i loved the M4...that is after I modified the hell out of it but I always missed something about the M235.

The M4 had JB4 & E85, MPE and dyno'd 502 at the rears, full coil overs dropped 1.5 f & 1 r and 9.5/10.5 Vorsteiner meats on it. The thing sounded sweet and ran like a raped ape. Loved it......

That was till I took it to the tight mountain roads and chased GT3's and Cayman S's. The car performed awesome but felt huge. It was a handful to manage on the small roads and felt like it had no business there instead it should be doing pulls at Mexico.

Then I realized what I was missing was the smaller nimbleness of the 1 & 2 series and that is all it took. I went and ordered the M2 to replace the M4....done.

I have been a little worried about all the negatives i am hearing about the motor, heatsoak, hard to get HP and the HP to weight ratio is much lower than the M3/M4 but fuck it....I want a road car not a hot rod

I'm at a similar point as you are/were. I have an M4 with JB4 and have been on the fence about installing my catless DPs and springs after I test drove a manual M2. I love the feeling of the M4 cockpit but it just feels like a long boat. I thought the M2 handled like a crazy go-kart. I don't rail my M4 so the power difference for me isn't too important. I just feel like if I got rid of my M4 I might miss it lol. For what its worth I can get a smoking deal on the M2 since BMW included the model with the discount for military sales. Keep me informed of your post M4 thoughts.

[No Boost]

Originally Posted by m2ruder

I have been a little worried about all the negatives i am hearing about the motor, heatsoak, hard to get HP and the HP to weight ratio is much lower than the M3/M4 but fuck it....I want a road car not a hot rod

It really isn't hard to get the HP to weight ratio down. There are many options for this. And as for heatsoak, a single (not dual like the M4) aftermarket IC solves this issue.

[CosmosMpower]

As a former E90/92 and current F80, F87 owner I'd say your write up is spot on. I'd say the initial turn in on the M2 is the best out of all 3 cars by a mile.

As a street car I actually prefer the F80 power delivery, on the track I prefer the M2.

[tke743]

I'll chime in. I owned a 2016 M3 (non-ZCP), a 2016 M2, and a 2017 M3 ZCP. I put a minimum of 3k miles on each and tracked all 3. Here is my review updated with M3 ZCP added.
------------------------

There are differences that make them appeal to different audiences.
M2 appeals to a slightly younger audience (All the comments I got were from 20 somethings). No kids, not over 6', and/or if price difference is a hit to your standard of living, then get the M2.

M3 appeals to BMW guys (Most comments come from 30+ year olds.) Have kids, over 6', and/or price difference makes no real difference to your standard of living then (in the past, see last paragraph) go for the M3.

I've got over 8K miles in a non-ZCP M3, over 3500 miles in an M2, and 6500 miles in a M3 ZCP.

Yes, the difference is in the engine and the body/interior.

There is definitely a reason the M3 costs more. The question is if it is worth $20k more to you. That $20k is what you are really looking, at feature for feature. The suspension is the same (ish, adaptive vs. passive), the steering is the same. In the ZCP they fixed the dead spot on center issue and the steering feels just like the M2 (just a bit slower on turn in based on it's size). The steering in the ZCP is actually quite good. The ZCP is better planted then the early M3's that were tail happy and tricky to drive. There was a software update for the early M3's got them to 90% of the ZCP, but 90% is not 100%.

In a straight line there is no comparison. The M3 will walk away from the M2. The M3's engine is special, the M2's is "only" great. The M3 has the cooling to prevent heat soak, the M2 does not and it appeared quickly on a hot day. My take is that the M3 justifies $10k of the difference here. Note: the M2 still sounds better than the M3.

The M2 is easier to drive and drive fast. Part of this is that the car is MUCH shorter. It is more of a sports car, than the M3's sport sedan (I'm old and I see the current M3 as a M5 from my youth). The M3 ZCP is faster. The M2 at 10/10ths is easy and accessible, even to a novice. Not so in the M3. A ZCP M3 at 9/10 is faster than the M2 at 10/10. Going past 9/10 in the M3 you know there is an angry beast waiting for you if you cross the line. With the M2 there isn't.

The interior of the M2 is nothing special, the M3's interior is. I find the M2's seats uncomfortable after a long drive, and way too high up. I feel like I'm sitting on the car not in it vs the M3. The M2's seat height is the same as my wife's 328 wagon. I found the M3's seats to be very comfortable. I would easily say the M3's interior is $10k better than the M2's. The M2's burnt wicker trim drove me to distraction, sure this is a bit OCD, but it did.

Convenience of 4 doors. If this is important to you (kids) then there isn't a comparable car on the market to the M3, that said my kids prefered the M2. I also think it's the best looking of the M2/M3/M4 family, but that might have been the Daytona Violet paint.

Part of why people associate fun with the M2 is that a majority of them are sticks. The stick adds a character to the M cars that can't be replaced by any level of jiggery pokery from a DCT. Even if it's slower. My F87 is stick and so was my M3 ZCP.

All this said. Due to an issue with my M3 ZCP I now no longer own an M3, and I'm high on the waitlist for the M2 Competition. If they actually put the S55 in there, cool it, change the seats, give me interior options other than burnt wicker, and make it look a bit more aggressive looking I will be a very happy man.

[Oxymoron]

I owned a 2011 e90 M3 DCT for almost 6 years. Started as my daily and eventually became my Friday car. I really loved that car and kept it twice as long as any car before it.

When the f80 was first released I drove it at a local track as part of the launch. I loved how it looked but the sound and the fact that you just couldn't get power down anywhere except the main straight killed it for me.

I now have a 6 speed M2 and I love it! Even though it's down on power compared to my modded e90/f80, it is just so much more fun to drive on the street. And it certainly isn't slow at all. Feels far more nimble and the steering is great. The sound is super addictive too. I love the manual but I think I'd want DCT if I was going to use it daily. Traffic and manual sucks!

I am in the que for the next Cayman GT4, and bought the M2 for somethibg fun while I wait. But now I'm not so sure it's worth spending more than double on a cat that isn't as fun on the street. M2 is $100k vs $220k for a gt4 in Australia

[akkando]

Originally Posted by tke743

that said my kids prefered the M2. I also think it's the best looking of the M2/M3/M4 family, but that might have been the Daytona Violet paint.

I really like that purple on the M3 but I am not sure I could rock it as my only car. Seems like a purple car is something for special occasions.

What was the issue with the ZCP?

I am in wait and see mode on the M2 Competition. If they are not limited and made for a couple of model years then perhaps I can get an allocation and buy one.

[RPM2-85]

It just needs a true ECU flash. I have stage 2 HEX, Fabspeed HFC DP, and a wagner intercooler and pulls hard. Its a better engine for the street and track feels more NA than the S55. For super high speed autobahn runs the S55 would kill it.

The M2 chassis is super special for an everyday car. Just as an M car should always be. As you say, not some hot rod which is the F80 S55. Hopefully they nail the S55 in the M2. Im rooting for them although I am not lusting for that car.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by Zero_Cool

I'm at a similar point as you are/were. I have an M4 with JB4 and have been on the fence about installing my catless DPs and springs after I test drove a manual M2. I love the feeling of the M4 cockpit but it just feels like a long boat. I thought the M2 handled like a crazy go-kart. I don't rail my M4 so the power difference for me isn't too important. I just feel like if I got rid of my M4 I might miss it lol. For what its worth I can get a smoking deal on the M2 since BMW included the model with the discount for military sales. Keep me informed of your post M4 thoughts.

Get the M2

I have returned from the PCD and my M2 is quietly sitting at the detailers shop getting coated and some PPF.

Well....once i got in it and did a couple of laps around the track I knew right away it was right. Sure the interior is a dive compared to the M4 and I wanted to rip that cheap ass'd plastic looking carbon off, car felt way under powered and lagged out of the corners compared to the S55, and as we all know it is going to heat soak quickly...... But I loved it!!!!

The driving experience was hands down better than the F82. Gone was its boat size, the thing cut like a razor, stock suspension felt way more stable and it is very rare on the streets. Thing looks like a pitbull.

I am not dissatisfied in the least. I will break it in, change a few things, pop on aintercooler & JB4 and mix some E85 and rip thru the mountains

[rich8566]

Originally Posted by Transcon

Just for me personally, the setup I had on the F80 (stock adaptive with Macht Schnell springs) was almost intolerable on all but the smoothest ribbons of concrete. The F87's stock ride was fine by me but improved greatly when I put on the Dinan quasi-coilover suspension. I find the ride now to be perfect

With respect to the Dinan quasi-coilover suspension - please describe the change in the ride - is it firmer? Softer? Harsher? Smoother? Harder?