[Ex-MINI]

Not sure if folks here follow Nick, but he has a pretty popular Youtube channel with lots of M4 content....here he is reviewing the M2.

Keep in mind he's not overly technical....but has a good common man type of approach to cars.

[Nine Lives]

I like Nick Murray,he's well grounded when it comes to cars and his videos are always well edited and of high quality,same goes for " The Getawayer ".

The only eyebrow I've raised is the 380whp statement that he said he saw on a dyno.Must get quite a generous dyno by all accounts

His enthusiasm for the M2 is addictive though and has probably helped the queues lengthen ever so slightly no doubt.

[Ex-MINI]

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

I like Nick Murray,he's well grounded when it comes to cars and his videos are always well edited and of high quality,same goes for " The Getawayer ".

The only eyebrow I've raised is the 380whp statement that he said he saw on a dyno.Must get quite a generous dyno by all accounts

His enthusiasm for the M2 is addictive though and has probably helped the queues lengthen ever so slightly no doubt.

Yes, curious where he saw that Dyno result

[IS+1]

I just saw this on BMW Blog and was gonna post it but you beat me to it!

Haven't had a chance to watch the whole video yet, but I absolutely love Nick Murray's videos. He doesn't take himself too seriously, has a quirky sense of humor and just seems like an all-around good guy.

I am not surprised that he favors the M2 more than the M4, especially given that he also reviewed the M235i in the past and found that to be a better drive than the regular 3/4 series.

[Ex-MINI]

Originally Posted by IS+1

I just saw this on BMW Blog and was gonna post it but you beat me to it!

Haven't had a chance to watch the whole video yet, but I absolutely love Nick Murray's videos. He doesn't take himself too seriously, has a quirky sense of humor and just seems like an all-around good guy.

I am not surprised that he favors the M2 more than the M4, especially given that he also reviewed the M235i in the past and found that to be a better drive than the regular 3/4 series.

Yes, I really enjoy his videos as he's quite the amusing fellow. A little sorry to see him leave the BMW "family", but looking forward to his new Porsche vids

[m2tek]

Nick Murray definitely has entertaining/informative videos. Its amusing that his YouTube following grew after that Porsche lemon debacle and he turned it into a very nice dedicated channel.

I think all his points on the M2 are valid both good and bad. The nicer leather would have been a great option, but BMW decided to keep it simple which isn't a bad thing either. I tend to be fond of the entire look of the car, including the back end. At the end of the day, when I row through my own gears and step on the throttle, I won't be overly concerned with any of the options, just enjoying the drive.

[IS+1]

Originally Posted by Ex-MINI

Yes, I really enjoy his videos as he's quite the amusing fellow. A little sorry to see him leave the BMW "family", but looking forward to his new Porsche vids

Even his videos with 0% BMW content (or 0% car content for that matter) are a must-watch for me... that's saying a lot!

[mike@x-ph.com]

Good video

[CosmosMpower]

Oh my GOD, someone with real world experience said a M2 and a M4 drive very similar? on the street!?!?! Mind blown.

[Nine Lives]

Originally Posted by CosmosMpower

Oh my GOD, someone with real world experience said a M2 and a M4 drive very similar? on the street!?!?! Mind blown.

That's only his interpretation on the matter

[tke743]

Originally Posted by CosmosMpower

Oh my GOD, someone with real world experience said a M2 and a M4 drive very similar? on the street!?!?! Mind blown.

Yes they are SIMILAR. Not the same. I owned an F80 and own an M2 now. My new ZCP F80 comes in October.

Straight line, no contest. The F80 is faster, by a bunch.
Cornering is where the M2 makes it's money. It will corner harder than a pre 58.3 upgraded F80, probably about the same as a 58.3 Upgraded F80 and can't keep with a ZCP F80.

We see this in the test results. Short technical track with an older F8x the F8x loses. The ZCP F8x wins. On longer tracks with appreciable straights even the older F8x's will pull away.

The M2 wants to rotate more quickly than the ZCP F8x, and is more controllable when it does (It is the right size, aka the size of an e46.)

The M2's steering is phenomenal! Almost as good as my old 330i ZHP. The hardware is exactly the same in the F8x, so it's software. We need to figure out how to code the F87 steering into the F8x. There is no dead spot on center like I have found in all F8x's I've driven.

The M2 at 10/10ths is easy and accessible, even to a novice. Not so in the F8x. A ZCP F8x at 9/10 is just as fast as the M2 at 10/10. Going past 9/10 in the F8x you know there is an angry beast waiting for you if you cross the line. With the M2 there isn't. It's just an easier car to drive, and drive fast. (Please note the lack of pictures of M2's wrapped around trees like we saw with the F8x's.) It really is the throwback people say it is.

My wife told me that if I kept the M2 I was sleeping on the couch, and buying a new couch was a serious consideration. The final reasons I won't keep the M2 are.

F8x Seats are much more comfortable to me. I'm just over 6 feet, but with a very long torso. So to a seat back I'm like a 6 foot 4 inch guy. The seats don't support me and become painful over longer drives. (A few reviewers have noted this too.) Yes, this complaint makes me old...

I have kids and NEED 4 doors.

If BMW makes the M2 Gran Coupe, and it drives like the M2, I will ditch the ZCP F80 and pay to have a F80 seat sliced in there. The M2 is that good.

Things I thought would bother me on the M2 but didn't.

The rotated seat - Notice it all the time and I don't care
Lack of Heads Up - Don't care (this really surprised me.)
Crappy leather - Notice it all the time and I don't care
Non-adjustable suspension - Don't care, it is like Goldilocks and just right.
Lack of M buttons on the steering wheel - Don't care (I just put into sport+ when I get in)

Things that bother me in the M2 that I care about

Painful seats (If tall)
High seating position (It feels like an SUV compared to the F8x, and is the same seating height as my wife's 328 Sport Wagon)
You CANNOT see the gauges in the daylight.
I dislike the "open weave" carbon trim, this one strangely bugs me to the point of distraction.
The F8x gets attention from BMW guys, the M2 gets attention from boy racers. I have yet to come to a light (in the M2) with a subaru that doesn't want to race.

So if BMW is listening, make the M2 GC and let us have the better seats (we will pay for them). I don't care about the rest, if the car handles like this.

[CosmosMpower]

Originally Posted by tke743

Yes they are SIMILAR. Not the same. I owned an F80 and own an M2 now. My new ZCP F80 comes in October.

Straight line, no contest. The F80 is faster, by a bunch.
Cornering is where the M2 makes it's money. It will corner harder than a pre 58.3 upgraded F80, probably about the same as a 58.3 Upgraded F80 and can't keep with a ZCP F80.

We see this in the test results. Short technical track with an older F8x the F8x loses. The ZCP F8x wins. On longer tracks with appreciable straights even the older F8x's will pull away.

The M2 wants to rotate more quickly than the ZCP F8x, and is more controllable when it does (It is the right size, aka the size of an e46.)

The M2's steering is phenomenal! Almost as good as my old 330i ZHP. The hardware is exactly the same in the F8x, so it's software. We need to figure out how to code the F87 steering into the F8x. There is no dead spot on center like I have found in all F8x's I've driven.

The M2 at 10/10ths is easy and accessible, even to a novice. Not so in the F8x. A ZCP F8x at 9/10 is just as fast as the M2 at 10/10. Going past 9/10 in the F8x you know there is an angry beast waiting for you if you cross the line. With the M2 there isn't. It's just an easier car to drive, and drive fast. (Please note the lack of pictures of M2's wrapped around trees like we saw with the F8x's.) It really is the throwback people say it is.

My wife told me that if I kept the M2 I was sleeping on the couch, and buying a new couch was a serious consideration. The final reasons I won't keep the M2 are.

F8x Seats are much more comfortable to me. I'm just over 6 feet, but with a very long torso. So to a seat back I'm like a 6 foot 4 inch guy. The seats don't support me and become painful over longer drives. (A few reviewers have noted this too.) Yes, this complaint makes me old...

I have kids and NEED 4 doors.

If BMW makes the M2 Gran Coupe, and it drives like the M2, I will ditch the ZCP F80 and pay to have a F80 seat sliced in there. The M2 is that good.

Things I thought would bother me on the M2 but didn't.

The rotated seat - Notice it all the time and I don't care
Lack of Heads Up - Don't care (this really surprised me.)
Crappy leather - Notice it all the time and I don't care
Non-adjustable suspension - Don't care, it is like Goldilocks and just right.
Lack of M buttons on the steering wheel - Don't care (I just put into sport+ when I get in)

Things that bother me in the M2 that I care about

Painful seats (If tall)
High seating position (It feels like an SUV compared to the F8x, and is the same seating height as my wife's 328 Sport Wagon)
You CANNOT see the gauges in the daylight.
I dislike the "open weave" carbon trim, this one strangely bugs me to the point of distraction.
The F8x gets attention from BMW guys, the M2 gets attention from boy racers. I have yet to come to a light (in the M2) with a subaru that doesn't want to race.

So if BMW is listening, make the M2 GC and let us have the better seats (we will pay for them). I don't care about the rest, if the car handles like this.

Do you just copy and paste this same post into every thread?

[tke743]

Originally Posted by CosmosMpower

Do you just copy and paste this same post into every thread?

Where it was appropriate for the discussion.

[BruceM]

Well, I will begin this observation with a caveat, namely, that my experience with both cars has been limited to under one hour with each. But that said, I felt a significant difference between the M4 and the M2 cars I drove. Which is why I've waited for the M2. Maybe we are just saying the same thing with different words, because tke's specific observations about both cars are similar to mine. But to me, those translate to something other than "similar."

[tke743]

Originally Posted by BruceM

Well, I will begin this observation with a caveat, namely, that my experience with both cars has been limited to under one hour with each. But that said, I felt a significant difference between the M4 and the M2 cars I drove. Which is why I've waited for the M2. Maybe we are just saying the same thing with different words, because tke's specific observations about both cars are similar to mine. But to me, those translate to something other than "similar."

Fair enough, I should caveat mine too. I have just over 2k miles in the M2 and had 8500 in the F80 M3.

When I said similar, I was referencing when Nick said that they drove similarly. I think this is true at the same speeds. Where they separate is when really pushing it. The F80 M3 has the ability to "go to 11", where the M2 does not. As a result, it's much easier to drive. In the M2 here is no sense that if you push a little more, it has been waiting for you to do that and has been plotting to kill you in a special way. In the F80 M3 there is. This may or may not be what you desire.

In terms of interior materials and finish they are not similar.

[BruceM]

Originally Posted by tke743

Fair enough, I should caveat mine too. I have just over 2k miles in the M2 and had 8500 in the F80 M3.

When I said similar, I was referencing when Nick said that they drove similarly. I think this is true at the same speeds. Where they separate is when really pushing it. The F80 M3 has the ability to "go to 11", where the M2 does not. As a result, it's much easier to drive. In the M2 here is no sense that if you push a little more, it has been waiting for you to do that and has been plotting to kill you in a special way. In the F80 M3 there is. This may or may not be what you desire.

In terms of interior materials and finish they are not similar.

Also fair enough. My personal plan is to hop up the M2 so that it is capable of putting a little fear into the equation, as I have with every car I have ever owned, save a Honda minivan and a Fiat X1/9. Really no point with the Honda, and the Fiat was scary enough with no power

What I can't seem to express accurately is the sense I got, not pushing it but driving normally at a reasonable speed, that the F82 felt "bigger" than the M2 and, coming from an E36, what I wanted was that E36 "feeling". I've got a high horsepower car that feels big, and it's great. Don't need another one.

[tke743]

Originally Posted by BruceM

Also fair enough. My personal plan is to hop up the M2 so that it is capable of putting a little fear into the equation, as I have with every car I have ever owned, save a Honda minivan and a Fiat X1/9. Really no point with the Honda, and the Fiat was scary enough with no power

What I can't seem to express accurately is the sense I got, not pushing it but driving normally at a reasonable speed, that the F82 felt "bigger" than the M2 and, coming from an E36, what I wanted was that E36 "feeling". I've got a high horsepower car that feels big, and it's great. Don't need another one.

You don't have to explain it. The M2 is the right size (e46), the current M3/M4 is the size my brain says should be a M5. It's a BIG car.