Quote:
Originally Posted by W///
Oh no doubt. I would seriously rather have a 4 pot M2 that weighs 3200 lbs, than a 6 cyl M2 that weighs 3400 lbs.
I will admit, the one time I did drive the M235i, it didn't feel that ridiculously heavy to me. Sure, it was no E36, but IMHO, it wasn't that far off an E46 M3. Granted, I didn't get to drive it on the track or anything.
This is the way I see it. If they weren't coming out with an M2, I would have been fine with an M235i with all its 3500 lbs with it. I think it's a pretty fun car and it looks great. Now imagine adding all the suspension that makes the M3/4 so great, along wiht the brakes, and a bit more power (not that I think it desperately needed it). I was sold 
I also haven't ruled out the possibility of building the car you speak off if somehow the M2 isn't what I expected. The E36 weighs 3100 lbs, and it can easily be turboed to 400 hp  |
I owned a 98 M3/4/5 for over a decade, and I agree with you that it was extremely fun, yet underpowered (compared to today's standards). However, e36 M3s are typically 32xx-33xx lbs, hardly the advertised 3175lbs. My car, with 1/4 tank of gas, spare tire/jack/tools removed and no driver still weighed 3280lbs. (Spare tire/wheel, jack and tools weighed ~50lbs.) I was disappointed when I saw the readings the first time. It did have the HK/power seats/and sunroof, but so does an M235i. (I was so obsessed with making the e36M3 as light as possible that I later changed the exhaust, swapped lighter wheels/tires, lightweight battery, etc) to shed a few more lbs, while still trying to keep it a DD. The point is that the e36M3 wasn't as light as most may think. I have yet to see an M235i weighed by their owners, but if did weigh 3500lbs give or take, I think 200lbs difference between an e36M3 and an M235i is not much, given all the standard equipment of the M235i plus all the new safety, chassis rigidity/improvement, suspension, etc that it has over the e36. The e36M3 is extremely fun and tossible, but so is the M235i. It certainly doesn't feel like a 3500lb car. If the M2 ends up weighing less than this, that will be amazing, both in driving feel and performance.