[GarageMadness]

Just finished an amazing vacation to AZ, UT, CO, NM. GT touring is where the M2C excels. Visited several national parks and finished a 2242 mile road trip in the M2 Comp. No better way to break in the new car than this. Must do if you have an itch to get out on the open road. Really like the different color images of Sunset Orange Metallic. Got lots of compliments from people on the trip. I thought I would post up thoughts on the M2C and the he my trip in case others are wondering what this car is tally good at day to day.

Epic spirited driving roads:
Hwy 89A (AZ) *towards Kanab, UT*
Hwy 24 (UT)
Hwy 12 (UT) *thru Dixie Nat'l Forest*
Hwy 145 (CO)
Hwy 133 (CO) *towards Aspen, CO*
Hwy 550 (CO) *Ouary to Durango*

Fantastic places to visit and relax:
Moab, UT
Telluride, CO
Aspen, CO
Durango, CO

Amazing scenic drives:
Bryce National Park, UT
Natural Bridges, UT
Canyonland National Park, UT
Arches National Park, UT
Mesa Verde National Park, CO

My positive impressions:
Drove well on all smooth to medium-rough roads.
Super comfortable seats on long drives especially with the lumbar adjustments.
Excellent visibility from all angles when driving.
Rear-view camera helps a lot when parking in limited light (appreciate this helpful feature).
Acceleration while passing slower vehicles was unparalleled to anyone else on the road.
Plenty of room for a 2-week trip for two passengers (the trunk has a lot of room if packed properly - bit surprised).
Tire pressures, coolant temps, and oil all held up well even at 11,000 ft. climbs (no unusual spikes).
Brakes worked well at various speeds and stopping forces.
iDrive system was simple, fun, and easy to use while driving (downloaded a USB flash drive with 40 gigs of music plus satellite radio).
The BMW Navi worked extremely well especially with voice commands and zoom-in feature (Split screen with position providing latitude, longitude, altitude, and compass are very helpful settings).
Ability to instantly see Google trip map onscreen if iPhone is connected.
Absolutely love the amount of visibility with the headlights at night (best car I've owned with night time driving so far).
My favorite feature was the auto on/off high beams (so much easier to drive at night).
Rarely had to go below 3rd gear for any passing or acceleration even on steep inclines (love the torque the turbos produce).
Cruise control works seamlessly even on steep mountain passes (much better at holding speeds than my other vehicles).

Where the car suffers:
Gas mileage was poor as expected (averaged between 20 to 23mpg with efficient mode and cruise control activated).
Ride comfort was horrible when on medium to severe rough roads.
Definitely needs upgraded suspension and tuning for better handling characteristics (car felt unsettled at times on rough roads, off camber turns, and undulating highways).
Front grill and side mirrors/windows collect bugs splatter like nothing else (M mirror design forces bugs into the cabin at highway speeds if you keep the window open).
Brakes leave unearthly amounts of brake dust all over the wheels on a long trip (did use a power rinse carwash station was once on the trip to clean the brake dust off along with bugs on the paint - glad I ceramic coated and installed PPF as I would say it's a must for this car if driven on long road trips).
Wireless charging sucks in this car (we know this already).
Wish it had larger cup holder and map pockets in the doors.
Stock MT clutch is not comfortable on long trips (leg gets tired as it's positioned too high).
Stock MT shift feel was uninspiring to drive unless you're WOT in M mode (installing my SSK soon).

Am I happy with the car even though it's not perfect in every way? Hell yeah! The car was a blast to drive, comfortable for two people, easy to maneuver in and out of parking lots/spaces, and offered great visibility for sight seeing while driving. My suggestion is to get out and drive the M2C on an epic trip yourself and all our complaints will go away. Truly is a gem in the GT touring category of performance oriented cars.