Originally Posted by mWHO
Hi Guys,
I picked my LBB M2 up Friday and wanted to state my initial contrasts I've noticed, in the hopes of helping anyone unsure to make the switch.
Looks:
As the most subjective topic here my inferences are the least worth mentioning. That being said the car is terribly beautiful. I'm not the biggest fan of Long Beach Blue, in fact on my mother's X6M I hate it. But it goes great with the smaller real estate of the M2. I always find watching my car as I clean it strikes the most emotion, and there is something to be said of its petite size. Small, classy, and gorgeous is a trio I'd regard it with. It may not be as sophisticated as the M4 but if you're going for that, you might as well aim for an S63 or M6. The things I do miss about my E92 are the headlights (the new ones are still superb), the eye catching power dome, and lastly the carbon fiber roof.
Interior:
The biggest flaw. The materials are simply not up to snuff. That being said it is a two series. I am going to deeply miss the merino leather of my M3 and its amazingly soft feel. The dakota leather is worse than my 2015 STi's. Also the dash plastic doesn't necessarily feel cheaper, however it looks the part of cost cutting. The buttons are far better in quality and heated steering is divine.
Engine:
People always rave about the S65 motor, and although it is an amazing piece of engineering, I find the claims rather over zealous. A bit of special snow flake syndrome. The throttle response in the M2 is by no means bad, fractional worse than the NA M3. The torque is pure ecstasy and comes on similar to the S65 (both lacking bottom ends), but at multitudes of a greater level. That all in mind, you can be damn sure i'm gonna miss winding the thing up to 8250 on a nice sunny day.
Exhaust:
Yes the M3 sounds better, in fact I think it even sounds better than the V10 M5 people on YouTube comments go bonkers for. But on that same topic, I've come to the conclusion that turbo cars only sound bad on YouTube (and other means of video sharing). This was the biggest thing holding me back, but I am not disappointed at all. A downgrade yes, but by no means bad. The turbo spool noise is grin inducing. The M3 was near mute out of the box, while the M2 factory setup is incredible.
Steering:
The third thing holding me back. Electric steering? Gross. But... the more I drive it, the more I'm realizing its actually pretty damn good. Depending who you ask, you usually get E46 or E36 M3s as the titled kings of feeling, but I've driven both and for a modern car, I don't think its wrong to say its far off. The biggest thing missing is vibration feel from the road. But that is something I can certainly live without. The steering wheel its self I slightly prefer on the E92, but the F87 wheel is still great. Oh and heated steering... Its divine!
Handling:
The previous stated praise for its small dimension I believe are going to yield its biggest improvement: nimbleness. I can feeling the promising potential budding through my hands and I cannot wait to take this machine on the track. The E92 M3 'feels' light, but there is weight and it does a good job of hiding it. This M2 just feels genuinely light.
Suspension:
It rides slightly stiffer and it would be nice if this was adjustable. The E92 was my favorite car to take on road trips (12 hour drives to Vancouver) and I'm curious if the M2 will live up to expectations.
Transmission:
The shifting is much more supple, but if that bothers you enough, I'm sure there is bushings or whatever out there to change it. I'm indifferent to the auto rev matching of the 6MT. To an extent its better than me, but sometimes doing it yourself is fun. Like washing dishes with someone whose company you enjoy.
Breaking:
No argument here the M2 kills the M3.
Overall:
If its between one or the other, don't worry, make the leap. It's worth the peace of mind. Warranty is a good thing. It's not worth loosing the sleep at night over a $25'000 engine going. I, like most people in North America live in the land of straight long roads. Freeways and the grid system. And this is where the car truly shines. Torque. If I lived in Tuscany or Wales and could run a car through twisty well paved B roads all day, the case would be harder to make. But that is the circumstances I live in. You bet I will return and purchase a nice E92 M3 when I'm older, I can afford to do so, and NA motors are a relic. But for now, and for $52000 USD, I'm pretty damn happy.
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