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      01-12-2017, 07:37 PM   #16
Franzino
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Drives: M2 MY17 / Alpine A110 MY19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tomwac View Post
The title sounds maybe a bit silly, but I'm on the verge of ordering an M2. I have all the options figured out but can't decide on the transmission. I test drove the DCT but there is no 6MT to be found for a test drive. This will be my wife's car and I know, as a daily, DCT is easier, but I keep reading the rave reviews on the 6MT and just don't want to make a mistake. As it will also be my occasional trackway car (just 1, 2 times a year and some 'ring laps) I just wonder what the performance difference is. I'm quite familiar with DCT as my F83 has it, but I don't know how the 6MT feels on the M2, what the driving experience is. When I put my F83 in sport/sport+ and crank up de DCT setting, all this drama awakens, which makes the car sharp and aggressive, the exhaust burbles and crackles... as the M2 does not have the DCT custom settings, the choice gets even thougher... Is the shifter as precise as, say, GT4, or is it just like a 'normal' 2 series? Short throws? Does the exhaust note change, I read that the car gets too aggressive in sport? Any thoughts are welcome
Maybe the best way is to test the manual M2... I have found one at BMW Bornem this summer and did a testdrive with a manual M2 vs DCT M4 vs DCT M2 (from a BMW dealer). I ordered a manual M2 this summer...

I only have driven my own manual M2 for 200km and all I can say is that I really love the gearbox itself and the shift action. But I'm still getting used to de long pedal travel of the clutch (when releasing the clutch)....this travel is way longer then in every other manual BMW I haver ever driven/owned (has nothing to do with a clutch stop). I already noticed this on the short testrun this summer with the test manual M2 and I don't get it why they made it this way... I hope I will get used to this...otherwise I will fit a UCP clutch pedal.

Copy & Paste of my own opinion about the Manual vs DCT... This was a really hard decision for me to make after the testdrive...

Quote:
The M2 will be my daily car replacing my 12 year old e46 325i M-tech wagon (with manual gearbox). I also have a modified 2006 Z4M roadster sitting in my garage for sun, fun and track…. The Z4M is a keeper! The M2 will mainly be my daily and will also come on track (Nurburgring) 8 times a year (instead of my Z4M).

When I ordered my M2 I had the same problem and the DCT vs manual drove me crazy! I first ordered a manual Black M2, then changed to a DCT Black M2 and then changed again to a manual Mineral Grey M2
This manual mineral grey was also the spec when I made my very first online building spec for a M2 to see what my estimated price would be, before visiting a dealer and doing a test drive.

I had a test M2 DCT for 3 hours, a M2 manual for 1 hour and a M4 DCT for 1 hour. The first testdrive was with the M2 DCT. When I picked up the M2 it already won me over after 15min of testing and I was tempted to buy a M2 DCT. Then I needed to decide the color and gearbox...so I also did a test with a manual M2 and again with a M4 DCT (back to back).

In the past I borrowed an e90 M3 DCT from a friend for one week and lived with it on a daily basis. I did not like the gearbox in city and slow stop and go traffic (I hated it when parking in tight spots). On normal roads the DCT made me want to drive the car realy fast to enjoy the fast shifts. For me the DCT gearbox is at his best when driving realy fast or on a track...then it is an extra value and awesome piece (personal opinion). After two days in city traffic I stopped using the manual gearshifts of the DKG and just put it in D... It made me feel like a leazy driver in the e90 M3.

I have read almost every review about the M2 and how good and involving the manual gearbox is suppose to be. So I also did a test drive with a manual M2. The manual gearbox of the M2 is not perfect! The clutch pedal felt really soft...for me it could be a little heavier with more feeling...but it is not that big of an issue. The movement of the cluth pedal is really long (a lot longer then on my Z4M and e46 325i). I was amazed at how long the travel of the clutch pedal is and that I never saw it mentioned in any review? When releasing the clutch your knee gets really high...the end of the movement of the cluth is rather high (if you know what I mean)

With the manual gearbox you can feel the effect of turbo lag a little more then with the DCT. THe DCT shifts faster so there is less drop in rev's. The DCT has 7 instead of 6 gears, so the gearing is also shorter and it feels that you keep the engine more in the powerband with feeling less turbo lag.

When I made my pro & con's list…the DCT had more con's for me then the manual. IMO the M2 is a car that is more about involvement and a little back to basic driving pleasure (in a modern package). I felt the manual gearbox suited the M2 personality better. With the bigger f80 M3/M4 I would probably also choose DCT. It's a great gearbox and I understand why people would like to have it.... In the end I choose the gearbox with the heart and I ordered a manual M2.

I have read almost every review of the M2
Most reviewers say both gearboxes are equally good and it's down to personal preference of the buyer. If they do have a personal preference then in most cases it's the manual gearbox. This is coming from people who drive a lot of different cars and who love driving.

BMW M2 reviews
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/bmw-m2-r...

http://mashable.com/2016/02/16/2017-bmw-m2-coupe-r...

In favor of manual gearbox
http://www.bimmerfile.com/2016/03/14/the-bmw-m2-dc...

http://www.caradvice.com.au/434143/2016-bmw-m2-rev...

http://jalopnik.com/the-2016-bmw-m2-is-bmws-middle...

http://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/m2/page/0/2

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/bmw/bmw-m...

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