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Originally Posted by FogCityM3
Well there you have it, corroboration of what many have said all along that the M4 completely divorced the ///M division from emotion and now the M2 has brought back the "soul" and fun factor back into owning a BMW. So much for being "in GM's pocket" in the Camaro comparo, when the very same reviewers said the M2 fixes the M4's deficiencies, so it's not a GM issue/ad dollar/conspiracy/page hits issue, it's a BMW product issue. I get the new M3, one has to admit that for a sedan that can haul 5, it is a very practical fast car (and looks perfectly proportioned). While people claim the M3/M4 are more "luxurious" than the M2 there is more noise, vibration, and creaking than my E90 with coilovers and cup tires. This is where you can't even call the M4 a luxo coupe. I'm sure the M2 is not any better, but at least it has no pretenses, it's a car that is fun and in amateur hands, more capable on most tracks in the US than the M4. With the M3, you do get practicality, with the M4 you get a compromised vehicle that is too large but has limited practical use, doesn't really have a quiet/relaxing ride, looks too long in the rear (the M6 looks far better despite the larger size) and isn't as fun to drive as the M2.
BMW is probably risking some cannibalization with the M4, but probably realized, as Chris Harris admitted himself (despite loving the F8x platform as he personally owns an M3) that the car is one that reviewers "love to hate", that they really needed to do something to keep enthusiasts and journalists virtually universally acclaiming an ///M division product to help the brand. BMW scores a partial win by staying in the "fun to drive" conversation with other enthusiast vehicles, and M2 owners get an all-out victory!
One problem I have with this review is it looks like they lifted numbers from the earlier M2 test and re-used them, and used the M4's M4 vs Camaro lap footage (doesn't look like tested on same day). Don't think it matters much, as shows the tremendous capability of the M2 (even Pobst was surprised), as has been shown in other publications, but a head-to-head should be car vs car on the same day. Would have been easy enough to do.
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Umm, yeah that's an interesting take you have there.