So I got a call today from my dealer saying that I should stop by. When I arrived, my M2 CS was parked out front waiting for me to take a drive. Happy Monday indeed.
I officially take delivery at the end of the week. Wanted to share my initial drive impressions:
Looks- I have warmed to the Blue/Gold, especially with the CCB. Lovely proportions. The car seems to get a lot of attention. It's a dude magnet.
Performance- The car is a bit of an animal in a straight line. A little unruly. I love it. Makes you laugh even in stock form, especially when you're in charge of shifting gears.
Handling- Numb compared to my E60 and E46, but turn-in is instant and much more comes through the wheel overall than in my former 17' F80 ZCP. One of BMW's better efforts in recent memory. It feels very 'BMW' which is a good thing. OF all modern BMW's, this is the most "BMW-ish BMW."
Transmission- First of all, Please, Please get the manual if you're on the fence. It literally makes the entire experience of the car.
The good: I don't know why people are down on BMW manuals- I actually prefer a little play vs the more mechanical nature of Porsche gearshift. It just feels so right. It's lovely.
The bad: I hate how the throttle automatically engages as you release the clutch from a stop. A little unnatural, but overall doesn't detract much. Also, DSC must be off to defeat auto-blip. If I wanted an automatic, I'd have bought an automatic. Annoying. I turned everything off and was on my way.
Sound- It's a nice sound, but quieter than I expected. My 17' M3 with M-performance exhaust was MUCH louder. Too subdued for my taste and unbefitting a car that gets sideways at WOT above 5.5k RPM in 2nd gear.
Suspension- It feels like a more playful version of an F80 with ZCP. I was surprised at how well it rides. Much more composed over rough surfaces than my i8 roadster. I really, really like the M2 with the adaptive suspension. It makes for a more pleasurable road car. A highly modified base M2 is better for track duty.
Interior- Irrelevant. It's fine. Not nice, not ugly, it's absolutely fine for a car like this. The suede everywhere is a nice touch and the A/C works well. I wish BMW offered a suede shifter to match the steering wheel.
Overall- I get to drive a whole bunch of cars, and this one sticks in my head more than anything recently. I want to go back to the dealer and just get it. It's a lovely thing to look at and it drives a bit silly and it just hits all those subjective enthusiast buttons for me. Only enthusiast flaws are exhaust noise and steering feel.
The fact that it's a manual makes the entire car. The nature of the manual matches that subjective warm and fuzzy enthusiast thing it has going on.
Value- It's expensive. It's also a very cool car and, especially in 6MT form is a very unique option. Sure I could spend way less and grab an M2 Comp, but I'd end up spending more selling M2 Comp for a loss upon first eye contact with a blue-gold-CCB CS.
Will post more pics and thoughts after prep, delivery, etc.
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