OP - Congrats on the beautiful car!
Quote:
Originally Posted by champignon
The steering is not a minor thing, it is a HUGE deal.
The rest is being surrounded by "electronic everything," and too much weight, which turns the car into something akin to driving a car in an arcade or video game. My 2000 clown shoe Z3M coupe with the lowly 240 HP S52 engine is about 1000 times more enjoyable and engaging to drive than any M2 ever was or ever will be. In a sense, I'd rather drive my old 1973 2002 (not tii) which must have turned to a pile of rust several decades ago.
I did the one day M Performance school in CA last winter and I am no race car driver. Based on that experience I think that the current M cars (including the M2) are probably really awesome on a track, and if that is your usage than I think you probably have found some of the best M cars, ever. What the current M cars are, however, is not much fun to drive. Unless of course, all you care about is acceleration, but then you could get a Ford F-350, and that has a lot of power, also.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arregueti
IMHO you need a Lotus in your life.
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Let me be clear I'm a HUGE BMW fan and enthusiast, and the M2 in any form is a great car. I love my OG to death, but I agree with this statement x 1,000. Current BMW chassis are to fat and numb to be "the ultimate driving machine." There was a time when any, and I mean any BMW was an excellent driving experience (in general and certainly when compared to rivals in its perspective class) but those days are long gone. Handling, ergonomics, a chassis that communicated instantly with the driver because it was designed and built that well. No need for tons of electronic aids and adaptive suspension BS. Everything now is pure marketing and high HP, 0-60 dick measuring. I don't need more power, I need a chassis that is good no matter what HP level, or lack there of.
Being nostalgic here, no doubt the M2 has potential to be faster than the prior 135's I've modified and tracked, but it does so with a bloated and numb feeling, and this is not just steering. The 135 was a PIG for its size and had limited space for wider rubber but man was it engaging.
Moving from bespoke N/A M engines to forced induction was controversial, going from E series chassis with good steering feel to F series with even more weight and numb steering is blasphemy! HAHA! Those 135's had a rigid, accurate, crisp driving feel that I don't see any heavy F series achieving.
Too tall to fit in a miata, lotus, or even a 987 cayman for daily driving the M2 is indeed a great balance of sport and comfort but I doubt I will ever own a BMW newer than the OG M2 as things are headed in the wrong direction with the F series. When the budget can stretch a little further a 981 cayman S or GT4 is absolutely in my future. Simpy put M cars of today have lost what made them so special in the past.
Then again I don't ever buy my BMW's brand new so why would they really care about what I want......
And hey, at least these are not silly ass AWD hybrids.....yet!
Rant over - Happy for you and the new ride OP!