[psmalley92]

Lots of good points here in the last few days.

I actually disagree with the thought that the M2 is a better daily (in-town) car. The M2 does it very well but the E90 M3 does it well too. I think it has plenty of torque for running errands and it revs quick. The M2 feels WAY faster down low but the M3 doesn't feel "slow" by any means. I drove my M3 everyday and a lack of torque really was never an issue for me.

Also, can we stop saying any M2, sounds as good or better than a S65 powered car. Lol. N55 does really sound good but the S65 is the S65, and it makes glorious sounds.

The thought that the M2 will make me forget the M3 is kind of out there too. The M2 is a GREAT car, it really is, and I really like it but the E90 M3 is special enough that it'll go down as one of my favorites ever.

I moved on from my E90 because of age and mileage. I don't have the money to spend maintaining a 10 year old M car forever. OG M2 values are very buyer friendly right now and I jumped on it. I love the M2 but it's not making me forget about how special the S65 is I can tell you that.

[Moflow]

Originally Posted by Poochie

I predict that turbocharger is on its way out and will be replace by a 48V hybrid battery setup, which will have all the advantages of a turbo-charger, without any of the limitations.

It will be tenfold over in efficiency and reliability, to become the new trend, kind of like what BMW did for the turbocharger technology, when they brought it back from extinction, into the mainstream, with the advent of their successfully N54 motor, in 2007.

I can't wait, I just hope they find a way to integrate a third pedal but that probably just wishful thinking.

You know, as we move towards electric cars and everything being blindingly quick in a straight line, I can see a resurgence of the third pedal, simply because sports cars will naturally have to evolve away from having their defining characteristic be "straight line speed relative to everything else." With everything being stupid fast, sports cars will have to be more about style and feel (and hopefully) driver engagement. There's no reason you can't hook up an electric motor to a gearbox (I think i read on jalopnik that Kawasaki has a 4-speed electric sport bike concept) so on paper, there isn't a reason not to do this if the head honchos think they can make the sales numbers work.

[2020M2Competition]

Originally Posted by Moflow

You know, as we move towards electric cars and everything being blindingly quick in a straight line, I can see a resurgence of the third pedal, simply because sports cars will naturally have to evolve away from having their defining characteristic be "straight line speed relative to everything else." With everything being stupid fast, sports cars will have to be more about style and feel (and hopefully) driver engagement. There's no reason you can't hook up an electric motor to a gearbox (I think i read on jalopnik that Kawasaki has a 4-speed electric sport bike concept) so on paper, there isn't a reason not to do this if the head honchos think they can make the sales numbers work.

Veering off topic here, but I think this is unlikely

Sure you can hook up an electric motor to a multi speed gearbox, but most road going vehicles won't need the extra weight, complexity and cost given the torque characteristics of electric motors

I can see EV's with two speed transmissions making some sense (improved acceleration at lower speeds and improved efficiency at higher speeds) but otherwise there isn't really a need for more gears except in certain applications such as trucks, off-road vehicles, etc.

In any case, I suspect the third pedal's days are numbered

[dcmac]

Originally Posted by Nezil

The steering feel and chassis is way better in the M2C than the OG M2... fortunately it’s less than a 3 hour job to retrofit the parts and make the OG M2 drive the same. With the M2C steering coding as well you end up with 99% the same handling.

Anyone who hasn’t done the strut brace retrofit is seriously missing out. If you’ve spent money upgrading suspension first, I’d say that you’ve done it the wrong way round. Nothing wrong with coil overs, but the strut brace makes such an enormous difference that it’s a must do in my opinion.

You've got me interested. What's total cost.. is it simply a case of buying the OEM part and bolting it on, or is it more involved? How exactly has it changed the handling for you? Hell I might do it purely out of boredom. And I already have R&T's Cheers

[psmalley92]

I'm going to add a twist to this thread.

My M2 went into BMW Northlake here in Charlotte, NC for some warranty work. The rear end diff servo failed and some interior trim pieces had come loose. Nothing that I'm too worried about and BMW is handling it perfect.

They have me a loaner while my car is down. It's a 2020 M340i with 2300 miles on it and honestly I'm so excited to have a chance to basically do a week long test drive in it! This car is intriguing to me and here's why.

Back in October 2016, young, dumb me sold my Cadillac ATS 2.0T, and then wrecked my C5 Corvette within a week of each other, leaving me with no car. I panicked and went to the BMW dealer and they talked me into a lease on a 2016 F30 340i M-Sport. I actually got an okay deal on it and it was a pretty nicely optioned car but I would've been way better off buying a 12/13 335i at the time because I didn't truly know what I wanted and that would've bought me some time in a car I wasn't going to lose my rear end on.

I owned a 08 N54 135i that I loved. The 340i got the B58 and to be honest I loved the car. I just didn't love leasing and the payment, Lol. I paid someone to take over my lease and bought my E90 M3 shortly after that (after a bad experience with a E39 540i/6 that was not maintained, yikes). That E90 M3 made me truly fall in love with M cars and that's how I ended up in my M2.

I say all of this to say, I know that the M340i is a very important car for BMW. It's the car that is much more obtainable NEW for MOST buyers.

Here are my thoughts after my first day with the M340i, about 100 miles.

Appearance (6/10): Again, Subjective for sure. Because it's not a true M car, it doesn't have the fender fares and all the cool stuff that all us M guys love. But it's pretty good looking. I think, like many new BMW's. It looks kinda big. Well I mean it is. 6 might be a bit low but eh. I don't love it. To me, it looks kind of bland. I think the F30 335i and 340i M-Sport cars were so much sexier.

Chassis (7/10): I'm not entirely sure about the G Series chassis yet, from what I can tell its really good. But man I won't lie, it's hard to "feel it." Then again, its not an M car. So I'm sure the M3 will be a 9.5/10. If we're just comparing this to a typical everyday sports grand tourer family sedan. It would be like a 9/10. It handles very well. But the Fxx Chassis felt, feels more connected to me.

Steering (6/10): For a non-M car, steering is pretty good. Not a ton of feel but man it does go where you want it to. Actually, no feel but again it is direct.

Engine (10/10): B58 is an AMAZING engine. I SO wish they would've put it in the M2. 382hp out of this motor in the M340i and it MOVES and pulls so so so hard. I can't believe you can buy this car for under $60k and I can't believe this isn't a true M car. I don't care how over the top you think I'm being, the B58, especially in this car is a great engine.

Sound (8/10): Much like the N55, the B58 is very good sounding motor. Lots of burbles and pops in Sport Plus mode. I think the motor itself sounds just as good as the M2 N55 intake wise, the exhaust on the M340i is nearly as good but it's not a true M car either. Well done here by BMW

Transmission (9/10): I won't judge it negatively for not having a manual option, even if I want to. Another great ZF box, tuned by BMW. It's better than ever before. Only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because I mean, can I really give both the motor and trans a 10/10?

Brakes (4/10): Not great. All the way around. Feel is meh, power is meh. I think my F30 340i brakes felt better. Again not a M car, so for most people that will buy this car and not track it, they are fine I guess. But blah, not great.

Electronics (iDrive, Sound System, etc) (7/10): At first I thought I would rate this higher. Everything looks really good in the interior and the electronics look the part and for the most part I have no issue with them. But... uh, I don't know. The new iDrive is kinda strange to me. For like 10 years all these systems kind of worked the same. This one is very different and I don't really like it. I'm sure I would get use to it. But I'm not sure the older style iDrive's were broke enough to change it? My loaner isn't very loaded up options wise and has the base audio and it is so bad. Lol Like, SO bad. Apple Car play on the whole screen is cool. Screen is nice and clear. I miss the old climate control set up, the new one feels cramped. I mean really non of this stuff is bad but I feel like they almost tried to hard on some the electronics in this thing.

Interior (8/10): The interior overall IS a step up from the Fxx series cars but the new Benz and Audi stuff is still better in my mind. I don't hate the interior and it wouldn't keep me out of the car but for an all new platform it doesn't really feel special.

Other Features (Lights, etc) (7/10): My car seems to be a pretty base example and it's pretty loaded with tech and safety and it all works decent for sure. The lights are great and overall I do think the car offers a ton of features for the money.

Final Thoughts (7.5/10): I've got to be careful and not compare this to an M car or be mad at it for not being a M car. But wait, then why the hell do they call it the M340i? I know this is BMW's new naming system but WHY THE HELL CAN"T IT BE A BMW 340i M-Sport STILL! That's what it is and that's what it should be called. It's a great sport touring sedan. Honestly at under 65k for a pretty well optioned one, it's a STEAL. It's a VERY nice car. But it's not an M car and honestly besides the power numbers, it's not really even close. It doesn't turn in like an M car, it doesn't react like one, and it doesn't feel like one. It feels like a car with M-sport bits, which it is and should be called so. Also, its to big. It feels like a 5 series, its basically the same size, weight and power as a E39 M5 with less feel and specialness. It's a great car for the guy that has a family, needs a new car with a warranty but can't afford an M car. It'll be me some day and I'll be happy with it (I guess). Lol

But seriously, as a sport sedan, daily driver for under 60k new. You aren't going to do better, if you can get over not having the best interior in the class because the motor, trans, and chassis are the best in the class IMO.

[sapbasis5150]

Originally Posted by psmalley92

Thanks! I've actually lived in the area since June 2014. But just recently moved downtown. Love it here!

Nice to see a number of CLT people here. I'm in Uptown as well - should organize an M2 meetup sometime.

[psmalley92]

Originally Posted by sapbasis5150

Nice to see a number of CLT people here. I'm in Uptown as well - should organize an M2 meetup sometime.

For sure, let's do it. I'm at 5th and Church St. What color is you car?

[admranger]

Had an 11.75 E90M3 that I sold due to where I work (think sand the shape of ball bearings on the road everywhere - welcome to fracking country). Currently leasing a very utilitarian 330i drive GT (it works well for my current situation), but I am in the market for a 2018 M2 (6MT loaded) sometime between now and a year from now.

Appreciate the original post. Helped in my decision making.

[Al Bundy's Dodge]

Originally Posted by admranger

Had an 11.75 E90M3 that I sold due to where I work (think sand the shape of ball bearings on the road everywhere - welcome to fracking country). Currently leasing a very utilitarian 330i drive GT (it works well for my current situation), but I am in the market for a 2018 M2 (6MT loaded) sometime between now and a year from now.

Appreciate the original post. Helped in my decision making.

Report back with your M2 purchase!

[admranger]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy's Dodge

Report back with your M2 purchase!

So I drove a friend's 2016 M2 (stock except for performance steering wheel). I liked the mechanical bits but the cabin was very noisy (he admits it is loud compared to other BMWs we've both driven). Wind and road noise were higher than I experience in my GT.

Is the Competition quieter inside than the original M2? Frankly, the noise is pretty much the only thing keeping me out of an M2.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by psmalley92

Lots of good points here in the last few days.

I actually disagree with the thought that the M2 is a better daily (in-town) car. The M2 does it very well but the E90 M3 does it well too. I think it has plenty of torque for running errands and it revs quick. The M2 feels WAY faster down low but the M3 doesn't feel "slow" by any means. I drove my M3 everyday and a lack of torque really was never an issue for me.

Also, can we stop saying any M2, sounds as good or better than a S65 powered car. Lol. N55 does really sound good but the S65 is the S65, and it makes glorious sounds.

The thought that the M2 will make me forget the M3 is kind of out there too. The M2 is a GREAT car, it really is, and I really like it but the E90 M3 is special enough that it'll go down as one of my favorites ever.

I moved on from my E90 because of age and mileage. I don't have the money to spend maintaining a 10 year old M car forever. OG M2 values are very buyer friendly right now and I jumped on it. I love the M2 but it's not making me forget about how special the S65 is I can tell you that.

I may have missed it, but are your M2 and M3 both 6MT, or DCT?

[Nezil]

Originally Posted by admranger

Is the Competition quieter inside than the original M2? Frankly, the noise is pretty much the only thing keeping me out of an M2.

I cannot answer your question re. M2 vs M2C because I only have experience of the former. But with that being said, it doesn't cost a lot to really bring down the noise level inside the M2, both OG and Competition.

There is a separate thread about sound deadening, and I've just ordered the last few parts that are missing from the M2 models when compared to other 2 series models. The parts that make the biggest difference by far, are the foam seals that go in front of the doors, and the metal side panels that clip in and block the massive hole in the side of the car exposing the rear wheel arch and fender outer skin.

[psmalley92]

Originally Posted by chris719

I may have missed it, but are your M2 and M3 both 6MT, or DCT?

Both Manual's

[psmalley92]

Originally Posted by admranger

So I drove a friend's 2016 M2 (stock except for performance steering wheel). I liked the mechanical bits but the cabin was very noisy (he admits it is loud compared to other BMWs we've both driven). Wind and road noise were higher than I experience in my GT.

Is the Competition quieter inside than the original M2? Frankly, the noise is pretty much the only thing keeping me out of an M2.

The M2 isn't any louder inside than my E90 was... I feel like maybe an M car isn't right for you if you're worried about cabin noise, and I don't mean that rudely, as maybe you've had other M cars before but I don't feel like the M2 is that bad considering it size and that its a sports car to its core.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by psmalley92

The M2 isn't any louder inside than my E90 was... I feel like maybe an M car isn't right for you if you're worried about cabin noise, and I don't mean that rudely, as maybe you've had other M cars before but I don't feel like the M2 is that bad considering it size and that its a sports car to its core.

While I understand how you could come to that conclusion, and maybe you are correct, I have owned an M3 in every chassis version ever built up to the F-series (including an E30M3 which was bombastic as hell) and I raced an E36M3. Both cars in my sig pic were mine. I know M cars and I know loud (open race exhaust). It's not a Lotus FFS, it's 3500lbs of chubby-ness. I'd have thought they could have dedicated some of those lbs to making the cabin somewhat quiet. If I could get anything other than an M car in a manual transmission, I probably would.

The M2 seemed much more noisy compared to other M cars I've been in, including my E90M3. Maybe i was expecting quieter given it was newer and M certainly doesn't mean what it used to mean.

Seems I'm not alone when there's more than one thread dedicated to how noisy the M2 is inside.

And one more thing: you kids get off my lawn!

[psmalley92]

Originally Posted by admranger

While I understand how you could come to that conclusion, and maybe you are correct, I have owned an M3 in every chassis version ever built up to the F-series (including an E30M3 which was bombastic as hell) and I raced an E36M3. Both cars in my sig pic were mine. I know M cars and I know loud (open race exhaust). It's not a Lotus FFS, it's 3500lbs of chubby-ness. I'd have thought they could have dedicated some of those lbs to making the cabin somewhat quiet. If I could get anything other than an M car in a manual transmission, I probably would.

The M2 seemed much more noisy compared to other M cars I've been in, including my E90M3. Maybe i was expecting quieter given it was newer and M certainly doesn't mean what it used to mean.

Seems I'm not alone when there's more than one thread dedicated to how noisy the M2 is inside.

And one more thing: you kids get off my lawn!

Fair. At 3450 you would think they would have added some sound deadening.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by psmalley92

Fair. At 3450 you would think they would have added some sound deadening.

I can see the CS not being right for someone concerned about cabin noise. The regular, pedestrian M2 though surprised me.

You certainly have more miles in one than me though and I'm glad you love yours!

[Moflow]

Originally Posted by admranger

While I understand how you could come to that conclusion, and maybe you are correct, I have owned an M3 in every chassis version ever built up to the F-series (including an E30M3 which was bombastic as hell) and I raced an E36M3. Both cars in my sig pic were mine. I know M cars and I know loud (open race exhaust). It's not a Lotus FFS, it's 3500lbs of chubby-ness. I'd have thought they could have dedicated some of those lbs to making the cabin somewhat quiet. If I could get anything other than an M car in a manual transmission, I probably would.

The M2 seemed much more noisy compared to other M cars I've been in, including my E90M3. Maybe i was expecting quieter given it was newer and M certainly doesn't mean what it used to mean.

Seems I'm not alone when there's more than one thread dedicated to how noisy the M2 is inside.

And one more thing: you kids get off my lawn!

I rode in a friends E90 M3, and i'm pretty sure it was quieter than my M2C. The suspension was also softer (though maybe it was just the longer wheelbase fooling me, I didn't drive the car after all.)

I'd say its loud in the M2C relative to most cars, but not relative to most sports cars. Its not something that bothers me, but i totally get it. We're all allowed to have our own pet peeves.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by psmalley92

Both Manual's

I can't remember if I asked you before, but how do the 6MTs compare? Do you notice the after-shift lag on the M2 that people complain about sometimes?

Thanks!

[Poochie]

Originally Posted by admranger

I'd have thought they could have dedicated some of those lbs to making the cabin somewhat quiet. If I could get anything other than an M car in a manual transmission, I probably would.

What they did with the M2 is take a M235i body and remove all the sound deadening, to make it appear more sporty.

The louder a car sounds, the faster you perceive it is traveling. That's the cheap trick they used in the M2, which, as a result, equates added road noise.

There are threads where some members added back the sound deadening that's was removed to tone it down a bit.

Sound deadening https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1228618

Check out the video below, it will highlight how the cabin sounds with and without sound deadening:

[ZPrime]

Originally Posted by psmalley92

Lol. I think your responses are great because you know what gets on N55 guys nerves.

If I was willing to spend the extra money, I would buy an M2 comp all day everyday.

I wouldn't... The S55 sounds like farts, to me. It sounds like a pair of 3cyl motors strapped to a shared exhaust, because that's effectively what it is.

3cyls aren't really known for their sound, you don't hear people with 1L Fiestas saying how wicked they are.

If you aren't bothered by the sound, that's great for you! You've got a car that's easier to make more power with, if that's your thing.

To me, the sound is one of the top 5 factors in car enjoyment to me though. I like the N55. (It's no S65, but it's fine for what it is.)

Originally Posted by chris719

I can't remember if I asked you before, but how do the 6MTs compare? Do you notice the after-shift lag on the M2 that people complain about sometimes?

I can't compare to an E9x, but I can say that the M2 (as well as all F8x M cars) have clutch delay valves, so this definitely affects the "interface." There is also purposeful post-shift "rev hang" that the ECU does to help smooth upshifts - it's like the auto-blip feature but in reverse.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by admranger

I can see the CS not being right for someone concerned about cabin noise. The regular, pedestrian M2 though surprised me.

You certainly have more miles in one than me though and I'm glad you love yours!

Your not wrong, the M2 is definitely louder than the e9x. There is a lot of tire noise particularly from the front. Thankfully it's an easy fix!

For $40 you can install the door seals from the lower tier models, massively reduces the noise level and brings it more inline with the e9x. I did this on my car and it's very livable now on a cruise. Downside is you lose a little bit of edge to the engine noise but it's a worthy trade off I feel. I also upgraded to bavsound stage 1 speakers replacing the dire HK items, which combined with the seals makes the cabin a very nice place to be and makes it feel much more 'premium'.