[Corinne]

After being singularly unimpressed by the 223d convertible and then the M235i which I had test driven, I ordered an M2 in april 2016, hoping that its suspension and handling were going to be taut enough to keep me, as a Lotus Elise owner, happy. I managed to obtain a 6% discount and settled down to wait for a june 2017 delivery date. Yes, here in France, 14 months was the norm at the time. A year later, when my piggybank was almost full, there were rumours of a possible B58 engine change in the LCI so I requested a delivery delay. I mean, after waiting a year, what’s an extra couple of months eh, even if it meant missing the summer ? Unfortunately this meant I had to pay the two price increases of april and july… as well as the French government’s CO2 tax hike from € 6,500 to € 10,000 on the manual. Add to that an extra € 3000 because the Swiss Franc decided to weaken against the € at just the moment I had to transfer the funds from my salary account in Switzerland. All that gets me really cheesed off.



And so it was that, after 18 months of waiting and reading every single snippet of information about the M2, and watching every single video, the great day I’d been dreaming about finally came on October 3 2017 ! Traditionally I have always hitch-hiked to fetch my new cars but the pouring rain on this tuesday morning rendered that particular idea quite impossible. On a dark wet morning I walked the 500 metres down the road to the mountain pass where the bus took me to the town of Annecy, nicknamed the Venice of the Alps, 10 kms down the valley on the northern edge of the lake of Annecy. By the time I arrived it had stopped raining so I walked the half hour to the BMW garage. Dawn had broken and the surrounding mountains were swathed in menacing black clouds, promising more rain. I was pretty pissed that the day I was going to pick up my brand spanking new BMW M2 was so wet and miserable.

I walked into the dealers and was greeted by the cheerful receptionist who said “Ah, you’ve come to pick up that beautiful blue M2 !” I intitialled and signed, initialled and signed, initialled and signed paper after paper, presented my banker’s cheque and was then taken upstairs, past the Mini section, and into the nether regions of the BMW garage…. and there, before me was my baby, covered in a white car cover with a BMW logo on it !!! It was solemnly unwrapped and sat there looking so beautiful, so blue, so powerful, so aggressive with its black kidney grills, black side gills, carbon fibre rear spoiler and, inside, its M-Performance steering wheel with blue stripe and alcantara / leather. I was on cloud nine, especially as my nail varnish perfectly matched the LBB of the car … ha ha !

There followed a 1 ½ hour instruction course with a techy who kindly set up my BMW Connected Drive account and explained stuff such as how to use the automated anti dazzle headlights and the piloted suspension (I had to correct him on the latter but he didn’t believe me. Still he did concede that the customer was always right). I was presented with some flowers and a BMW watch and it was time to start the car. The cold start, even with a standard exhaust, sent shivers of delight down my spine but it quickly subsided into relative silence. I drove out of the garage into the rain and my spotlessly clean M2 instantly became wet and dirty.

I was terrified of pranging this € 78,500 beast and of course found myself in heavy traffic, surrounded by aggressive white van drivers who had clearly been summoned for the event and were intent on seeing which of them could succeed in forcing me off the road. Eventually I got clear of the town and took the mountain road up towards my village, winding its way up above the lake. Mindful of the warning “Don’t exceed 4500 rpm for the first 2000 kms or we’ll know and your warranty will be voided” I trundled carefully to my friend Maelle’s house and parked the car in her drive. A guy was coming from Serbia the following day to do a complete Xpel Ultimate and, since my garage was too small, the work was to be carried out in Maelle’s garage. I washed and dried the car, then parked it inside and walked home. Let me say here that I really despair at the average woman’s attitude towards cars. When I arrived at Maelle’s house the first thing she said was “You’re not washing that INSIDE my garage – you’ll put water everywhere !” I’m not quite sure why she thought I would want to wash the car inside but I let it drop. What was quite incredible was that she then turned around and went inside, showing zero interest in what was really a beautiful piece of machinery. On a similar vein I sent a picture to each of my sisters, one in the UK, the other in California, saying “It’s MY turn to buy a new car !” I had shown considerable interest in their recent purchases: an electric Renault Twizy for the first sister and an over-large Volvo equipped with all the extras for the second one. I didn’t mention the brand or the model and all I got back was “Very smart” from the first and a slightly less pathetic “Wow ! Nice colour !” from the second. They have no clue what it is and are clearly not in the slightest bit interested ! And here’s a last anecdote while we’re on the subject: my ex girlfriend bought a VW Polo. She said she’d got a very good price from the second hand car salesman. I asked her what the engine size was. She hadn’t the slightest clue. So basically the salesman probably sold her a 1.0 litre for the price of a 1.6 litre ! She replied, pointing accusingly at my Lotus Elise “My car is for getting from A to B… not like your expensive big car”. I grabbed a tape measure and proved to her that her Polo was in fact longer than my Elise. Thank goodness my two daughters are more interested than that !



Next day was sunny and warm, once the residual cloud had dissipated. Radoslav, from Titanium Garage in Belgrade, Serbia arrived at my house at 09.00 and we went down to see the car. I must admit that, although he had been recommended by a fellow forum member, I was a little nervous about some Eastern European guy coming to Xpel my car ! However my doubts were soon erased as he turned out to be absolutely charming and worked non-stop for 10 hours on each of the two following days. The work can only be described as perfect, even for a manic perfectionist such as myself. He was willing to travel 1400 kms from Serbia through Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Italy and the Mont Blanc tunnel to get to my village and I can wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone in Europe who wants a very competitive total Xpel wrap.



Then it was time to drive my car ! A beautiful October day dawned and once the roads had dried out from a light overnight rain, I opened my sunroof, put the car into Traction mode and set off for a 100 km drive in my local area.



First stop was my local garage in the next village where the guys positively drooled over the car and admired the Xpel application. I told them I’d ordered my Fabspeed sports cat and muffler bypass exhaust and that it was on its way so they could fit it (I’m perfectly useless at any sort of mechanics, being a blonde). Then off I went up to the local ski resort and the col des Aravis, trying out the Sports mode which was far, far better than the Comfort mode. I have a Lotus Elise SC (with supercharger) which has exactly the same 0-100 kmh time as the M2 but the latter is faster beyond that speed. The driving experience of the M2 doesn’t equal that of the Lotus but it is mighty impressive all the same. The suspension is much softer (unfortunately) and one is coddled in relative luxury. The M2 is extremely comfortable and quiet, whereas the Elise is brash and violent and one sits much lower and feels an integral part of the machine. But I ain’t complaining since I’m keeping both of them ! I think the M2 will come alive when I fit the Fabspeed exhaust. I’m 62 but a total ricer when it comes to exhaust volume ! When I got the Lotus its standard exhaust was perfectly hopeless and I quickly switched to a Lotus sports exhaust. This was much better and kept me satisfied until I heard a friend’s Exige which had a “home-made” exhaust with a token silencer. I splurged out € 1500 for one of these, made by a racing specialist near the Swiss border and the noise was sublime, completely transforming the driving experience and rendering completely useless the radio and CD player.

I should mention a few other things: I don’t notice the crooked seats at all. I actually like the leather and find my manual seats really comfortable, especially with the adjustable side bolsters. I’m 6 feet tall (I always used to eat up all my veg when I was a little girl) and sit as low as possible with arms fully outstretched and the driving position is perfect. The M-Performance steering wheel is a pure delight to hold, it’s a perfect size, chunky and the alcantara is beautiful.



The sun roof is much noisier than I expected when fully open above 60-70 kmh but opening the windows helps reduce the wind noise. With it closed the interior is very quiet and I can’t actually hear any ASD. I CAN hear a few muted pops and crackles from the exhaust in traction mode so presume these are real. I actually thought I was going to like the auto-blip but I don’t ! I’m not a heel and toe person (never even tried to do it to be shamefully honest) but I can do a much smoother gear change than the auto-blip. For some reason I’m getting transmission clunks when changing down and it’s annoying the hell out of me. I haven’t yet driven with a passenger but when I do they are going to think I’m a complete twat. The speed limit camera is pretty damned useless and often makes mistakes. I shouldn’t have bought it.



So, here are a few photos of my day. You’ll no doubt notice how nice the LBB looks in the clear alpine air. Here it is at home.



The lake of Annecy, totally unpolluted and carefully protected. A paradise for swimming, sailing, kite surfing, wind surfing, canoeing…. and of course topless sunbathing.



The Semnoz mountain on the other side of the lake is 1700 m. high and there’s a great road to the top, from where one can see Mt. Blanc.



Looking east towards the Dents de Lanfon 1821 m. which I regularly climb and paraglide down, the Lanfonnet 1768 m. and the Tournette 2351 m.



In the neighbouring village of Talloires.



La Clusaz, the local ski resort 30 minutes from home. These mountains are the Aravis range and go up to 2700 m. Behind them is Mont Blanc. The M2 looks particularly butch from this angle.



A typical chalet



The col des Aravis with Mont Blanc in the distance.



LBB is the BEST !!!! I received thumbs up from a cyclist and a motorbike rider, overheard some people saying what a beautiful BMW it was and got approached by a man who said it was a gorgeous colour and a fantastic car….



A pretty garden I passed by.



The lake with quite a lot of northeast wind.



Here are my 3 cars: the 2017 M2, the 2011 Lotus Elise SC with 16,000 kms and the 2002 BMW 330 d with 334,000 kms !



I have plenty of parking space but only a single garage unfortunately. The M2 has to sit under the entrance to the house but at least it’s sheltered from the rain and snow.



Megabyte is ready for being put in her paragliding harness for the flight home after a 3 hour hike. Below is the lake of Annecy. We land right in front of our house.



After the flight down, out with the M2 again. Above is Planfait, one of the best paragliding spots in the world and just 15 minutes drive from home. The M2 looks fantastic in the autumn sunshine.



The southern end of the lake with the surrounding mountains.



Looking north from the southern end of the lake.



Running the gauntlet. Let’s hope Prudence the wild boar is not in a bad mood today coz her tusks look awfully sharp.



A wall typical of the region. The stones come from Aix les Bains, the next lake to the south west. God the LBB is beautiful !



The Auberge du Père Bise in Talloires is one of the poshest and most expensive restaurants in France. You pay a veritable fortune for a large plate with a microscopic portion of food, served by condescending waiters. Despite the posh car, the owner of this M2 is having to eat potatoes at home for the next few months until she’s negated the damage to her bank account after purchasing the car…



On the road to the Planfait paragliding take off. In the background is La Tournette 2351 m. which Megabyte and I regularly climb and fly from the summit. Megabyte has 234 paragliding flights.



I drove over the col de la Forclaz and headed home… but got caught in a traffic jam caused by a herd of cows wandering slowly in the middle of the road. This is also one of the best paragliding sites in Europe. Well that’s the end of my alpine LBB LCI delivery story. I hope you enjoyed it !

[petay135]

What a lovely start to my Sunday morning reading your brilliant review punctuated by suberb . Your enthusiaism for the car and sense of joy that the waiting is finally over, really shines through!

Your photo's actually gave me a tinge of regret that I didn't order Long Beach Blue but unfortunately under the perpetually dull Manchester skies it rarely looks like that!

ps - good luck keeping it under 4.5k

[ORIGIN M.]

Absolutely love it.

Congrats on your new Whip!

[akkando]

You should be good under 5500 rpm. Check the manual. Also do you call your dog Mega for short? Or do you usually use the full name Megabyte?

It really is a beautiful car isn't it? Especially in the Long Beach Blue. Had you seen one in person before?

[Prodigy.]

Congratulations on finally receiving the car, i don't think i could of been so patient waiting that long for it.

Really enjoyed reading your delivery story and loved the fabulous pictures, thanks for posting.

[BAN_M2C]

@Corinne I am so happy to read you finally took delivery!!!

Beautiful pics I know you will enjoy every second driving this car!

CONGRATS!!!!

[mlust]

Congrats! I enjoyed your story this morning, and the pictures are fantastic. I would love to see a photo of Megabyte in his gear while paragliding, that is just awesome!

[Mosely]

Amazing photos, what a gorgeous location you live in.

As for the transmission clunking on downshifts with rev match, I was having the same problem. I found that you have to be really quick off the clutch with the downshifts and then it's smooth as butter

[Voomar]

Amazing photos and fun story! Thanks for sharing.

Perfect timing too as I have an appointment to pick up my '18 LBB M2 in about 3 hours! Similar story to yours in that I originally placed a deposit on the car April 2016 but decided to wait for the LCI when my allocation finally came up this summer. All told, it was an 18 month wait...I guess patience is a virtue :-)

[M2Nebula]

Excellent! Congratulations, Corinne. If anyone deserves this car, it is you. Enjoy the hell out of it in good health.

[Corinne]

Originally Posted by mlust

Congrats! I enjoyed your story this morning, and the pictures are fantastic. I would love to see a photo of Megabyte in his gear while paragliding, that is just awesome!

Here's the beast in her flying gear ! I call her by her full name because, for English speaking people, it's terribly funny. The French don't understand unfortunately....
This is a link to our flying video:

[Corinne]

Originally Posted by akkando

You should be good under 5500 rpm. Check the manual. Also do you call your dog Mega for short? Or do you usually use the full name Megabyte?

It really is a beautiful car isn't it? Especially in the Long Beach Blue. Had you seen one in person before?

Megabyte ! Yes I saw these instructions in the manual... afterwards !

[mlust]

megabyte the flying dog is awesome... you may have not noticed, but one of the things I didn't like when I first drove my M2 was the long travel of the clutch. I have added a BMS clutch stop for a great improvement to shorten its travel. much better now.

[S1monQc]

Superbe

[dtmurf]

Congrads on taking delivery, you certainly picked the right colour, at least IMO! I'm thinking you might have waited longer that anyone else on the board!

Great narrative and pics, you live in a wonderful part of the world.

I have to say, the high light for me is the paragliding video with megabit, outstanding!

[impulsiv]

Wow! Toute une aventure!! Mon tour viendra dans 2 mois environ..

[Artemis]

Throwing in a couple of quick tips (iDrive references: pre-LCI):

• driving modes: see here, here and here: SPORT mode gets you those hallmark M2 overrun sounds each time you abruptly release the throttle + with all nannies active. You won't get those overrun sounds that way in TRACTION mode or COMFORT mode. TRACTION mode is only worth considering when getting out of loose road surfaces (snow/ice/mud/dunes), or when you want to turn heads in town with some louder burbling each time you release the throttle and subsequently give it a few gentle pushes;
• lowest possible seat position and improving headroom: once the seat is in lowest position, use the tilt button to tilt the seat backwards to its maximum position (tilting the knees as high as possible);
• headrests rear seats: two positions possible (up or down);
• glass roof: with one pull of the opening button, the glass roof slides backwards. But that's not the ultimate position yet. To go 'all the way', once the roof has stopped sliding backwards, do a second pull to add a few extra cm² of open space. I often drive with the glass roof tilted (even on highways) with side windows closed: nice fresh air discreetly entering the interior. Rather calm. In the mountains: windows and glass roof all open.
• steering wheel lock: switch off the engine with your door still closed, subsequently open your door and wait for the "SCHLACK!"-sound of the automatic activation of the steering wheel lock. Twist the steering wheel to 'lock' the steering wheel. Here you go: now you got yourself a perfect 'grab handle' to pull yourself out of the car (yeah, we're lazy) + for sure your steering wheel lock is activated;
• Auto Start/Stop function deactivation: once you started the engine, push the "A OFF" button right above the START/STOP button (amber light = inactive)
• rain sensor: default = inactive, so you got to push the rain sensor button to activate it (green light on the right hand stalk = active);
• seat heating: default = inactive, so you got to push the seat heating button to activate it (3 decreasing levels);
• steering wheel heating: default = inactive, so you got to push the steering wheel heating button to activate it; beware, it won't work with the M Performance steering wheel (as that steering wheel is not heat-wired);
• "Lane Depature Warning" + "Collision Warning" buttons near your left knee: green lights on = active. Car memory: once you made a choice, it will stay that way next time you start the engine; unlike the steering wheel heating, the steering wheel vibration of the "Lane Departure Warning" does function with the M Performance steering wheel (as that LDW module is transferred inside the MP steering wheel);
• to avoid the SATNAV screen 'disturbing' you each time you change driving modes:
  iDrive: "Settings" | "Control display" | untick "Driving mode info"
• toggle between orange and white 'waterfall ambient lighting' radiating from the M2 roof near the rear view mirror:
  iDrive: "Settings" | "Lights" | "Ambient" | choose between "Classic" (amber/orange) and "Sport" (white)
• program any destination to get SATNAV directions on the OBC + Drive Limit Info (if your M2 features that option) right next to it;
• untick most OBC info options in the iDrive settings menu: less scrolling through OBC info you're not interested in;
• Satellite Images: tick the 'Satellite Images' option in the SATNAV options to get a more fancy layout (especially in map view with perspective) when SATNAV zoom is at 2km/1mile range and higher (see here);
• the 8 programmable memory buttons: you can program quite a lot (phone numbers and addresses that matter (voicemail, home), On-board computer, Vehicle status, Trip computer, Sport displays, button to toggle between SATNAV split screen / single screen, button to toggle between SATNAV guidance voice on/off, etc.). To see what you programmed with a button: touch (don't click) that button - you can slide with your finger along the buttons (more info: see here);
• High Beam Assist: as soon as your lights automatically activate: push the High Beam Assist button (lower button on the indicator stalk on the left, if your M2 features the HBA option) and leave it on for the rest of the drive;
• collision warning: set iDrive to "Late" instead of "Early", if you don't want the car to inadvertently brake too quickly all by itself when circling down a parking lot with big curbs;
• cargo net: there's a cargo net under the bootlid in a plastic bag waiting to be attached to the 6 attach points of the bootlid;
• inside the trunk you can hang a bag on one of both tow hooks located near the rear lights, or take the cargo/stowing net stored near the battery and secure it on the boot floor panel (lashing eyes in the cargo area) + on the right hand side featuring a small movable cargo net (up/down), you can store a helmet;
• black leather M pouch (instructions manual) storage: under the bootlid, next to the battery - it saves you space inside the glove box;
• three 33cl cans perfectly fit inside the storage cavity in-between the rear seats (see here);
• a CD 'booklet' storing tens of compact discs perfectly fits inside the armrest storage;
• big smartphone: if the passenger seat is empty, open a bit the movable thigh support 'crease' at the front of the passenger seat to the extent that your smartphone is comfortably tucked away without moving - eventually recharge at the same time (see here);
• walkie-talkie: most walkie talkies fit right next to the seat belt buckle + speaker with clip clipped onto the seatbelt at shoulders' height; alternative: store the walkie-talkie inside the movable thigh support 'crease' part in the front of the passenger seat;
• Smoker's Package (option code 441): unclip the ashtray if you want some extra storage space;
• six ways to retrieve the VIN of your M2:
  • method 1: your car documents
  • method 2: windscreen plaque - driver's side (only if the car features option 8SM "VIN visible from outside" and not taped off)
  • method 3: inscription inside the engine bay - passenger side
  • method 4: higher door sill - passenger side
  • method 5 (iDrive): click the "Menu" button on the iDrive, "Settings", "Software update", "Show current version", "Vehicle ID: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆"
  • method 6 (iDrive): click the "Menu" button on the iDrive, "Settings", "Connections", "Bluetooth", then click the "Option" button on the iDrive, "Bluetooth information", "System information", "Vehicle ID no. (VIN): ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆"

[Ian ///M]

Awesome post! You are also a great photographer , but overall. I’m jealous of where you live lol... such a beautiful day for delivery and post delivery fun

[devo]

Congratulations on a beautiful car and color and thank you for the great photos.

I just took delivery of a AW 6speed and love it. Xpel goes on next week.

I was going to mention the 4500 / 5500 rpm break in but see someone beat me to it. I kept mine under 5000 for the first 150 miles or so.

[SW19]

Congrats on finally taking delivery of your new M2.Glad to hear that it was worth the wait and you are enjoying the car.

Have fun!

[Tano]

Nice write up! Congrats for the car and enjoy it!
Great video too, i like it.

[petay135]

OMFG, megabyte defying gravity!!

Thanks for the entertainment!!