[Karmic Man]

Originally Posted by Davil

You just described what I most disliked about my e36 M3. It was boring as batshit to drive at sensible speeds. M2C is a joy at all speeds. That’s the beauty of low down torque. It’s a fantastic car.

Yep...though the E36 M3 with its 3.2L I6 is still better than all the vtec cars in that era.

I used to like revving to 8k-9k in a 1.8-2.0L vtec engine but it gets old pretty quick on the street...playing catch up against taxis' off the line regularly is no fun

[bri1042]

Originally Posted by Karmic Man

Yep...though the E36 M3 with its 3.2L I6 is still better than all the vtec cars in that era.

I used to like revving to 8k-9k in a 1.8-2.0L vtec engine but it gets old pretty quick on the street...playing catch up against taxis' off the line regularly is no fun

That was never a problem during my Integra GS-R and RSX-S days here in Portland. Apparently, if you are a cab driver that only wants to drive at half the speed limit, they exile you to Portland.

[m7ammed]

This is an interesting thread to be honest, I'm happy that a lot of people are describing it as modern throw back to ///Ms of old. Unfortunately, I've never had the pleasure of driving an ///M car. I owned an E82 135 with performance suspension which I enjoyed, and went up to the F30 335i before I had a kid. I've always had the dream of owning an ///M Car, I liked the m2 but the changes BMW did to the M2C hit all the right spots for me and just feels on paper that it might be one the modern classics for the future. It will represent an the last of an era in my mind with all cars going electric/hybrid soon. I plan to keep this car for a long time.

I'm so excited to get mine, and reading all the reviews and owner stories has actually got me the opposite of underwhelmed, just cant wait it get my hands on mine. My cousin has an F82 M4 that he loves, I'm sure I will enjoy my M2C!

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Hooptie157

Question - is anyone underwhelmed with the performance of their car?

Originally Posted by oshalygin

idk what cars you guys were coming from but 400 whp is a metric ton of power to work with.

Originally Posted by OGM2C

It's kinda subjective. What car are you coming from?

Valid point.

I recall from my high school days an easy experiment in the physics class:

• the physics teacher had put three bowls filled with water on a table, without disclosing the difference in water temperature: bowl A = cold temp water | bowl B = normal/mild temp water | bowl C = warm temp water;
• two pupils were called forward: pupil 1 was asked to hold his hands for a minute or two in bowl A while pupil 2 was asked to do the same for the same time with bowl C;
• subsequently the physics teacher asked both students to move their hands together inside bowl B and tell the class what they experienced;
• pupil 1 (acclimatized to cold temp water) said that it felt 'warm', while pupil 2 (acclimatized to warm temp water) said that it felt 'cold';
• conclusion: relativity, personal experience & subjective perception matter.

Underwhelmed, whelmed, overwhelmed: if you're used to frequently drive low-performance cars and get behind the wheel of an M2C, the experience will inevitably be different than if you're used to frequently drive high-performance cars. And driving cars back-to-back under the same circumstances, gets you a better idea.

[Hoopumpers]

Originally Posted by mikeahso

As others have said, street / sports cars are all about compromise, not outright performance.

A point that you especially realise after owning a race car. Every sports car after that will never have the same level of power or grip. So you accept it, but also get to enjoy the aircon on hot days, the boot for the groceries, the back seats for the kids. Etc etc.

I'm really excited for my M2C. Because for me it's the ultimate compromise for my lifestyle. Any car that has more performance than the M2C makes compromises in other areas that are more important than more power / grip.

My 911 I recently sold was one of the most underwhelming cars I've ever owned. And I pined after one for 20 years.

You bought the wrong 911 then

I'm loving the M2C. As others have said - great blend of fun and practicality. Tune to M4 CS is a no brainer and more acceleration than the (typical) under tired BMW can handle. Love it

[Hoopumpers]

And to OP re: tunes...

Marketing/sales dictates manufacturing. A boxster/cayman will never be faster than its equivalent 911. The 981 boxster spyder/cayman GT4 finally got a 3.8L engine, but it was choked back 50 horsepower to not invade on its big brother. Obviously same scenario at BMW.

Applying a BMW stock map to the M2 so that its S55 performs as designed for the M3/4 platform is hardly "tuning" in the typical sense.

Live a little

[M Fifty]

OP. What you really need is a Chevy station wagon made in the late '60s. Ideally a 6-cylinder. It will give you many "OMG" moments. Notably when you try to stop from Freeway speeds. But, the 3-speed column shift may also get your attention, as will the need to veer left in order to turn right (and vice versa). And hanging on to the wheel so you don't slide across the bench seat while cornering is also pretty epic.

Grow some.

[Protatomonster]

I genuinely fear tuning the M2 Comp since I don't wanna void the warranty, I'll probably wait till my warranty is over then do a tune, any recommended tune for M2 Competitions and how much HP will it push?

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Valid point.

I recall from my high school days an easy experiment in the physics class:

• the physics teacher had put three bowls filled with water on a table, without disclosing the difference in water temperature: bowl A = cold temp water | bowl B = normal/mild temp water | bowl C = warm temp water;
• two pupils were called forward: pupil 1 was asked to hold his hands for a minute or two in bowl A while pupil 2 was asked to do the same for the same time with bowl C;
• subsequently the physics teacher asked both students to move their hands together inside bowl B and tell the class what they experienced;
• pupil 1 (acclimatized to cold temp water) said that it felt 'warm', while pupil 2 (acclimatized to warm temp water) said that it felt 'cold';
• conclusion: relativity, personal experience & subjective perception matter.

Underwhelmed, whelmed, overwhelmed: if you're used to frequently drive low-performance cars and get behind the wheel of an M2C, the experience will inevitably be different than if you're used to frequently drive high-performance cars. And driving cars back-to-back under the same circumstances, gets you a better idea.

i remember that one. pupil 1 pee'd their pants, however pupil 2 had a "shrinking effect." that was a side experiment that was not discussed much

[paliknight]

Coming from a 16 M4 and driving my F80 ZCP back 2 back with my M2C, It's much more fun than both F80s and I don't notice a difference in power.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by paliknight

Coming from a 16 M4 and driving my F80 ZCP back 2 back with my M2C, It's much more fun than both F80s and I don't notice a difference in power.

Does it have more body roll?

[M2CLBB437M]

After a number of years with it I was underwhelmed by my Z4M. So I sold it and my M140i to get an M2C. Not underwhelmed by the M2C at all - it’s everything I wanted from it.

[paliknight]

Originally Posted by chris719

Does it have more body roll?

The M2C has less than the M3 ZCP

[M-Pilot]

Originally Posted by paliknight

The M2C has less than the M3 ZCP

I can confirm this as well... I initially thought it was the placebo effect (plus only drove 500miles on stock suspension) so didn't want to put so much emphasis on it but glad to hear someone else experienced the same. I also thought stock M2C had less body roll than my 2016 M4 ZCP with adaptive suspension, which was also lowered on Macht Schnell springs. I know many people wish M2C came with an adaptive suspension but personally I'm not a huge fan of the BMW's adaptive suspension. It's great at neither handling nor comfort.

[Killed by Death]

Originally Posted by cntzl

personally I'm not a huge fan of the BMW's adaptive suspension. It's great at neither handling nor comfort.

Totally agree, I leave my M4 ZCP in Sport mode. Comfort seems too floaty and Sports + is too rough. I'm glad the M2C doesn't have adaptive suspension!!!

[paliknight]

Originally Posted by cntzl

I can confirm this as well... I initially thought it was the placebo effect (plus only drove 500miles on stock suspension) so didn't want to put so much emphasis on it but glad to hear someone else experienced the same. I also thought stock M2C had less body roll than my 2016 M4 ZCP with adaptive suspension, which was also lowered on Macht Schnell springs. I know many people wish M2C came with an adaptive suspension but personally I'm not a huge fan of the BMW's adaptive suspension. It's great at neither handling nor comfort.

Agreed. The only reason I knew it wasn't placebo is because I took the same ramps and turns at higher speeds and the M2C was more stable and rolled much less. My M3 is always driven in sport+ too. Surprised the M2C was more stable.

[Economatic]

I know I'm bumping a thread that's a few months old but I'm curious if anyone who posted earlier has any updates or if others have things to add.

I just picked up my M2C a couple days ago and I'm feeling oddly 'meh' about it. I began my search over a year ago, got an allocation in January, did ED in May (didn't get to drive it due to the airbag stop delivery), and then it finally arrived at the dealer 2 weeks ago. I drove it about 180 miles home on Sunday and my first impressions were positive but now...I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm underwhelmed, it was over-hyped, or something else but I'm just not feeling that excited about the car. Am I crazy?

I know part of my problem is the day before I picked up the M2C I did a track day. So I went from driving at the limit on Saturday to driving like a grandpa on the way to church on Sunday. And I was completely annoyed that I found myself lusting over a Cayman GT4. Of course I have another 1,000 miles of Sunday driving to do before the fun starts after the break-in period is complete.

Please chime in if you have anything to add. PM is fine if you don't want to get flamed like I know I'll be getting soon. I'm seriously kicking around the idea of putting the M2C up for sale this week before I put more miles on it considering the odometer is sitting at exactly 200 miles.

Originally Posted by nomoracin

For me, it's weird...I previously posted something where I felt that my car feels slower than I remembered when I drove it in Europe.

Some explanations I got...gas quality difference, traffic, road size, in my head, just got used to the speed, etc.

Regardless of the reasoning, the fact remains that I feel like it's slower...which consequently makes me feel underwhelmed. (I'm pretty sure that I'm in the minority on this though.)

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the car, but I just get more "fun-factor" feeling from driving my lil track built (but street legal) '94 civic hatchback. It's definitely not as fast and not as nice, but it's just so raw.

I'm actually contemplating whether I should trade it in for something like a Porsche 718 or just sell it altogether. This was my mid-life crisis present for myself and I'm just not so sure if I love it enough to justify keeping it. Maybe I'll give the bm3 flash a try...IDK

It sounds like you were in a similar situation. What did you decide to do?

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by infinitekidM2C

i remember that one. pupil 1 pee'd their pants, however pupil 2 had a "shrinking effect." that was a side experiment that was not discussed much

what is wrong with you?

[bri1042]

Economatic - I think it took me 10 and a half months to truly get in tune with this car. As posted previously, I had a 3+ month tizzy fit over not having gotten the manual (which I think you did get). I am mostly over it. I think, overall, I was underwhelmed with this car for a while.

Break-in, then I didn't know the car well yet, then winter and winter wheels came into the picture, and then I got annoyed at the DCT for months. And I still think the interior is a bit too cheap for the price of the car (or even for the price of 230i) but I like the fuzzy stuff they gave us in the M2C, at least.

For the last month, I've been concentrating on driving the thing instead of thinking about it. More time spent in manual mode and MDM mode. More time enjoying the summer and just driving. Underwhelmed at this point, gods no. Fully broken in, with months under my belt getting to know the thing, enough time that manual shifting with paddles is finally instinct instead of something I have to think about have erased most of my underwhelmed feelings about it.

And:

I test drove a shiny new Cayman S with a sticker price 30k higher than my M2C. And walked away happily back to my own car. If they were the same price I could do a comparison, but even with 25k of options on the thing, I didn't want it more than my own car. If you are underwhelmed with the performance you can get out of the M2C, test driving a Cayman S around Sunset Porsche in Beaverton probably won't make you think the Cayman is the answer.

If you sell it too quickly, you'll lose the chance to really get to know the thing. Out of break-in and MDM mode are absolutely a different story than tooling around during break-in.

[AlpsRider]

Originally Posted by Economatic

I know I'm bumping a thread that's a few months old but I'm curious if anyone who posted earlier has any updates or if others have things to add.

I just picked up my M2C a couple days ago and I'm feeling oddly 'meh' about it. I began my search over a year ago, got an allocation in January, did ED in May (didn't get to drive it due to the airbag stop delivery), and then it finally arrived at the dealer 2 weeks ago. I drove it about 180 miles home on Sunday and my first impressions were positive but now...I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm underwhelmed, it was over-hyped, or something else but I'm just not feeling that excited about the car. Am I crazy?

I know part of my problem is the day before I picked up the M2C I did a track day. So I went from driving at the limit on Saturday to driving like a grandpa on the way to church on Sunday. And I was completely annoyed that I found myself lusting over a Cayman GT4. Of course I have another 1,000 miles of Sunday driving to do before the fun starts after the break-in period is complete.

Please chime in if you have anything to add. PM is fine if you don't want to get flamed like I know I'll be getting soon. I'm seriously kicking around the idea of putting the M2C up for sale this week before I put more miles on it considering the odometer is sitting at exactly 200 miles.



It sounds like you were in a similar situation. What did you decide to do?

Firstly, buyers remorse is a thing. You have anticipated your new car expecting it to transform the world :-) Wait until the car is broken in then you can toss it around in the twisties and feel the engine growl at 7300 rpm. Then come back and tell us what you think.

[DKM2]

I love my car. Wish it had a HUD and eagle eye camera my M3 had
but much more nimble than my old car. Over all, I love it. Unless the M2 CS comes out in a very reasonable price, I plan on keeping this for a long time.

[nomoracin]

Originally Posted by Economatic

I know I'm bumping a thread that's a few months old but I'm curious if anyone who posted earlier has any updates or if others have things to add.

I just picked up my M2C a couple days ago and I'm feeling oddly 'meh' about it. I began my search over a year ago, got an allocation in January, did ED in May (didn't get to drive it due to the airbag stop delivery), and then it finally arrived at the dealer 2 weeks ago. I drove it about 180 miles home on Sunday and my first impressions were positive but now...I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm underwhelmed, it was over-hyped, or something else but I'm just not feeling that excited about the car. Am I crazy?

I know part of my problem is the day before I picked up the M2C I did a track day. So I went from driving at the limit on Saturday to driving like a grandpa on the way to church on Sunday. And I was completely annoyed that I found myself lusting over a Cayman GT4. Of course I have another 1,000 miles of Sunday driving to do before the fun starts after the break-in period is complete.

Please chime in if you have anything to add. PM is fine if you don't want to get flamed like I know I'll be getting soon. I'm seriously kicking around the idea of putting the M2C up for sale this week before I put more miles on it considering the odometer is sitting at exactly 200 miles.



It sounds like you were in a similar situation. What did you decide to do?

I think the others are right about at least waiting for the break-in service to make a better decision.

Given that, I'm still very back and forth with my thoughts of the car. This is definitely the fastest (and most expensive) car that I have ever owned, but it's crazy how quickly one can get accustomed to the speed. I transitioned from stock to BM3's CS to Stage 1 so quickly. Each time I thought that this would be enough power for me, but here I am considering Stage 2 already. When will it be enough?

As I'm writing this, I think I'm going about it all wrong though. This car isn't meant to be driven in a straight line...it's meant for the back roads and/or the track.

So, before I start modding it, I think I'm going to take some driving course lessons and figure out how to drive it the way it's supposed to be driven. (I haven't even driven it in MDM yet. haha)