[wjones14]

I have owned my M2C for almost 6 months now. It has 2700 miles on it. Previously, I had owned a 2018 Camaro 2SS 1LE for 3 years. I took the Camaro to 3 HPDE track events (Lime Rock, Palmer Motorsports, and Watkins Glen). I knew from the day I bought the BMW that I wanted to do a comparison review between the M2C and Camaro. But also wanted to wait until I had taken the M2 to a track event so I could add that aspect into the comparison review. With winter here, the HPDE season is over and it would probably be at least another 6 months before I can bring the M2C to a track and I didn't want to put the review off any longer. Plus, there is already an excellent M2C/Camaro 1LE comparison by professional auto journalists with instrument-measured track results, with far better technical information than I could ever offer:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...camaro-ss-1le/

Besides the track comparison, the article goes into all the reasons why the two cars are more similar than many people would guess.

So instead of a track comparison, I will just talk about the daily driver personalities of the two cars.

First off, I absolutely loved driving that Camaro. It was a mind-blowing car. All I could think of every time I got into the cockpit (yes, it's definitely a cockpit) was how much like a racecar it was. The low seating position, the Recaro seats, and especially the brilliant exhaust note. Nothing sounds like a small block Chevy. The exhaust mode was adjustable 4 ways - Stealth, Tour, Sport, Track. Even in Stealth mode it sounded incredible. And of course there was the power and torque, available instantly anywhere in the RPM range.

In comparison, the M2C is not like a racecar, and is more like a sporty daily driver. The BMW seating position is much higher and the car is much quieter. After 3 years with the Camaro, one of the things I disliked was simply getting into and out of the car - it was a chore. Getting into and out of the BMW is like butter. So much more convenient when hopping into the car to run a simple errand.

Feature-wise, the two cars are fairly similar, but the Camaro does have more standard features. Standard features in the 2SS included heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, a Head-Up Display, Blind Spot Monitoring, Cross-traffic alert, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. Standard features on the BMW that were not on the 2SS were Lane Departure Warning and Navigation. (I paid $495 for Navigation on the Camaro.) To me, I would much rather have a Head-Up Display and Ventilated Seats in the M2 as opposed to the Lane Departure Warning system in the BMW.

Bose audio in the Camaro vs. harman/kardon in the BMW: Both are pretty good for factory systems. I think the Bose can be pushed louder before distorting, and has a cleaner sound overall, both in bass and treble response. But one caveat is that I have somewhat significant high frequency hearing loss, so I am not the best judge when it comes to hearing details like cymbals. OTOH, I play guitar and have played drums, and have a wide appreciation of music genres, but my favorite is hard rock and some forms of metal. For these types of music, the Bose system hits harder.

Driving-wise on public roads, the BMW wins hands down for me. The biggest factor is that it's noticeably smaller and lighter. It's a whole foot shorter than the 1LE and feels more nimble because of it. I'm not a purist who complains about the lack of steering feel compared to older hydraulic systems - what's the point, especially when commuting or running errands? The Camaro steering felt on-point on the track, but on the road, I don't notice that the M2 steering is deficient in comparison. Both cars have MORE than enough power and grip on the street, let's face it. I have never owned a car that I felt had too much power, but really, I didn't find myself wishing for more power in the Camaro, and I feel the same way about the M2C. No need for any power mods for me, that's for sure.

Looks-wise, I am much more comfortable in the M2C. The Camaro was a menacing attention-grabber, no two ways about it. It turns heads everywhere, by car enthusiasts or wannabes. No trip to Lowe's or a convenience store goes without stares, and often comments. In full disclosure, I am 66, and the more conservative BMW styling is more in line with my age. Not that I really care much about what others think, but still, there's nothing to be even slightly embarrassed about owning a BMW M2C for a senior citizen. On the flip side, the 1LE was definitely fun to bring to Cars & Coffee meets, and there was no shortage of interest in the car by the attendees.

The elephant in the room is the outward visibility of the Camaro. Yes, it's bad. And yes, you do get used to it. At least that's what all the Camaro owners say, because, well, what choice do they have? Visibility discussions in the Camaro forums always end up with the conclusion that visibility is not a problem when the mirrors are adjusted correctly and the Blind Spot Monitoring is used. The rearward visibility is obviously horrendous - worse than any other car I have experienced. But the front visibility is also bad, with a huge A-pillar that causes problems when making left turns. The visibility issues really manifest themselves in parking lots when trying to navigate curbing and other low obstacles. You kind of hope for the best. The M2C is like a greenhouse in comparison. The difference is night and day.

Comfort-wise, the two cars are similar. The suede material of the Camaro's Recaros generally feels more comfortable than the Dakota leather of the M2C. Also, the Camaro seat bottoms are quite a bit softer and more comfortable than the hard seat bottoms of the M2C. And of course, the ventilated Camaro seats are much more comfortable in hot muggy weather than the non-breathable M2C seats. Suspension-wise, the Camaro had the adjustable magnetic dampers which could either be in Tour or Sport mode, but honestly, it wasn't a huge difference to me. The BMW's suspension firmness seems to be somewhere between the two Camaro settings, but neither car rides significantly better than the other over rough roads.

I sold the Camaro in favor of the M2C mainly because I was looking for a more comfortable daily driver. I wanted to stay with a manual transmission and RWD, and have a car that could do a track day once a year if needed, but was mainly a comfortable street car. I wish I could have both cars in my garage, but since I can only have one, I am super stoked with the M2C. I've said before the M2C is like Goldilocks because it's just the right combination of performance, comfort, sporty styling, prestige, all while being somewhat understated and able to blend in as far as the general public is concerned. I love the M2C and to me it is Goldilocks.

[wjones14]

A few other comparison comments I forgot to mention:

Gauges - I liked the adjustable digital gauges in the Camaro a lot more than M2 gauges. I still don't get why BMW doesn't have a coolant temp gauge, even in the hidden menu with the turn signal button. The Camaro had 3 general modes - Classic, Tech, and Media. I usually stuck with the Classic mode, but just the fact that you could change it depending on your mood was a cool thing. And of course the Camaro had a coolant temperature gauge and an easily readable oil temperature gauge. Plus a lot of other neat stuff like eLSD slip percentage. The M2C does have an oil temp gauge when cycling through the turn signal button menu, but am I the only one who finds it difficult to read? It has a number at the 160 tick mark and another at the 250 tick, but no numbers in between? Oh well, it's a nitpick and probably why i didn't mention it in my original comparison.

Steering wheel - Oh yes, the BMW wheel is sublime. Love it. The small diameter and thick grip feels perfect. The spongy leather covering takes getting used to, but it's the same wheel as was in my M235i so I am well used to it. The soft feel concerns me a bit that it might scratch easily, so I am super careful with my fingernails and so forth. The Camaro wheel was larger diameter and had a rim that felt too skinny. It was covered in alcantara, which is kind of cool, but also a cause for concern about it getting dirty or matted. Mine stayed like new for the 3 years I owned, but I was always washing my hands before getting in the car to avoid any oils or anything else. If I could choose, I would always go with leather over alcantara.

My Touch infotainment vs. iDrive - To me, the Chevy My Touch system was way more intuitive than the iDrive system. And I've had 3 cars now with iDrive. Both are touch screen of course. The iDrive additionally has the controller so you never have to touch the screen. And I don't. The Camaro infotainment did not have a separate controller, but it did have old school physical buttons below it with a handy Home button. The Chevy screen UI looked better to me and like I said, was more intuitive. The iDrive does have the split screen feature, however, so it wins there. Finally, the Chevy screen was tilted down, apparently to help with glare issues, but it didn't really help that much. The iDrive is more immune to glare issues. Overall - toss-up between the two infotainment systems.

[Carson95]

Great review. One thing that really interests me is the attention grabbing capability of the Camaro vs the M2. Is it just because the Camaro is a more common car? Is the M2 so rare that people don't realize what it is?

And yes I know this thread is from last year, sorry.

[Moloc]

Amazing review! Agree on all fronts except maybe the attention aspect. I think the color of the car has a lot to do with it. My M2 is black with the full carbon fiber package, rims, etc and I can't go anywhere without it getting looks and attention the entire time.

[m2ss]

Originally Posted by Moloc

Amazing review! Agree on all fronts except maybe the attention aspect. I think the color of the car has a lot to do with it. My M2 is black with the full carbon fiber package, rims, etc and I can't go anywhere without it getting looks and attention the entire time.

My LBB M2C gets some attention but coming from a 22 R8 Spyder it feels invisible.

I love it...

[baege]

Originally Posted by m2ss

My LBB M2C gets some attention but coming from a 22 R8 Spyder it feels invisible.

I love it...

you've had some nice cars, some of which I have considered, looked really hard at an R8 before getting a GTS 4.0

wonder how your would rank the M2C in terms of fun on the road?

[m2ss]

Originally Posted by baege

you've had some nice cars, some of which I have considered, looked really hard at an R8 before getting a GTS 4.0

wonder how your would rank the M2C in terms of fun on the road?

Interesting, I was cross shopping the R8 Spyder and 718 Spyder (wifey said no) so I took the R8 at MSRP and traded in my 991.2 TT at a profit (only about 15k but tax savings was great).

I got too much attention in the R8 vs TT (which got very little). To be honest the least drivable car was my tuned 1M yet it was the most fun. Got the wife a 2018 LCI M2 and found myself driving it all the time so when the opportunity arose to sell the R8 at a relatively big premium to what I paid I jumped into the M2C and decided I would modify it to suit my driving style.

Fun on the road wise the M2C reminds me of the 1M the most in that I love it and don't really know why...lol.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by Carson95

Great review. One thing that really interests me is the attention grabbing capability of the Camaro vs the M2. Is it just because the Camaro is a more common car? Is the M2 so rare that people don't realize what it is?

And yes I know this thread is from last year, sorry.

Originally Posted by Moloc

Amazing review! Agree on all fronts except maybe the attention aspect. I think the color of the car has a lot to do with it. My M2 is black with the full carbon fiber package, rims, etc and I can't go anywhere without it getting looks and attention the entire time.

OP here. Just take a look at the Camaro... It's so much more menacing than the M2. You can't miss the matte black hood and the gaping front grill openings. And the small-block Chevy has a sound like no other, especially when paired with the 1LE performance exhaust. The car attracts attention from enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike.

I live in a beach town with lots of pedestrians and bicycles, and I lost count of how many kids on bikes or walking would give me the hand motion to spin the wheels on the Camaro. It was comical. Also lost count of how many folks in general had positive comments in parking lots or gas stations.

Both of mine were white, so there goes that theory.

I've had the M2 a year and a half now, and it flies under the radar with very few comments or notice. Sure, car enthusiasts know what it is, and I'll get a thumbs up when driving by another M owner or certain other sports cars. But most folks ignore it, even most regular BMW owners.

BTW, I did take the M2 to a track event at Watkins Glen in July 2022. My best lap was almost 5 seconds slower than my best lap in the Camaro. But I did hit a higher top speed in the M2 - 139 vs. 137. I think that means the M2 is faster on the straights, but slower in the turns. Or it could just mean I sucked a little more in the M2. The Camaro was easier to drive fast, in my experience. I had more confidence in it. The M2 wiggled a bit under hard braking, which tended to scare me a little, and consequently I was probably more conversative with it.

That said, the M2 was phenomenal on the track and just as much fun as the Camaro. Super pleased with it and don't regret the trade one bit!

[m2ss]

Originally Posted by wjones14

That said, the M2 was phenomenal on the track and just as much fun as the Camaro. Super pleased with it and don't regret the trade one bit!

It is a blast for sure.

Love the Alpine white, not that many around...