Opinions about a manual M2?

[Franzino]

I have a M2 on order (delivery end of 2016) and I still have to make a decision about which gearbox I want my M2. I did a testdrive with a manual and DCT equipped M2. I have read almost every review about the M2 and how good and involving the manual gearbox is suppose to be. So I also did a test drive with a manual M2.

The clutch pedal felt really soft of the manual...for me it could be a little heavier...but it is not that big of an issue. The movement of the cluth pedal is really long (a lot longer then on my Z4M and e46 325i). I was amazed at how long the travel of the clutch pedal is and that I never saw it mentioned in any review? When releasing the clutch your knee gets really high...the end of the movement of the cluth is rather high (if you know what I mean )

With the manual gearbox you can feel the effect of turbo lag a little more then with the DCT. THe DCT shifts faster so there is less drop in rev's. The DCT has 7 instead of 6 gears, so the gearing is also shorter and it feels that you keep the engine more in the powerband with feeling less turbo lag.

Any opinion about the manual gearbox of people who have driven a manual M2 are much appreciated

[Franzino]

I'm going to order a manual M2...the DCT is not my kind of gearbox (less involving, less driving pleasure, etc)... I have read every review of the M2 and I know the manual gearbox is in favor.. I was just wondering why no review said anything about the long pedal travel of the clutch...not the travel when pushing down, but when releasing... I was wondering what other M2 owners or M2 testdrivers their opinion is about the clutch travel

Edited by Franzino on Wednesday 22 June 18:36

[Franzino]

Podie said:

Didn't Chris Harris say to get the manual on last week's Top Gear?

Almost every review about the M2 is extremely positive and most reviews are indeed in favor of the manual gearbox. I did a testdrive back to back (manual vs M-DCT) and I ended up ordering a manual Mineral grey M2.

[Franzino]

Podie said:

Slight tangent... but 1M or M2?

I've not seen a comparison yet.

Some sort of comparison
http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/05/08/bmw-1m-owners-dr...

[Franzino]

TuonoPants said:

R&T compare the M2 with a number of small BMWs including the 1M but that is not the main focus of the test. They test a manual M2 and do comment that it's a much better gearbox than on the 1M.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12...

Edited by Franzino on Thursday 30th June 14:01

[Franzino]

I had a testdrive M2 DCT for 3 hours, a M2 manual for 1 hour and a M4 DCT for 1 hour. The first testdrive was with the M2 DCT. When I picked up the M2 it already won me over after 15min and I was tempted to buy a M2 DCT. Then I needed to decide the color and gearbox...so I also did a test with a manual M2.

In the past I borrowed an e90 M3 DCT from a friend for one week and lived with it on a daily basis. I did not like the gearbox in city and slow stop and go traffic. On normal roads it made me want to drive the car realy fast to enjoy the fast shifts. For me the DCT gearbox is at his best when driving realy fast or on a track...then it is an extra value and awesome piece (personal opinion). After two days in city traffic I stopped using the manual gearshifts of the DKG and just put it in D... It made me feel like a leazy driver in the e90 M3.

IMO the M2 is a car that is more about involvement and a little back to basic driving pleasure (in a modern package). I felt the manual gearbox suited the M2 personality better. The manual gearbox of the M2 is not perfect. Changing gears feels great, but the clutch is not the greatest. The clutch is very light with little feel and the movement of the clutch pedal is to long for my taste (I will need to get used to this). With the f80 M3/M4 I would probably also choose DCT. It's a great gearbox and I understand why people would like to have it....

[Franzino]

I have read almost every review of the M2
Most reviewers say both gearboxes are equally good and it's down to personal preference of the buyer. If they do have a personal preference then in most cases it's the manual gearbox. This is coming from people who drive a lot of different cars and who love driving.

BMW M2 reviews
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/bmw-m2-r...

http://mashable.com/2016/02/16/2017-bmw-m2-coupe-r...

In favor of manual gearbox
http://www.bimmerfile.com/2016/03/14/the-bmw-m2-dc...

http://www.caradvice.com.au/434143/2016-bmw-m2-rev...

http://jalopnik.com/the-2016-bmw-m2-is-bmws-middle...

http://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/m2/page/0/2

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/bmw/bmw-m...

http://youtu.be/5381x5IDg8U

[Franzino]

msi200 said:

I opted for the manual version, but the M2 is not my daily drive.
Initially the MT felt a bit awkward - mainly because of the rev matching- but you'll get used to it.
Another thing to consider is that 6th gear on the MT is shorter than 7th on the DCT.
In theory, the DCT should be better for slow traffic and at the track, but my previous M5 DCT was quite annoying in the city, so in my experience DCT>MT only at the track.

Same here; For me the DCT gearbox is at his best when driving realy fast or on a track...then it is an extra value and awesome piece (personal opinion). But my M2 will be driven 90% on the street and 8 times/year on track (mostly Nürburgring).
I tought the MT felt a bit awkward because of the long travel of the clutch pedal.