RE: BMW M2 Competition: Driven

RE: BMW M2 Competition: Driven

Author
Discussion

Onehp

1,617 posts

284 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
This also applies to the M2C Mike? If so, would put me off completely....

FocusRS3

3,411 posts

92 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Ive got a test drive Saturday and the dealer is urging me to put down a holding deposit now but I’m in no rush .

If that car sells do be it there will be others

RacerMike

4,211 posts

212 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Onehp said:
This also applies to the M2C Mike? If so, would put me off completely....
If it’s anything like the standard M2 it’s ok, but it feels like it’s more by accident than judgement!

M3 is the one that I’d really struggle to live with. The combination of the engines power delivery and complete lack of communication through the wheel makes it really difficult to judge. It can really catch you out sometimes!

Best way I could put it about the M2 I drove was....better than the M3 in that you can at least tell something about the front wheels, but still weirdly viscous and disconnected. Not a complete deal breaker, but enough to mean it has to win me over in other ways.

By comparison, every current Porsche I drive, I get in and instantly have confidence in which is mainly as a result of the steering. It just feels spot on for accuracy and communicates enough about load transfer and contact patch force variation that you can instantly trust the front end. Something which I never really feel about any current BMW. Some are worse than others, but there’s no trend to it. Some M cars are ok, others are horrendous.

Edited by RacerMike on Wednesday 29th May 10:21

Redline88

399 posts

107 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
RacerMike said:
If it’s anything like the standard M2 it’s ok, but it feels like it’s more by accident than judgement!

M3 is the one that I’d really struggle to live with. The combination of the engines power delivery and complete lack of communication through the wheel makes it really difficult to judge. It can really catch you out sometimes!

Best way I could put it about the M2 I drove was....better than the M3 in that you can at least tell something about the front wheels, but still weirdly viscous and disconnected. Not a complete deal breaker, but enough to mean it has to win me over in other ways.

By comparison, every current Porsche I drive, I get in and instantly have confidence in which is mainly as a result of the steering. It just feels spot on for accuracy and communicates enough about load transfer and contact patch force variation that you can instantly trust the front end. Something which I never really feel about any current BMW. Some are worse than others, but there’s no trend to it. Some M cars are ok, others are horrendous.

Edited by RacerMike on Wednesday 29th May 10:21
Interesting opinion Mike - most of the initial road test reviews that came out praised the steering as being one of the best points about the car!

RacerMike

4,211 posts

212 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Redline88 said:
RacerMike said:
If it’s anything like the standard M2 it’s ok, but it feels like it’s more by accident than judgement!

M3 is the one that I’d really struggle to live with. The combination of the engines power delivery and complete lack of communication through the wheel makes it really difficult to judge. It can really catch you out sometimes!

Best way I could put it about the M2 I drove was....better than the M3 in that you can at least tell something about the front wheels, but still weirdly viscous and disconnected. Not a complete deal breaker, but enough to mean it has to win me over in other ways.

By comparison, every current Porsche I drive, I get in and instantly have confidence in which is mainly as a result of the steering. It just feels spot on for accuracy and communicates enough about load transfer and contact patch force variation that you can instantly trust the front end. Something which I never really feel about any current BMW. Some are worse than others, but there’s no trend to it. Some M cars are ok, others are horrendous.

Edited by RacerMike on Wednesday 29th May 10:21
Interesting opinion Mike - most of the initial road test reviews that came out praised the steering as being one of the best points about the car!
Was that on the Competition or the standard car? It's certainly better than a lot of BMWs current offering (and a big improvement over an M3), but it's not up there with the Cayman or 911 IMO (or even a Panamera for that matter!)

Redline88

399 posts

107 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
On the standard car. For example, Clarkson wrote:

“And then three hours after that, I was on the A1, going round a long left-hander at 70mph, and I thought: “Hang on a minute. This steering is absolutely bleeding fantastic.” I wasn’t taxing the car in any way at all; a Reliant Robin could have taken that bend at 70mph with ease. And yet I could feel that the steering was weighted perfectly and that it was talking to me in a gentle whisper.


And what makes that even more astonishing is that the power assistance is electric.”

FocusRS3

3,411 posts

92 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Redline88 said:
On the standard car. For example, Clarkson wrote:

“And then three hours after that, I was on the A1, going round a long left-hander at 70mph, and I thought: “Hang on a minute. This steering is absolutely bleeding fantastic.” I wasn’t taxing the car in any way at all; a Reliant Robin could have taken that bend at 70mph with ease. And yet I could feel that the steering was weighted perfectly and that it was talking to me in a gentle whisper.


And what makes that even more astonishing is that the power assistance is electric.”
Sorry was Clarkson talking about the first M2 or the comp ?

Redline88

399 posts

107 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
FocusRS3 said:
Redline88 said:
On the standard car. For example, Clarkson wrote:

“And then three hours after that, I was on the A1, going round a long left-hander at 70mph, and I thought: “Hang on a minute. This steering is absolutely bleeding fantastic.” I wasn’t taxing the car in any way at all; a Reliant Robin could have taken that bend at 70mph with ease. And yet I could feel that the steering was weighted perfectly and that it was talking to me in a gentle whisper.


And what makes that even more astonishing is that the power assistance is electric.”
Sorry was Clarkson talking about the first M2 or the comp ?
The original M2

Rocket.

1,517 posts

250 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
I recently drove M2 Comp DCT at the Bedford autodrome (admittedly one of their track prep cars) and was suitably impressed.

It was night and day better than the M4 I drove there the year before and even though it's probably not it certainly felt lighter, more up on it's toes and playful, steering was also decent for epas as I recall, if I were in the market for a new 4 seater M car i'd have one.

FocusRS3

3,411 posts

92 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Redline88 said:
The original M2
Thank you

Harris seems to like the comp and rate it over the standard car .

I’ve not driven the standard car but my thinking is 10k over the standard isn’t the worst buy when looking at used examples



Redline88

399 posts

107 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
I’ve driven both but the drive in the comp was just a BMW demo thing where you didn’t really get the opportunity to experience the car as such.

Owning the standard car, I can’t really fault it on the whole - the interior could be better and I really wish you could turn off the Rev matching without turning off the full DSC but it’s a good, useable, everyday performance car.

If auto trader and the like are a good indication then the values appear to be holding reasonably well for a new car also biggrin

FocusRS3

3,411 posts

92 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
Redline88 said:
I’ve driven both but the drive in the comp was just a BMW demo thing where you didn’t really get the opportunity to experience the car as such.

Owning the standard car, I can’t really fault it on the whole - the interior could be better and I really wish you could turn off the Rev matching without turning off the full DSC but it’s a good, useable, everyday performance car.

If auto trader and the like are a good indication then the values appear to be holding reasonably well for a new car also biggrin
Used comps now seem 10k off list

jl4069

195 posts

103 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
RacerMike said:
Redline88 said:
RacerMike said:
If it’s anything like the standard M2 it’s ok, but it feels like it’s more by accident than judgement!

M3 is the one that I’d really struggle to live with. The combination of the engines power delivery and complete lack of communication through the wheel makes it really difficult to judge. It can really catch you out sometimes!

Best way I could put it about the M2 I drove was....better than the M3 in that you can at least tell something about the front wheels, but still weirdly viscous and disconnected. Not a complete deal breaker, but enough to mean it has to win me over in other ways.

By comparison, every current Porsche I drive, I get in and instantly have confidence in which is mainly as a result of the steering. It just feels spot on for accuracy and communicates enough about load transfer and contact patch force variation that you can instantly trust the front end. Something which I never really feel about any current BMW. Some are worse than others, but there’s no trend to it. Some M cars are ok, others are horrendous.

Edited by RacerMike on Wednesday 29th May 10:21
Interesting opinion Mike - most of the initial road test reviews that came out praised the steering as being one of the best points about the car!
Was that on the Competition or the standard car? It's certainly better than a lot of BMWs current offering (and a big improvement over an M3), but it's not up there with the Cayman or 911 IMO (or even a Panamera for that matter!)
Evo had a bit about the M2comp in a recent long term report. The owner wrote about driving the M2C in the wet, said it was unnerving. Often we hear more truth about performance cars buried in the long term reports than we do in the road tests. j

Redline88

399 posts

107 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
FocusRS3 said:
Redline88 said:
I’ve driven both but the drive in the comp was just a BMW demo thing where you didn’t really get the opportunity to experience the car as such.

Owning the standard car, I can’t really fault it on the whole - the interior could be better and I really wish you could turn off the Rev matching without turning off the full DSC but it’s a good, useable, everyday performance car.

If auto trader and the like are a good indication then the values appear to be holding reasonably well for a new car also biggrin
Used comps now seem 10k off list
I didn’t realise they had dropped as far. I bought mine with 1500 on the clock so had taken the initial hit and shouldn’t have dropped too much since then.

smashy

3,041 posts

159 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
quotequote all
I would like this motor,but as I would be behind a skoda and hyundai and an suv and a supermini traffic jam on some road somewhere in the south east and London suburbs in av speed cameras mobile cameras speeed cameras what is the point and that is really really sad

FocusRS3

3,411 posts

92 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
quotequote all
Redline88 said:
I didn’t realise they had dropped as far. I bought mine with 1500 on the clock so had taken the initial hit and shouldn’t have dropped too much since then.
Surprised me too but list was 55ish with that spec