Discussion
After owning a VW Golf R32 and two Audi RS3s over the last four years, I’ve finally got my commute down to just a few miles a day (down from 64 miles, 2+ hours in the seat), meaning I started looking for a replacement. Long distance comfort is less of a consideration now. I wanted something more purposeful, a bit more angry, but still able to do everything I need with only the one allocated parking space I have with my flat.
There weren’t many contenders for a replacement. Other than the M2 I had looked at AMG C63s (the old one), but I’ve never been able to fall in love with them. I couldn’t find a Porsche in the price range that I really liked. Current M3/M4 too big. And other than the RS6, which I can’t afford to buy nor run, and is way too big for me+gf, Audi’s current lineup is pretty terrible.
So the M2 it was then. BMW targeted the demographic well I think: late 20s professional looking to get their first serious car (RS3 was mad fast, but pretty numb). I loved the looked of the 1M and while slightly more tame in its styling, the M2 is still an angry looking thing - especially parked next to a standard 2-series. It takes the M3/M4s standard wheels which look excellent. I also think Long Beach Blue is terrific - even out of the sun.
I picked this one up yesterday after test driving it a week ago. Ex-demo, it has a good list of sensible options, including electric seats, adaptive headlights, Harmon Kardon hifi, sun protection glass, folding exterior mirrors, heated seats, and rear parking camera. It’s a DCT model. But as it was the sales manager’s previous car, it even has a couple of M Performance bits on it too: black kidney grille, which I’ve noticed is pretty ubiquitous in BMW M-land, black side vents (which are purely styling features…), and the Performance steering wheel with Alcantara grips. I’ve heard horror stories about Alcantara on steering wheels, but I’m sticking with it for now as the ‘carbon’ finish matches the rest of the interior nicely.
Had a lot of fun blasting it around yesterday. Initial impressions are it’s a lot noisier than I expected from watching countless YouTube videos, even with the standard exhaust. The N55 sounds glorious. I like how there are enough driving modes to decide whether you want to be loud or quiet, comfortable or mad - but not so many you spend 20 mins deciding what you want. So far my favourite is Sport mode with MDM active, and manual mode - for some reason MDM gives you waaaay more crackles on the overrun, which I’m not bored of yet
Even Comfort is pretty loud though. I really like how the adjustable bolsters mean you are properly hugged in rather than flopping all over the place like I was in the Audi.
The big difference obviously though is the handling. To go from the original RS3, destroyed in the press for its understeering character, to the M2, a wide, short wheel based car, with the engine in the right place - I’ve quite literally gone from one extreme to the other. It’s an absolute pleasure to drive through corners. It gives me total confidence to push on - even though this is my first RWD car. And I really like that it wants to be driven hard. It’s fairly hard for me to describe but it doesn’t feel happy poodling around at lower speeds. I suppose I could say it’s ‘eager’?
Anyway here are a couple of pics. I’m not fancy with a camera so excuse that. I will work on getting some better ones when I'm not so interested in just driving it all the time. Looking forward to racking up some miles before winter hits and I have to be a bit more sensible with it
[url]
There weren’t many contenders for a replacement. Other than the M2 I had looked at AMG C63s (the old one), but I’ve never been able to fall in love with them. I couldn’t find a Porsche in the price range that I really liked. Current M3/M4 too big. And other than the RS6, which I can’t afford to buy nor run, and is way too big for me+gf, Audi’s current lineup is pretty terrible.
So the M2 it was then. BMW targeted the demographic well I think: late 20s professional looking to get their first serious car (RS3 was mad fast, but pretty numb). I loved the looked of the 1M and while slightly more tame in its styling, the M2 is still an angry looking thing - especially parked next to a standard 2-series. It takes the M3/M4s standard wheels which look excellent. I also think Long Beach Blue is terrific - even out of the sun.
I picked this one up yesterday after test driving it a week ago. Ex-demo, it has a good list of sensible options, including electric seats, adaptive headlights, Harmon Kardon hifi, sun protection glass, folding exterior mirrors, heated seats, and rear parking camera. It’s a DCT model. But as it was the sales manager’s previous car, it even has a couple of M Performance bits on it too: black kidney grille, which I’ve noticed is pretty ubiquitous in BMW M-land, black side vents (which are purely styling features…), and the Performance steering wheel with Alcantara grips. I’ve heard horror stories about Alcantara on steering wheels, but I’m sticking with it for now as the ‘carbon’ finish matches the rest of the interior nicely.
Had a lot of fun blasting it around yesterday. Initial impressions are it’s a lot noisier than I expected from watching countless YouTube videos, even with the standard exhaust. The N55 sounds glorious. I like how there are enough driving modes to decide whether you want to be loud or quiet, comfortable or mad - but not so many you spend 20 mins deciding what you want. So far my favourite is Sport mode with MDM active, and manual mode - for some reason MDM gives you waaaay more crackles on the overrun, which I’m not bored of yet
Even Comfort is pretty loud though. I really like how the adjustable bolsters mean you are properly hugged in rather than flopping all over the place like I was in the Audi.The big difference obviously though is the handling. To go from the original RS3, destroyed in the press for its understeering character, to the M2, a wide, short wheel based car, with the engine in the right place - I’ve quite literally gone from one extreme to the other. It’s an absolute pleasure to drive through corners. It gives me total confidence to push on - even though this is my first RWD car. And I really like that it wants to be driven hard. It’s fairly hard for me to describe but it doesn’t feel happy poodling around at lower speeds. I suppose I could say it’s ‘eager’?
Anyway here are a couple of pics. I’m not fancy with a camera so excuse that. I will work on getting some better ones when I'm not so interested in just driving it all the time. Looking forward to racking up some miles before winter hits and I have to be a bit more sensible with it
[url]Edited by zeDuffMan on Sunday 16th July 18:05
Very nice car, was looking at them but decided I didn't need practicality so got an Exige instead! haha - did decide that I'd prefer the manual (do agree the DCT box is pretty good though!)
Only thing I'd personally change about yours is putting a private plate on...after reading the last 3 letters I can't get the association out of my head or stop seeing it!
Only thing I'd personally change about yours is putting a private plate on...after reading the last 3 letters I can't get the association out of my head or stop seeing it!
So after just over a week, I thought I would write up some opinions and comparisons to the RS3.
ENGINE: This is the N55 (3.0 i6 twin-scroll turbo from the M135i/235i) with some components from the S55 found in the M3/M4, rated at 370hp/340ftlb (370 on ‘overboost’). Compared to the RS3 it feels less turbocharged. It pulls well at low revs with good response, but seems to do its best work above 4500-5000rpm. The RS3 was almost as quick if you never went above 4k as it was if you stretched it to 6800 in every gear. I don’t think there’s all that much in it in straight line speed below 50mph - and the BMW would obviously be traction limited. Above 50 the extra power (+35hp) and less weight (-130kg IIRC) makes the M2 accelerate harder.
SOUND: The M2 sounds incredible. The 8P RS3 was quite reserved in its sound output but the M2 isn’t afraid to bark. In Comfort it is decently loud from the outside, but with windows up the interior is very quiet. There is some noise piped in through the speakers so you know it’s working. In Sport the exhaust gets louder, as does the sound pumped into the cabin (although it sounds pretty rubbish when you put your foot down). Putting the traction into MDM mode introduces extra bangs on the overrun. Driving with the windows down in Sport/MDM and manual shifting is a riot, particularly in town as the sound bounces off nearby buildings.
GEARBOX: A downfall compared to the RS3. The S-Tronic mimics a traditional auto - creeps when you take the foot off the brake without any throttle. It was very quick to switch between forward and reverse and smooth in auto mode - it’s the only dual clutch box I had driven before and I always wondered why people said they’re too jerky in traffic. Well now I have DCT, I can see why people complain. Combined with a very short first gear it’s pretty crap in traffic. You can pull away in second in manual mode but it feels like it’s riding the clutch too much, and every now and then it’ll drop to first anyway without you noticing and you jump around like a newb. 7th gear is a motorway cruising gear so left to its own devices it barely ever comes out of 6th, where as the RS3 would be in 7th by 45mph and run on just a few revs. The DCT sometimes take a while + makes a bit of noise switching between forward and reverse. On the move, I would say upshifts were about the same and downshifts are better on the DCT. I don’t know if the DCT saves a decent amount of weight over the S-Tronic, in which case I could understand the compromise - but if not, and BMW can’t get DCT to work smoothly, then I can see why the next M5 is probably going to have a ZF 8-speed auto.
HANDLING: Now we’re getting to the M2s strongest point. It’s a wide car relative to its size, with a short wheel base, rear wheel drive, and the engine is mounted behind the front wheels. It rotates beautifully. Pulling out of junctions or round tight corners you get this subtle sensation like the front wheels aren’t moving and the rear wheels are just sliding around, rather than dragging the fronts across the road while the rears hang on like in the RS3. In faster bends the car just glides round so effortlessly it’s taking a while to get used to.
COMFORT: at slow speeds the M2 is hard work over pitted roads. On dual carriageways and motorways it disguises speed better than the RS3. The M2s seats offer better lateral and lumbar support but I think I prefer the RS3 seats for longer journeys - but I may just need to work on my driving position a bit more.
INTERIOR: typical 2-series I think but with blue stitching everywhere which contrasts with the outside - everyone so far has commented on it. Nothing you touch feels too cheap imo. The ‘carbon’ pieces on the centre console, along the dash, and on the door handles looks good imo - but people who hate all-black interiors will not be fans. The alcantara on the door cards are a nice touch. The dash gauges have a grey background rather than black which means you can’t see the clocks properly in the wrong lighting - they really didn’t think that through and I believe the LCI M2 will fix that. M-Perf steering wheel matches well but I hate the stripe at the top.
TECHNOLOGY: iDrive is great. The power/torque sport gauges are a great gimmick. The adaptive headlights are probably one of the most sci-fi things I’ve seen on a car - and they’ve worked reliably so far; a really good feature for driving on unlit roads at night. Had I been ordering new I wouldn’t have bothered, but now I would definitely go for it. Built in satnav is pretty decent. Also, I like being able to stream Spotify from my phone over bluetooth.
AUDIO: Harmon Kardon upgrade is a must I think. The grilles finish off the interior nicely. Much better than the Bose system in the RS3.
Got a chip in the windscreen 3 days after picking the car up which I was pretty pissed about. That’s getting replaced on Friday.
ENGINE: This is the N55 (3.0 i6 twin-scroll turbo from the M135i/235i) with some components from the S55 found in the M3/M4, rated at 370hp/340ftlb (370 on ‘overboost’). Compared to the RS3 it feels less turbocharged. It pulls well at low revs with good response, but seems to do its best work above 4500-5000rpm. The RS3 was almost as quick if you never went above 4k as it was if you stretched it to 6800 in every gear. I don’t think there’s all that much in it in straight line speed below 50mph - and the BMW would obviously be traction limited. Above 50 the extra power (+35hp) and less weight (-130kg IIRC) makes the M2 accelerate harder.
SOUND: The M2 sounds incredible. The 8P RS3 was quite reserved in its sound output but the M2 isn’t afraid to bark. In Comfort it is decently loud from the outside, but with windows up the interior is very quiet. There is some noise piped in through the speakers so you know it’s working. In Sport the exhaust gets louder, as does the sound pumped into the cabin (although it sounds pretty rubbish when you put your foot down). Putting the traction into MDM mode introduces extra bangs on the overrun. Driving with the windows down in Sport/MDM and manual shifting is a riot, particularly in town as the sound bounces off nearby buildings.
GEARBOX: A downfall compared to the RS3. The S-Tronic mimics a traditional auto - creeps when you take the foot off the brake without any throttle. It was very quick to switch between forward and reverse and smooth in auto mode - it’s the only dual clutch box I had driven before and I always wondered why people said they’re too jerky in traffic. Well now I have DCT, I can see why people complain. Combined with a very short first gear it’s pretty crap in traffic. You can pull away in second in manual mode but it feels like it’s riding the clutch too much, and every now and then it’ll drop to first anyway without you noticing and you jump around like a newb. 7th gear is a motorway cruising gear so left to its own devices it barely ever comes out of 6th, where as the RS3 would be in 7th by 45mph and run on just a few revs. The DCT sometimes take a while + makes a bit of noise switching between forward and reverse. On the move, I would say upshifts were about the same and downshifts are better on the DCT. I don’t know if the DCT saves a decent amount of weight over the S-Tronic, in which case I could understand the compromise - but if not, and BMW can’t get DCT to work smoothly, then I can see why the next M5 is probably going to have a ZF 8-speed auto.
HANDLING: Now we’re getting to the M2s strongest point. It’s a wide car relative to its size, with a short wheel base, rear wheel drive, and the engine is mounted behind the front wheels. It rotates beautifully. Pulling out of junctions or round tight corners you get this subtle sensation like the front wheels aren’t moving and the rear wheels are just sliding around, rather than dragging the fronts across the road while the rears hang on like in the RS3. In faster bends the car just glides round so effortlessly it’s taking a while to get used to.
COMFORT: at slow speeds the M2 is hard work over pitted roads. On dual carriageways and motorways it disguises speed better than the RS3. The M2s seats offer better lateral and lumbar support but I think I prefer the RS3 seats for longer journeys - but I may just need to work on my driving position a bit more.
INTERIOR: typical 2-series I think but with blue stitching everywhere which contrasts with the outside - everyone so far has commented on it. Nothing you touch feels too cheap imo. The ‘carbon’ pieces on the centre console, along the dash, and on the door handles looks good imo - but people who hate all-black interiors will not be fans. The alcantara on the door cards are a nice touch. The dash gauges have a grey background rather than black which means you can’t see the clocks properly in the wrong lighting - they really didn’t think that through and I believe the LCI M2 will fix that. M-Perf steering wheel matches well but I hate the stripe at the top.
TECHNOLOGY: iDrive is great. The power/torque sport gauges are a great gimmick. The adaptive headlights are probably one of the most sci-fi things I’ve seen on a car - and they’ve worked reliably so far; a really good feature for driving on unlit roads at night. Had I been ordering new I wouldn’t have bothered, but now I would definitely go for it. Built in satnav is pretty decent. Also, I like being able to stream Spotify from my phone over bluetooth.
AUDIO: Harmon Kardon upgrade is a must I think. The grilles finish off the interior nicely. Much better than the Bose system in the RS3.
Got a chip in the windscreen 3 days after picking the car up which I was pretty pissed about. That’s getting replaced on Friday.
Love these and a fantastic write up thanks, I must admit though that I'm not keen on the all black interior, and that's where the M4 appeals to me more because you can make the interior more individual, I prefer the more driver focused side of the M2 though.
Like you I also prefer the S-Tronic/full slusher Auto to the DCT and I find DCT very clumsy, I'd go for a manual if I had a M2/M4 although not many seem to.
Like you I also prefer the S-Tronic/full slusher Auto to the DCT and I find DCT very clumsy, I'd go for a manual if I had a M2/M4 although not many seem to.
cerb4.5lee said:
Love these and a fantastic write up thanks, I must admit though that I'm not keen on the all black interior, and that's where the M4 appeals to me more because you can make the interior more individual, I prefer the more driver focused side of the M2 though.
Like you I also prefer the S-Tronic/full slusher Auto to the DCT and I find DCT very clumsy, I'd go for a manual if I had a M2/M4 although not many seem to.
Aren't the S-Trocis gearbox fitted to most fast Audi's including the RS3 dual clutch? I always thought they were just VAG DSG boxes ... in the performance models at least. I know they're moving away from them now though as is BMW by the looks of it.Like you I also prefer the S-Tronic/full slusher Auto to the DCT and I find DCT very clumsy, I'd go for a manual if I had a M2/M4 although not many seem to.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff