Discussion
After a few nice leases consisting of an M135i, MK7 Golf Gti I treated myself to a dream car for me, which was a BMW M2, the newly released (at that time) Competition model on a decent lease deal, despite rumours from lease brokers of long waiting times etc, mine came in 8 weeks, delivered by trailer with approx 10 miles on the clock,
Not beng an automotive writer I'll try and be really simple, to help someone along if they want to buy one,
Good Bits
Fast
Really nice handling
Looks great - those widened arches just really work
MPG - really isn't bad, prob 20 - 25mpg around town, and 30/35 on the motorway. Clearly if you're hammering it everywhere then take 10mpg off those figures
Seats are very comfortable
I-drive, the live map showing traffic etc is very useful
Ride - firm but really not that crashy
Mine only had the heated seats as an option, which is now standard, so you could call it poverty spec - it's still totally fine and even without tints, dark wheels and dancing headlights I never felt I was missing out
Bad Bits
Watch out for that rear end in slippery conditions
The OPF filter used to clog on mine, was only towards the end of the lease I discovered that it would only regenerate if you had over half a tank in
You're better off with premium fuel
Run in service - you have to pay for this now, but in the older M days apparently it was free
Insurance is pretty brutal for a 40 year old like me...
Controversial Bits
Sound - it's really not that bad and some drives home during the lockdown, in the summer heat with the windows down, it sounded fantastic
Attention - it gets quite a bit, lots of thumbs up and 'nice car mate' comments in the supermarket car park, always nice I suppose
Comparing it to the M1351 (2014) that I had, its a strange one as it really didn't faster when I first got it. Over time though I've come to appreciate that it hides the speed better so it feels not as 'urgent' sometimes. However, it's the subtle differences that give it the edge, it's a little bit better in every way than the M135 and it adds up to a totally difference experience. I'm not much of a speed freak or even a fast driver, but it feels hugely more accomplished over the M135i, I know a lot of people compare stats to a mapped 240i and dismiss the M2 but to do that I feel is missing the point.
Anyway should you get one - YES! I'm missing mine already...
Not beng an automotive writer I'll try and be really simple, to help someone along if they want to buy one,
Good Bits
Fast
Really nice handling
Looks great - those widened arches just really work
MPG - really isn't bad, prob 20 - 25mpg around town, and 30/35 on the motorway. Clearly if you're hammering it everywhere then take 10mpg off those figures
Seats are very comfortable
I-drive, the live map showing traffic etc is very useful
Ride - firm but really not that crashy
Mine only had the heated seats as an option, which is now standard, so you could call it poverty spec - it's still totally fine and even without tints, dark wheels and dancing headlights I never felt I was missing out
Bad Bits
Watch out for that rear end in slippery conditions
The OPF filter used to clog on mine, was only towards the end of the lease I discovered that it would only regenerate if you had over half a tank in
You're better off with premium fuel
Run in service - you have to pay for this now, but in the older M days apparently it was free
Insurance is pretty brutal for a 40 year old like me...
Controversial Bits
Sound - it's really not that bad and some drives home during the lockdown, in the summer heat with the windows down, it sounded fantastic
Attention - it gets quite a bit, lots of thumbs up and 'nice car mate' comments in the supermarket car park, always nice I suppose
Comparing it to the M1351 (2014) that I had, its a strange one as it really didn't faster when I first got it. Over time though I've come to appreciate that it hides the speed better so it feels not as 'urgent' sometimes. However, it's the subtle differences that give it the edge, it's a little bit better in every way than the M135 and it adds up to a totally difference experience. I'm not much of a speed freak or even a fast driver, but it feels hugely more accomplished over the M135i, I know a lot of people compare stats to a mapped 240i and dismiss the M2 but to do that I feel is missing the point.
Anyway should you get one - YES! I'm missing mine already...
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