Thoughts and Notes About Our New M2C!

It’s hard to explain just how good this car is. Only 200 miles on the clock and it’s already my favorite non-Ferrari I’ve ever driven.

But I’ll try…. 

Just drove the M2C on my epic test road to the gym. I should be working out now, but I want to dump some more thought before they slip my mind:

1) I’ve said it before but the MDM mode is the best driving aid I’ve ever tested. On my entire drive to the gym (15 min or HARD driving), it never intervened once. And that includes fast bumpy corners that involve full throttle and opposite lock at exit. It knows when you have things under control by how much counter-steer you are dialing in. If it deems you a competent driver, it just lets you do your thing and never gets in the way. It never seems to moderate wheelspin at all. And when it thinks you screwed up, it still allows a few feet of rear axle slide before pulling in the reins. Shockingly good and I can’t wait for more vehicles to adopt these kinds of stability control strategies. I’m really looking forward to see how effective it will be when the car gets a tune and another 100hp.

2) I can say that, without a doubt, this is the best driving sports car I’ve ever driven under $150k. It is more fun, involving and dynamically honest than a (non-turbo or GT3) 991 which suffers from the same maladies as all rear engine 911s suffer from on the street: -too much rear grip and not enough power 
-a light front end that requires constant management when hauling ass on real (imperfect) roads.

3) The M2C reminds me of my old 987 Cayman S in terms of innate goodness. But with a more a more smile/drift inducing power plant and vastly superior traction control system (I always had to disabled it completely in the Cayman for any serious driving). The M2C also offers better visibility which positively contributes to driver confidence. The only thing the 987 did better than the M2C was offer more tactile steering feedback but that is to be expected when comparing hydraulic to electric assist. But when not comparing it to a car with one of the best steering feels I’ve experienced, the M2C is still surprisingly good and definitely better than the first gen M2 or any other modern BMW M car for that matter.

4) This is the only car I’ve driven, along with the 458, that simply doesn’t do anything poorly due to engineering compromise. As a result, there is nothing that requires fixing/tweaking. No suspension work to be done. No brake upgrades needed. Sure, more power would be nice. But if it wasn’t due to the nature of my job, I’d be perfectly with the current power level.

5) If you are considering a used 991, drive an new M2C. Hard. It provides slightly more utility and an honestly better driving experience. Dammit, I sound like I should be on BMWs payroll. If you told me a few months ago that there is a modern M car that I would actually like, I wouldn’t believe it. But it’s true. And it’s strength really don’t become obvious until you are pushing it right up to its limit. Which unfortunately means that most people will never realize it. But kudos to BMW for actually building a car for drivers and not posers.