BMW and M Power Owners

Soldato
Joined
25 Sep 2006
Posts
14,349
I should probably take the opportunity while working at home to stick the battery on a condition cycle on the Ctek.

I remember reading somewhere this is worth doing annually, even if the car isn't going to be stood for any significant period of time?

Still expecting to give it a few mile run in to town for a food shop every 7-10 days during this lockdown and a short blast on the local link road to get rid of cobwebs...
 

DRZ

DRZ

Soldato
Joined
2 Jun 2003
Posts
7,417
Location
In the top 1%
Well, after the chastening experience of spending a ridiculous amount of money running my E92 M3 (and blowing it up was a part of that) I thought I'd be sensible and get an F06 640d Gran Coupe. It was lovely, quite a decent spec (M Sport Plus pack (20" wheels, HK etc), sunroof, soft close doors, adaptive LED and so on) but I just didn't love it the way I did my F10 535d. So, I sold it...

..and bought an M2!

2018 M2 in Long Beach Blue to be precise. Not the best specced car out there but I don't think I care at all for that. It is utterly fantastic to drive - feels so alive and is hilariously wayward if you want it to be. On cold/damp/muddy roads you certainly have to pay attention to what you're doing on the throttle but yet it is so much less spiky than the F8x M3/M4. Sounds way better than the S55 too IMO, one of the reasons I didn't opt for an M2C.

wHozCTp.jpg
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Oct 2002
Posts
26,251
Location
Here
Ouch. Seemed it was in overrun a long time before it blew. Bearing I guess ?

M2s look great, so muscular. How does it compare to the e92 ? Is the M2 DCT too ?
 

DRZ

DRZ

Soldato
Joined
2 Jun 2003
Posts
7,417
Location
In the top 1%
Ouch. Seemed it was in overrun a long time before it blew. Bearing I guess ?

M2s look great, so muscular. How does it compare to the e92 ? Is the M2 DCT too ?

Main bearing yeah. I was driving quite conservatively on that lap too, brakes were on the limit and that Porsche was throwing out a lot of fluid (they later claimed it was water trapped in the car from when they washed it...) so I was keeping a bit of distance.

Anyway, M2 vs E92 M3... The engine is clearly very different. The M2 only revs to about 7K but feels a lot stronger through the range thanks to the turbo. There's not as much drama at the top end of the N55 but still does like to be revved all the way without feeling asthmatic. The N55 doesn't sound as good as the S65 but the M2 definitely feels like it puts speed on much more readily because you don't have to work it anywhere near as hard. The torque curve is quite flat but there is a bit of a surge around 3Kish which gives it a fun feeling. On balance, I don't think there's much of an outright speed difference between the two cars but the way that they go about it means that on the road the M2 will be the faster car. The DCT box is about the same in both (and yes, mine has the DCT box), although the M2 doesn't have the configurability that it does in the E92. It behaves more like it did in my E89 sDrive35i. I pretty much only ever drove the M3 in D3 if pootling or S4 on the road (S5 on track) so its kinda similar in the M2 in Comfort/Sport(+), perhaps closer to D2/S3. Low speed driving (parking etc) is just as bad as the E92, I guess that's just inherent with the DCT platform. The M2 is a lot less compliant on the road compared to the E92 although my E92 had EDC which helped that out a LOT. The M2 is the better handling car, hands down. Shorter wheelbase, better geometry, tauter chassis and it feels really light compared to the E92. Not like getting into a Radical but noticeably lighter. Probably because the interior in the M3 is probably "better". The M2 has better tech and is well laid out, but materials quality the M2 does feel a tiny step down compared to the M3. There was just a touch more luxury about the E92 that the M2 doesn't have. Going back to the handling, the E92 never gave me the impression that it was going to bite me. I remember hammering down the A4212 in the rain and despite a few very minor touches of oversteer here and there, it felt nailed on. The M2 isn't like that at all, you're constantly aware that the rear wheels can be overcome on demand and you must drive accordingly. The M2's Active M Differential is markedly better than the E92s as well.

The way it drives is like a grown-up E46 rather than a watered-down F82, if that makes sense. It is easily the best M car I've driven in terms of the immediate excitement you get when driving it.
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Oct 2002
Posts
26,251
Location
Here
Good write up thanks. Would like to try one of the newer Ms.

when I first drove an E92 M3 I also drove the 340hp Z4iS and thought it felt a great engine. Obviously the V8 is unbearable in noise and the power delivery coming from VTEC world is very similar.
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Jun 2005
Posts
9,066
Location
Nottinghamshire
I loved my E92 M3. The DCT was very good when pressing on but not so good otherwise. The engine and noise were great too, just be careful of rod bearing failure. After they failed on my M5 (luckily not catastrophic) I just replaced them on my M3 preventatively.
 
Associate
Joined
2 Jul 2004
Posts
1,368
Why would there be a situation with monthly warranty fees?
I was thinking if they can't provide a service (workshops have closed) then they shouldn't be asking for the fees.

E.g. my school nursery closed and have stopped charging fees.
Sky/virgin waiving sky sports fees etc.

I was gonna get in touch but wondered if anybody already has done.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
9,158
I was thinking if they can't provide a service (workshops have closed) then they shouldn't be asking for the fees.

E.g. my school nursery closed and have stopped charging fees.
Sky/virgin waiving sky sports fees etc.

I was gonna get in touch but wondered if anybody already has done.

Hardly the same, is it? They're still providing a service even if the workshops are closed, it's an insurance product.
 
Back
Top Bottom