Who cares about my impressions? Maybe you don't, I'm not an influencer, I'm just a born again M guy coming from a life of Mopar and I know what I like. My first M car was an F87 comp, followed by a Z4M coupe, and now the G87. I'm mostly going to compare to my F87 comp, and I'll keep it short and to the point.
My main points are below, and I'm not really saying anything new, just saying my preference. Also, I didn't baby my car during break in. I used the full limits of the procedure and then some on occasion.
1) G87 is far more planted. What do I mean? Though there are several examples, there was one in particular that I thought I was going to die in my F87. Going around a fast corner on a less than stellar road..., in Minecraft..., and halfway though the corner the right side of the road dropped off due to big truck ruts. My F87 lost all composure and I ended up sideways, but I'm skilled enough to correct and didn't put it in the ditch. I nearly pooped my pants though. Maybe I shouldn't have been at the limit on a public road..., in Minecraft..., but the fact that the car became upset bothered me. This is gone in G87, and I love it. Maybe this is what influences call loss of character? It's character I'm happy to lose.
2) G87 will be as tail happy as you like, thanks to gobs of power all the way to the red line, and the ability to dial traction control way down. Me, I like MDM mode on public roads. Maybe that's boring, but I did play with a variety of settings and I found that I don't have to think about "what level am I on?" and the MDM mode gives me enough playfulness while staying safe on Minecraft public roads.
3) Speaking of that red line. There were/are threads in the F87 forums where we discussed the optimal shift point because of the drastic fall off in power after a certain RPM. That is gone in G87. It pulls ALL. THE. WAY. And has much more to give. Those of you looking to tune will be rewarded handsomely. Me? I've decided this car has plenty of power for Minecraft public roads where mine will spend most of its life, so I'll not be tuning or adding power.
4) #TH4GC. Ah, the purposely bogging down in 4th gear. No, I didn't do it, but I bring it up because the point is that compared to the F87, the G87 does take a second more to build power low in RPMs. #TH4GC grossly over exaggerates how bad it is, though. That being said, I'll take point 3 over point 4 any day because the way I drive, I keep my cars high in the revs, especially the Z4MC which is a dog at low revs while singing at 8K. So my G87 takes a second when bogging it down, oh well, I'll catch you in the top end.
5) Complaints about the manual are also grossly exaggerated. My F87 had a 2nd gear nibble, G87 doesn't. Also, it may be the tune, but I have no troubles shifting G87 in sport+. In F87, I'd sometimes embarrassingly "buck" when pulling out, and have less than smooth 2ng gear shifts. I have no issues in G87. As for my Z4MC, is the shifter the same? I'm not sure, but there's barely any difference. Maybe I'm just used to "shitty" BMW shifters? Possibly. I've never driven any of the claimed good shifters so this could be a case of "I don't know what I don't know." My main point is, I'm no longer interested in "upgrading" my shifter. It's just fine. (My Challengers had a TREMEC and it it was nothing special, either). My car will be living in Sport + at 4500 RPM and higher.
6) Tech tech tech. Tech is take it or leave it and completely up to the end user. While I appreciate my Z4MC for being pretty tech free, if I'm going to have a modern M car, then I want the modern M car tech, and I love it. I remember when I first got into my F87 I thought "Is this from the 80s?" Then I read it was a 2012 interior. I'm so glad we get everything now. I still feel they could have better integrated the screens, but boy do I love what it provides.
7) What's the future hold for my G87 performance wise? Nothing. It's a perfect package for me. The weekend warrior mostly carving back roads in Minecraft, with a BMW CCA track day thrown in here and there. I feel no need to add performance or fiddle with the suspension or anything else. That's me though. You'll have to define your needs and go from there. My main point is that I really feel BMW nailed it. For me.
8) Except maybe the exhaust. I read somewhere that someone wished they could hear the exhaust more. While it does sound really good, I wish it was..., more. So I may be looking at options as they come and see how things develop. But that's purely from an auditory perspective, not performance.
I think that's it. I really love this car and the number of thumbs ups, waves, and chats I've had the last 3 days far outnumber any I've ever had in my F87. It is a car with presence, and is not mistaken for any other car in the lineup. BMW has a winner on its hands. Congrats to everyone that's going to partake!