[Bimmerfun82]

After all the debates and speculation in the M2 forum, you stuck with it and are happy with the car. This has pushed me over the edge, I've oscillated for months but your comments below won me over. I'm ordering a manual M2 tomorrow.

Originally Posted by JustinHEMI

My first M car was an F87 comp, followed by a Z4M coupe, and now the G87.
G87 is far more planted.
I like MDM mode on public roads.
It pulls ALL. THE. WAY. And has much more to give.
Complaints about the manual are also grossly exaggerated.
I really love this car

[JustinHEMI]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

After all the debates and speculation in the M2 forum, you stuck with it and are happy with the car. This has pushed me over the edge, I've oscillated for months but your comments below won me over. I'm ordering a manual M2 tomorrow.

Congratulations! You won't be disappointed.

[Blue Hornet]

Originally Posted by JustinHEMI

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!

Great write-up sir! Sick video as well.

My G87 is slated to arrive this month and I'm extremely excited. I've been watching a lot of video reviews and one thing bothered me, which I hope is not the case:

Do you really have to go through the i-Drive menu (or engage Sport Mode) to disable the safety nannies every time you start the car, or does it just keep the previous settings? What about if you press your M1 or M2 button? Personally I like the blind spot warning lamp on the mirrors and the cross traffic alert has saved me backing out of a few parking spots, but damn, I CAN'T STAND the steering intervention or the automatic braking. What about the start/stop "feature" and the exhaust settings? In my soon to be gone M8, it keeps my preferred settings even without pressing my M buttons or anything else. Can you please tell us what the deal is with this? Thanks in advance.

[JustinHEMI]

Originally Posted by Blue Hornet

Great write-up sir! Sick video as well.

My G87 is slated to arrive this month and I'm extremely excited. I've been watching a lot of video reviews and one thing bothered me, which I hope is not the case:

Do you really have to go through the i-Drive menu (or engage Sport Mode) to disable the safety nannies every time you start the car, or does it just keep the previous settings? What about if you press your M1 or M2 button? Personally I like the blind spot warning lamp on the mirrors and the cross traffic alert has saved me backing out of a few parking spots, but damn, I CAN'T STAND the steering intervention or the automatic braking. What about the start/stop "feature" and the exhaust settings? In my soon to be gone M8, it keeps my preferred settings even without pressing my M buttons or anything else. Can you please tell us what the deal is with this? Thanks in advance.

Blue Hornet

Thank you!

I'll try to address your questions one by one;

1) It appears that although you can adjust the sensitivity of nannies which locks in, you do need to disable them each time. I tried this today by disabling "steering intervention," but when I restarted the car, "steering intervention" was re-enabled.

That being said, in iDrive 8 in this car, if you press the "M-Mode" button and select "sport (or track)," most of the nannies are disabled. So that's a short cut to take them all out, and, I run with "sport" mode most of the time. It appears some reviewers are confused as to what this button does, but it only addresses the displays, it doesn't not change M modes or anything like that.

In fact, that's one of our biggest complaints about this system, there is no way to tied this display button, and thus the nannies, to the M1 and M2 buttons. That's a huge miss IMO. I want to tie this functionality to my M buttons.


2) Start/Stop stays off when you disable it, and it can be configured in the M1 and M2 buttons.

3) There isn't much to do with exhaust settings. It changes with whatever mode the engine is in (comfort, sport, sport+), and there's an exhaust button on the center console that appears to turn on/off "M sound." I never touch that button for anything. I wish I could make it simply open and close the exhaust valves, but nah.


Hope that helps!

[Blue Hornet]

Originally Posted by JustinHEMI

Blue Hornet

Thank you!

I'll try to address your questions one by one;

1) It appears that although you can adjust the sensitivity of nannies which locks in, you do need to disable them each time. I tried this today by disabling "steering intervention," but when I restarted the car, "steering intervention" was re-enabled.

That being said, in iDrive 8 in this car, if you press the "M-Mode" button and select "sport (or track)," most of the nannies are disabled. So that's a short cut to take them all out, and, I run with "sport" mode most of the time. It appears some reviewers are confused as to what this button does, but it only addresses the displays, it doesn't not change M modes or anything like that.

In fact, that's one of our biggest complaints about this system, there is no way to tied this display button, and thus the nannies, to the M1 and M2 buttons. That's a huge miss IMO. I want to tie this functionality to my M buttons.


2) Start/Stop stays off when you disable it, and it can be configured in the M1 and M2 buttons.

3) There isn't much to do with exhaust settings. It changes with whatever mode the engine is in (comfort, sport, sport+), and there's an exhaust button on the center console that appears to turn on/off "M sound." I never touch that button for anything. I wish I could make it simply open and close the exhaust valves, but nah.


Hope that helps!

Thanks for the details Justin. I guess I'll just need to deal with these first world problems, but it's surprising they would set up an M car like this....

[JustinHEMI]

Originally Posted by Blue Hornet

Thanks for the details Justin. I guess I'll just need to deal with these first world problems, but it's surprising they would set up an M car like this....

I'm hoping bimmercode can address some of it but who knows how much access they can get.

They are working on idrive8, and I told them I'm a willing guinea pig to try stuff. We'll see.

[npirnia]

My wife recently leased an i4 and all the driver's assistance settings can be saved on the "BMW driver profile" via the My BMW app. If you set this up, things like lane assist and braking intervention will remain off every time you drive.

The i4 is also an iDrive 8 car so these things should carry over the the M2.

-Nick

[JustinHEMI]

Originally Posted by npirnia

My wife recently leased an i4 and all the driver's assistance settings can be saved on the "BMW driver profile" via the My BMW app. If you set this up, things like lane assist and braking intervention will remain off every time you drive.

The i4 is also an iDrive 8 car so these things should carry over the the M2.

-Nick

Thank you I'll take a look!

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by chrisdavelaw

Did you complete the break in service yet? If so did you notice a difference after?

Had my M2 in on May 31 for its break in service. 1204 miles.

Afterwards, I noticed no change in how the engine ran. Was running very good before break in though I was careful to keep revs below 6K.

The only difference is after break in is me: I have ventured above 6K not quite to 7K and of course the engine is able to deliver more power.

This car is quite quick/fast.

Yet surprisingly economical. I made a run -- via I49 (freeway) -- north of where I live (Benton County AR) of about 60+ miles to look at some houses and I made very good time there and back and while at my destination drove in some small towns checking out houses.

Back home and checked. Car managed 24.8mpg. That ain't too shabby.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by npirnia

My wife recently leased an i4 and all the driver's assistance settings can be saved on the "BMW driver profile" via the My BMW app. If you set this up, things like lane assist and braking intervention will remain off every time you drive.

The i4 is also an iDrive 8 car so these things should carry over the the M2.

-Nick

I can't get by the fine print in the My BMW App.

[Swish77]

Great, detailed review, thanks. It's interesting that there's not one reference to the looks of the car, which is refreshing in a way, since the design is quite polarizing.

One thing ... what's this "drastic" power drop off after a certain RPM? I've been driving my '21 F87 for about a year now and have never experienced it. I can't use all the power and pull it gives me on public roads. Maybe I don't drive it hard enough, or maybe it's a track thing.

Originally Posted by FrozenGT

My F87 M2C was setup with the MPERFORMANCE suspension. Fixed all the issues with rear end stability and made car feel very pleasant around forced movement this was in stock MPSS BMW * rated tires.

Mine too, along with the M Performance exhaust. I'd love to test drive a G87 to compare to my F87 with the upgrades.

[JustinHEMI]

Originally Posted by Swish77

Great, detailed review, thanks. It's interesting that there's not one reference to the looks of the car, which is refreshing in a way, since the design is quite polarizing.

One thing ... what's this "drastic" power drop off after a certain RPM? I've been driving my '21 F87 for about a year now and have never experienced it. I can't use all the power and pull it gives me on public roads. Maybe I don't drive it hard enough, or maybe it's a track thing.



Mine too, along with the M Performance exhaust. I'd love to test drive a G87 to compare to my F87 with the upgrades.

"Drastic power drop off" was probably not the right way to put it. What I mean is that's there's a definitive RPM above which power stops rising and is the same to redline, hence, you're wasting time by revving it out. Comparatively, the G87 continues increasing to redline.

I learned to watch the tach and shift when I hit peak power, vice shifting at red line in my F87.


Here's an old F87 thread discussing it, including a quote that explains what I mean.

Originally Posted by Rupes

Interesting - I thought it was assumed the S55 in the M2C continued to increase in power all the way to redline (similar to the M3 Comp), but it's essentially the same from 5k to redline. The M2C power curve at higher RPMs more closely resembles the OG M2 than the M3 Comp.

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1602143


Additionally, here's some curves. Here, you can clearly see M2C stops making power above 5K RPM or so.

Edited to add attachment with F87 curve.

https://bluesparkautomotive.com/proj...4c-m2c-testing



Here's G87 for comparison. The dip is assumed to be heat soak, but it still an overall continual increase to red line.



https://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/u...no-830x467.jpg


Attached below is the F87 M2C curve.

[npirnia]

Originally Posted by Swish77

Great, detailed review, thanks. It's interesting that there's not one reference to the looks of the car, which is refreshing in a way, since the design is quite polarizing.

I finally saw the new M2 last night driving in my neighborhood. I think it looks awesome in person - very imposing and striking.

However, it is also now clear to me why so many don't like it as a "new M2" since it looks absolutely nothing like the F87!

Every part of the car looks different and it feels much more serious than the F87 (just what comes to mind).

The F87 and E8x 1 series were both short and somewhat tall (which lots of people like), giving the car a sort of "terrier" vibe. The G87 has much more classic coupe proportions with a longer dash to axle ratio and much longer looking hood that departs from the "small BMW look". Much more of a long and low look that the F87 doesn't have.

To me, it doesn't look like any prior BMW. Even though it has some classic BMW cues (like the kidney grills) the integration and execution is different from any BMW I've seen.

The end result is something that looks very impressive and very special, but not very BMW. I can also see how this would strike a long-time BMW fan as irreverent or arrogant - a successor that wants nothing to do with its highly successful predecessor.

A lot of people consider the F87 M2 to be the best M car of the last decade. I understand why this new one would immediately turn off these fans since it seems to send a message of "we know people liked the last car, but we through that all away and did this!"

Sort of explains to me why some YouTubers who really like the F87 (like Thomas from TH) seem so worked up and upset about the new one.

In any case, I was very impressed last night and love the look. Looking forward to picking mine up on Saturday.

-Nick

[Squidget]

Originally Posted by JustinHEMI

Here's G87 for comparison. The dip is assumed to be heat soak, but it still an overall continual increase to red line.

Also note that the G87's degradation at the high end is somewhat artificial, caused by detuning. The same hardware generates 20 more peak HP in the G8x with the same peak torque of 406.

[Blue Hornet]

Originally Posted by npirnia

My wife recently leased an i4 and all the driver's assistance settings can be saved on the "BMW driver profile" via the My BMW app. If you set this up, things like lane assist and braking intervention will remain off every time you drive.

The i4 is also an iDrive 8 car so these things should carry over the the M2.

-Nick

That is very helpful! I will have the "Genius" go through this stuff during delivery. Thanks.

[Swish77]

Originally Posted by JustinHEMI

"Drastic power drop off" was probably not the right way to put it. What I mean is that's there's a definitive RPM above which power stops rising and is the same to redline, hence, you're wasting time by revving it out.

Thanks for clarifying. The charts are the charts, but I know in real-world driving I've never felt power is lacking or doesn't increase when I punch it. The F87 has more than I need as is. Still, I'm very rarely above 6000 rpm anyway. Trying to stay out of jail.

[Blue Hornet]

Originally Posted by M2siast

I think this might be an i4 only feature or a new version of iDrive OS that isn’t available to the M2 yet. I don’t see these functions in the app.

AAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Well I'll ask about it anyway and report back to you all if there is a solution. Supposed to have it in 2 weeks give or take.

[npirnia]

Originally Posted by M2siast

I think this might be an i4 only feature or a new version of iDrive OS that isn’t available to the M2 yet. I don’t see these functions in the app.

I’m picking up my car on 6/10 and will check when I get it.

But to clarify, it works by creating a driver profile that is selectable on start-up and generally linked to a specific vehicle key.

That profile remembers settings like seat memory and the driver’s assist stuff. You don’t manually set up those features for a specific user, but it will remember those settings. I think it requires the use of the “my BMW” app on your phone.

-Nick

[JustinHEMI]

Originally Posted by npirnia

I’m picking up my car on 6/10 and will check when I get it.

But to clarify, it works by creating a driver profile that is selectable on start-up and generally linked to a specific vehicle key.

That profile remembers settings like seat memory and the driver’s assist stuff. You don’t manually set up those features for a specific user, but it will remember those settings. I think it requires the use of the “my BMW” app on your phone.

-Nick

I have a driver profile set up and use the app and it's not remembering the disabling of the features, just the sensitivity of them.

[npirnia]

Originally Posted by JustinHEMI

I have a driver profile set up and use the app and it's not remembering the disabling of the features, just the sensitivity of them.

Bummer…

[JWG80M3]

Originally Posted by npirnia

I finally saw the new M2 last night driving in my neighborhood. I think it looks awesome in person - very imposing and striking.

However, it is also now clear to me why so many don't like it as a "new M2" since it looks absolutely nothing like the F87!

Every part of the car looks different and it feels much more serious than the F87 (just what comes to mind).

The F87 and E8x 1 series were both short and somewhat tall (which lots of people like), giving the car a sort of "terrier" vibe. The G87 has much more classic coupe proportions with a longer dash to axle ratio and much longer looking hood that departs from the "small BMW look". Much more of a long and low look that the F87 doesn't have.

To me, it doesn't look like any prior BMW. Even though it has some classic BMW cues (like the kidney grills) the integration and execution is different from any BMW I've seen.

The end result is something that looks very impressive and very special, but not very BMW. I can also see how this would strike a long-time BMW fan as irreverent or arrogant - a successor that wants nothing to do with its highly successful predecessor.

A lot of people consider the F87 M2 to be the best M car of the last decade. I understand why this new one would immediately turn off these fans since it seems to send a message of "we know people liked the last car, but we through that all away and did this!"

Sort of explains to me why some YouTubers who really like the F87 (like Thomas from TH) seem so worked up and upset about the new one.

In any case, I was very impressed last [...]

I’m with you, love the look of the new M2 and should have mine in the next few weeks.

I tend to think, and maybe I’m giving too much credit here, that BMW did this to separate themselves from other manufacturers.

I fell in love with the BMW in the 80s and am of the opinion that around the early 2000s everything turned into what I call “bubble cars”. I grew up in Northern California and was surrounded by all the old muscle cars. Each had a style of their own and I loved the hard edges and muscular builds.

My view (humble opinion) of the modern car era is that they’ve all started to look the same. I am glad BMW did this with the M2 because I think it reintroduces something that is their own.

[Squidget]

Originally Posted by JWG80M3

I tend to think, and maybe I’m giving too much credit here, that BMW did this to separate themselves from other manufacturers.

No guessing required. BMW says this often and frequently in interviews, and has for decades. And yes, they said this for the G80, G82, G87, and XM.

And 1M. And F87. And Z3 M (Clown Shoe). And then there's all the Bangle-isms of the E series, etc.