[BroDoze]

Had a MT on every sports car I’ve had. One of many burning desires for an M2 was 6MT + Turbo + RWD goodness.

However, with the 2025 autos getting FORTY+ more ft lb torque and since this will be my daily in-town commuter and the fact that the S58 is not the most torquey thing down low where I’d be 90% of the time… I gotta say I’ve started to wonder if I should do the auto.

Those in a similar position regret their decision either way they went?

It is unfortunate my lifestyle and commute doesn’t lend itself to a whole lot of fast driving where I’d really get to wrap the car out, but it is what it is. I also ended up quite tired of shifting my old 135i after 4 years of ownership. The shifter in that car sucked pretty bad. The G87’s 6MT is already quite a bit better than that.

But from a daily city car, I think the gearing of the auto and an extra 40-50 ft lbs down low, it would be quite the fun car.

Any input?

[LTE2WRK]

To be completely honest with you, I really doubted the manual after the TH review in the car. However after driving the car for almost 10k miles and being in some difficult traffic situations, I still don’t regret the manual one bit. I will be changing gears for no reason at normal speeds just because of the smile it puts in my face. Even if it’s no Porsche or Honda shifter, it still satisfies what I have been chasing for so long. A big reason of why this car is therapeutic for me is that gear lever. I will admit having an auto will make life easier and more comfortable, but if that was the goal, why get an M2 in the first place 😄?

[aerobod]

No, whole reason for us buying the M2 over any other BMW was for the manual. Wouldn't have bought it if it was auto-only.

[BroDoze]

Originally Posted by LTE2WRK

therapeutic

That’s a great word, and there’s a lot of truth in it. Totally get it.

[laughMan]

I would not buy a M2 if its wasn't manual, that's just me.

[BLKM]

I sold a Jag F Type R with 500+ ft lb of torque for a MT M2 because got bored with driving an auto

You buy a MT because it engages your whole body in the driving experience… not because of fast times and performance etc IMO

My MT M2 is a cracker of a daily sports car… loving the manual loving this G87 !

However if you have a daily grind of traffic to sit in …. Hmmmm … an auto M2 would be no compromise 👍🏼

[jessejericho]

Going to be completely honest - I came from a Tesla Model 3 (though I've owned other manual cars before), and the amount of "work" I have to do driving this car has been an adjustment. I could be half asleep driving the Tesla, and my clutch foot was way out of practice. I don't drive in a lot of traffic, but I'm really feeling it when I do. That said, I am so happy to be back in a manual car after a long hiatus, and this particular car is an absolute blast. I would say, if it will be your daily and you are a commuter in a lot of traffic, might want to do a nice long test drive to be sure.

[Msondeck]

6 speed for me but its not my daily. Just got home from 40 min of stop and go and it wasnt fun but traffic is traffic. The auto blip makes it very managable and it works very well. At 400 lbs of trq 40 isnt going to make much of a difference. Its really the gearing that makes the difference. Its got plenty of go from low rpm. The car is very very fast even though it might not feel like it sub 4k rpm. (In my experice thats all turbo cars)
Manual all the way imo. Like others have said, i wouldnt have gotten it if it wasnt manual.

[Montaver]

Manual in this car is very engaging and the gearing is nicely spaced. Car has plenty of low down torque as well in my opinion, I never feel underpowered anywhere. I have the ZF8 in my M340i and it’s a great gearbox but for me a manual makes the experience much more connected. For reference my last two manual cars were a 981 GT4 and a 718 GT4. The only downside of the manual is the ergonomics, the center arm rest is quite high so you have to flare your elbow out. Coming from a Porsche where you can have your elbow tucked in and the shifter closer, the M2 took a bit of adjustment. Overall though I would take the opportunity to buy the last new M car with a manual while you still can.

[iifymbro]

I drove manuals only for 15 years until my M340i, and I went with the auto in the M2. It's really nice, I don't miss rowing gears and the 8 shorter gears vs 6 longer let you spend more time in the upper half of the rpm range. The seamless acceleration is intoxicating too.

Only thing I miss really is rev matching downshifts, so satisfying.

[Albator_IIII]

Originally Posted by aerobod

No, whole reason for us buying the M2 over any other BMW was for the manual. Wouldn't have bought it if it was auto-only.

Originally Posted by laughMan

I would not buy a M2 if its wasn't manual, that's just me.

Originally Posted by M2siast

This.

+1

My other everyday car is also 6MT (2008 335i). It is getting old but still runs and looks solid. I love that car and I am dreading the day it will need to be replaced. There is nothing I can think with the price point and the perks I want.

[IamJoe]

Originally, I ordered an automatic because I wanted my wife to experience an M car. However, I soon realized that I wouldn't be satisfied with that choice, so I switched my order to a manual.

[MASHCT]

I read all about & watched tons of youtube vids on the G87 automanual. I was curious, but enough people said it didn't feel like the prior DCT & that was an issue for them, even though the new trans is still really good. But even if it was DCT?

I wouldn't even hesitate one bit on the choice of the manual. I love BMW manual trans and now that my F87 is sold, I really am jonesing, big time. LOL

My Mini JCW has paddle shifters & while you get the performance associated with self shifting - riding out to red line & having fun - it's just not as fun nor engaging as actual manual trans. So much so, I hardly ever use the manual function. Almost like it's gotta be the right road, time & place. Thankfully, the Mini is just a blast to drive anyway, but it ain't a manual.

I can live (deal?) with the bane of the occasional traffic situation making a manual tedious. The fun I get out of a manual trans otherwise FAR outweighs that negative, every time. I smile a lot when driving a BMW manual. I don't really smile when driving an automanual, at least, not as much.

[izzyM2]

Only would have went if DCT was still available. A torque converter on a car like this is just a no no for me. I know the new gen M fans probably don’t care and I get it… but not really.

[Ravenseal]

It's a slush box, so no. DCT might have been a different story.

[kenairways]

Gahhhh, this thread wants me to switch my order to a manual.

Reason I order with a auto because I was impressed with the DCT in my GTR. Now I'm starting to realize this ZF gearbox is lacking the aggressiveness of BMW's DCT. And I'm in search to test drive the ZF and considering switching to manual to join the team...

[BLKM]

Originally Posted by kenairways

Gahhhh, this thread wants me to switch my order to a manual.

Reason I order with a auto because I was impressed with the DCT in my GTR. Now I'm starting to realize this ZF gearbox is lacking the aggressiveness of BMW's DCT. And I'm in search to test drive the ZF and considering switching to manual to join the team...

The auto is faster but makes the car more luxury feeling… the MT makes it more sport car feeling IMO

[mh4k]

This will probably be a niche opinion here but I planned to buy the manual as I wanted a manual RWD “forever car”.

It took me a while to find a dealer with a manual available to test drive so in the meantime I test drive the auto and confirmed that I wanted to buy the car but I was reluctant to order the manual without test driving first as I’m very tall and don’t always get on with the seat/shifter/pedal layout and didn’t want to drop all that money on a car to discover ergonomically it didn’t suit me.

I eventually tracked down and test drove the manual and to my surprise I didn’t love it as much as I was expecting. Something about the power delivery and gear ratios just didn’t feel quite as explosive as the auto had to me. I also don’t love the shifter position. Clutch and pedal box I will say are excellent though.

I went back and forth on this for weeks and test drive both again and ended up ordering the auto and I have no regrets.

I’ve ruminated on this a lot since and am certain I made the right call - again for me - and have realised i have been ruined for MT cars ever since I drove a Cayman GTS 4.0 manual. The ergonomics of that car are incredible, the shifter feels great and falls perfectly to hand and I think the MT better suits the power delivery of a big NA engine.

Again I’m sure plenty will disagree and I’m not saying I am objectively right! But this was my subjective experience. It was a surprise as before driving I was 100% sure I wanted the manual. But in the end, I just couldn’t love it.

[BroDoze]

Originally Posted by mh4k

Something about the power delivery and gear ratios just didn’t feel quite as explosive as the auto had to me.

In my 6MT test drives, there was absolutely nothing explosive until I got the car back in the higher range with my foot buried.

Those 6MT gears are so tall, and the S58 power is so linear, I think I’d be shifting constantly to be in the right gear if I needed some immediate power. There’s a slight exaggeration here to convey a point.

How’s the ZF8 reliability? I’ve heard great things and it can take a crapload of torque. No issues with a stage 2 tune down the road?

[abrandonment]

The MT will be entirely gone soon.. no chance I'd miss having it one last time.

[Ravenseal]

Originally Posted by kenairways

Gahhhh, this thread wants me to switch my order to a manual.

Reason I order with a auto because I was impressed with the DCT in my GTR. Now I'm starting to realize this ZF gearbox is lacking the aggressiveness of BMW's DCT. And I'm in search to test drive the ZF and considering switching to manual to join the team...

You're gonna be very disappointed by the 8ZF if you're coming from any dual clutch, let alone a GT-R.

[mh4k]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

You're gonna be very disappointed by the 8ZF if you're coming from any dual clutch, let alone a GT-R.

It’s not quite as as immediate as the DCT but with the transmission in 3 it’s close enough IMO. The only thing I’d say is manual shifting in D mode sometimes feels a bit delayed and sometimes is seems to refuse to shift. So I just put it in S whenever I start the car. In S and 3 I don’t think there’s much to complain about compared to the DCT and being a torque converter you don’t get any of the jerkiness or hesitancy in stop and go/parking speeds. I don’t think it’s a deal breaker.