Bought a BMW M2 with the manual transmission: Initial days with the car

Maybe I am spoiled by the Capristo exhaust I’ve had for my Audi S4 or the M Performance exhaust I’ve had for the M340i which didn’t have the OPF.

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Hi guys, last week I picked up the G87 M2 in Zandvoort Blue with a stick shift. It was my dream to own an M3. I almost picked up an E36 M3 in 2005, an E46 in 2007 and I was after an E92 M3 in 2011/12, somehow none of these happened. If I’m picking up an M car or a Porsche ever, it would have to be a manual.

Being part of the M340i community, it was discussed last year around September that BMW was contemplating launching the G87 with a manual option in India, at that point it was just a discussion/rumor. Come February, word is out that they are going ahead with it. I just have to say, thank you BMW and to whoever made that call.

I placed the order in February. I didn’t have the option to pick the M color highlight seats, which have the M colors – blue and red on either side of the seats, shoulder area, this would have been my default choice. I tried to ask BMW, but they informed me this option wasn’t available then. However, when the car launched in April/May, this option was available to anyone who placed an order now.

Initially, the order was just the car with the manual transmission, though I had debated on the factory-fit carbon roof, I didn’t end up picking it. Right when the car was about to go into production, I had a change of heart, have to give credit to my close friend who pushed me to it.

When I spoke to BMW about it, they said the order was frozen, during which point, parts are sourced for production based on the spec. I didn’t think I had the choice anymore, however, someone from BMW India got in touch and managed to adjust the order and they did mention that there can’t be any more changes to it. I also added the Carbon Fiber Interiors, Red High Gloss Calipers and Shadowline Lights. I personally didn’t want the black wheels as I thought the Bicolor wheels had more character, and the design pops out more, unfortunately, I believe I got the ‘M Sport Pro’ pack added which had these options for a set price, the pack also included the black wheels. So that came out to be my final spec.

• Manual Transmission
• Carbon Fiber Roof
• Black Vernasca Seats without the M highlight
• Shadowline Lights (black elements into the main headlights)
• Red High Gloss Brakes
• Carbon Fiber Interior Trim
• 19/20 930 M Jet Black Wheels

Car was supposed to go into production end of March or April, from the VIN I received, it did with an April 11 production date. I was promised an end-of-July delivery, due to multiple reasons stated by BMW – production delays, technical issues, shipping delays, I got a call from my dealership around the first week of this month saying the car will be available for delivery in a couple of weeks.

Exactly a week ago, I picked it up along with the 5-year warranty. I’m still debating on the service plan, my usage will be around 10000 kms a year, in which case I think the service plan could be useful. I heard BMW is increasing the prices on the warranty and service plans starting from next month.

I think we can all agree that the design is a bit radical, could say the same for a bunch of BMW cars these days. Personally, I really like the looks of the car, especially the front end. It’s certain design elements in the rear that I can’t agree with. The car does look much better in person than in the photos. My family and friends who saw the car loved the way it looks, especially in this Zandvoort Blue. My 7-year-old nephew said it looks like a Lego car.

I didn’t get to drive the car much in the first few days but over the weekend, I managed to step out of town and add 600kms onto the car. The last BMW manual I drove was an E92 M3 and that was more than a decade ago. The shifter didn’t feel too unfamiliar, after reading or hearing about the rubbery feel of the shifter, I have to say, I like it, I like the short throws and how slightly the shifter feels notchy. The clutch is tall, something I will have to get used to for our roads and traffic here.

I haven’t gone past the 4000rpm, break in service is at 2000 kms. BMW recommends not to use launch control or to cross 5000 rpm/170kmph for the first 1000kms and 6000rpm/210kmph until 2000kms. The car feels subtle under 2500rpm and once you’re past that, you’ll start feeling the torque kick in. I can’t wait to cross the 2000 kms so I can see and feel the top end of the S58.

One thing I have to say, at least for now is the exhaust, it’s very muted. The OPF might be the culprit here. Maybe I am spoiled by the Capristo exhaust I’ve had for my S4 or the M Performance exhaust I’ve had for the M340i which didn’t have the OPF. I don’t want something that’s obnoxiously loud, but I might be looking into an aftermarket upgrade down the line.

The stopping power is good, haven’t done much aggressive braking except for a couple of times but I like the bite, much better than what I’ve had in the M340i. Steering feedback seems good but I’m not able to tell yet. As for comfort, the damping is good, and the car feels stiff but not back-breaking. My tire pressure was around 35psi cold and about 38-39 on the highway, I will try to play around with them a little. I switched the tires on my M340i to tubeless, so coming from that, I can feel the road much more in the M2.

Unfortunately, I didn’t hit the lottery with the tires, it came with Pirelli P Zeros. All the launch cars around the world either got Michelin PS4S or Pirelli P Zero, I was hoping for the Michelins but no luck. Tire profile is 275/35/19 front and 285/30/20 rear. I will be looking at another set of wheels down the line, will look into the option of 18/19 front rear to increase the profile a little for our roads here, the problem with that is the brake clearance in the front.

I haven’t played around with all the fancy gadgets much. The screen is considerably on the larger side but not too in your face. You do have the option of turning it off. The car does come with Driving Assistant tech to some extent, there is front collision warning, rear, lane change assist with steering intervention of some sort. I need to explore or figure out what’s all there. I still miss the OG BMW dials over these fancy graphics on the tachometer, if only they can give that as an option to switch it digitally.

Over the next few weeks, I will be playing with the OS and the gazillion apps it came with. No physical buttons for the AC but it isn’t too hard to operate on the screen. This is a MY23 car that was produced before July 23, so it came with iDrive 8.0. I have to find out if iDrive 8.5 will be coming to it or not. The speakers are standard BMW fare from the 3er and all the way to the X7, M3 and M4, the 464W Harman Kardon, they are decent.

With all that said, I haven’t gone high revs or high speeds yet but having a stick shift in an M car that’s pushing close to 500 horses is putting a smile on my face and I guess, that’s all I ever wanted.

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