[jestyaf]

how much more of a car is an actual M2 over an M235/40? i've had my M235 a month now and when in sport mode it literally feels how i would have expected an actual M2 to drive. on a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the M2 in betterness over an M235/40? im thinking of going to my local BMW dealer tomorrow after cars and coffee to put on a front and test drive one of the four M2 comps they have just to see.

[Sportstick]

“Betterness”? Zero. There is no such thing. It’s just different. “Better” is subjective. You have to make your own assessment if you prefer the differences. Let us know your opinion after the drive!

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

“Betterness”? Zero. There is no such thing. It’s just different. “Better” is subjective. You have to make your own assessment if you prefer the differences. Let us know your opinion after the drive!

Well said. For me a GC with it's looks and driving dynamics might be better, but completely useless to Sportstick versus his GT if he needs the room. There's no best car, just a best car FOR YOU.

[madmax240]

I've driven both the 2017 m240i and original M2. I have a manual m240i with an aftermarket helical gear diff. The M2 is marginally better than the m240i, but you'll only realise the benefits at ten tenths. other wise it is almost the same. the m240i has the EDC which is ok, but it also doesn't make too much of a difference.

if you are considering an auto, then i can't help you. I also drive the 8AT auto M140i, I didn't like it.

if you're test driving the M2 comp, the engine has more power again, but I haven't driven the comp.

[DistantTea]

I drove both and picked the M240i because I wanted AWD and more daily drive-ability. I thought as far as looks go the M2 somehow looked amazingly better and it pains me every time I see an M2 lately. As far as driving goes I felt the M2 was sort of shitty driving around town in Cincinnati where as the M240i was a breeze and felt perfectly fine dodging junkies, crossing street car tracks and falling down pot holes into the underworld.

If I had purchased the M2 I would have been shopping for a second daily driver for sure.

[ianp622]

I've driven a stock M240i (mine), M240i with the MPerformance LSD (mine) and an M2 (only on a track). While the experiences aren't exactly comparable, I do have some opinions on how they'd be different to drive.

If you're like me, sometimes you just want to relax on a long highway drive and not feel every bump or feel like you're prepped to go super fast. I really like the comfort suspension of the M240i for this.

In terms of driving experience, I wouldn't expect the M2 to be as much fun to drive around town. I like the M240i having a bit of body roll, a bit of slipping on the wheels, and generally not being super composed. The M2 is very composed and planted, which inspired confidence on a track but isn't really useful in everyday driving.

With the LSD, you get the ability to hook up in turns like the M2 without the extra stiffness of the suspension. It's the sweet spot for me.

[MerlinMc]

I owned a M235i for 4 years and now have a 2020 M240i since the beginning of May. Have also driven M2s several times, including track days and autocross. Have also owned M3s.

The M240i is a nice upgrade over the M235i with lots of small improvements and IMO a better engine without changing the basic premise of the car. Both the M235i and M240i were/are my daily drivers (DD). They have made my daily commute much more fun.

The M2 is certainly nice and looks much more aggressive. On the street, there is probably little performance difference without being wildly outside of the law. As a DD, there is no contest--the M2 is considerably less comfortable and a little less practical. Also considerably more expensive than an M240i though you may recover much of the M2 premium at resale provided the condition is good and the miles low. I agree with Ian that the M2 isn't going to be a good DD. The M2 would be a great "toy," which is how I have used a few of my cars (e.g., M3). The toy route meant having a less nice DD.

I agree with Ian's thoughts on the LSD as well. The LSD in the M240i is the best upgrade I've ever done in any car.

[CP911]

I have - M Town Tour test drive experience (M2 Comp and M5 Comp driving review)

[babaikram]

I test drove OG M2 with an intention of replacing my then less than 1 year old m240 with M2C (that was not available to test drive). OG M2 interior almost the same as m240i. It is better planted (better chassis) than m240i especially in corner. Stock exhaust louder than m240i's. However it did not feel faster than the m240i. Exterior: the front and rear of OG M2 looks much more aggressive than m240i. The sideview of m240i looks much better than than of M2 for me. Overall a better car but not enough to justify the financial penalty.

[FCBuff]

I drove an m235 xdrive, and an OG M2 back to back. I bought the m235...Was impressed by how close the m235 was to the M2. As stated above, if a daily driver, then a m235/240 is an easy choice. If track aspirations are a factor, the M2 all day. m235 is under tired, under suspended, low grip...but great for the street. Track grip, handling is no where near that of the M2 without significant upgrading of components.

[Zoomigo]

I did a short drive in the M235 and the original M2. I went ahead and bought the M240, but still wanted an M2. Recently I found an M2C that was 99% what I wanted and snatched it up. The M2C is very much the best of the group. I would rank them M235 < M2 < M240 < M2C. Any of them are fantastic, and IMO the ride in the M2C is superior to my xdrive M240. I’m still in breakin, so haven’t had a chance to play much yet, but the M2C feels like it’s power comes a bit later than the M240, but when it comes in, it pushes harder. If you want a 1-10 rating, I would say M235/7 M2/8 M240/8.5 M2C/9.5.

[MarkDemma]

When I got my 2018 M240i I also test drove a OG M2 at the same time. The M240i had the A/S 225 square tire setup and that I think was the biggest thing negatively effecting the drive feel of the M240. The M2 definitely felt more firmly planted on the road compared to the M240, but when driving my M240 with 225/255 PS4 tires it was much closer to the M2. I feel like if I were to do about $8K in mods to the M240 it would get it very very close to how the M2 felt.

Hypothetically, the M2 is only about $10K more than a M240i with some options, BUT in my experience you can get a dealer to knock $5-10K off the price of the M240 while MSRP is the absolute best you can get for a M2, so in my case it would have been more like $20K more.

From what I've read / heard the biggest reason to get a M2 over a M240i and then adding some mods to get it from 90% to more like 99% of the performance of a stock M2 is if you are going to track it. Mainly due to things like the "Track-ready cooling system", Larger front and rear brake disks with 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers, Active M Differential, etc. So while a modded M240 could probably keep up with a stock M2 at the stoplight, on a track it would have issues around overheating, brake fading, and other engine related issue that a "true M engine" has extra stuff there to enable it to really take heavy track use.

As I really have no desire to track my car, I'd be more likely to take one of the M courses where a car is provided, the extra $20K premium seemed too steep. I also realize that these are likely to be collector items and using it as a DD would just seem wrong.

[tcollier91]

I test drove all 3. The M2 and 235 were both pre owned, the M2 was dinan stage 2 so I don't think it's even close to fair to compare. The differences between the 235 and 240 are minimal, I'm sure if I drove it more than the short test drive there would be differences in power and torque curves between the n55 and b58.

[bluesman8266]

Originally Posted by DistantTea

I drove both and picked the M240i because I wanted AWD and more daily drive-ability. I thought as far as looks go the M2 somehow looked amazingly better and it pains me every time I see an M2 lately. As far as driving goes I felt the M2 was sort of shitty driving around town in Cincinnati where as the M240i was a breeze and felt perfectly fine dodging junkies, crossing street car tracks and falling down pot holes into the underworld.

If I had purchased the M2 I would have been shopping for a second daily driver for sure.

I did the exact same thing only 2019's I totally agree with you especially the pain. For me the M2 would definitely not be what I want for a daily driver.

[EstorilM240]

Drove the M235i 8AT and 6MT (theoretically w/LSD), M240i 6MT, M2 original DCT, and M2 Competition 6MT. Haven't daily driven the M2 though, so it's hard to compare on longer commutes.

In terms of "performance" betterness the M2 might be an 8 if the M240i is a 7, if 10 is an Aventador and 0 is a Toyota Yaris. If you make the spectrum shorter then the gap widens.

I read a lot about the "punishing ride" both on reviews and on forums of the M2 which really steered me away from it, it is noticeably harsher and tighter. The M2 is more tuned for balanced handling (far less understeer, perhaps even borderline twitchy) while the M240i is one of the most under-steery "sports coupe" type cars I've driven, and the lack of an LSD is somewhat noticeable in autocross especially on corner exit. I haven't driven the M2 in autocross or track conditions, but on street driving it is indeed more planted and you definitely feel like you are driving a notch above the M240i.

[9t2hoo]

It is hard to add much to what has already been said, so I will just say this: the reason to get the M2C over the 240 is the steering. The 240’s steering is vague and jittery on center at highway speeds. If I drove on a highway everyday to work(I don’t), I would get the M2C. At lower speeds, the 240’s steering is fine (but far from good).

[rhop101]

Was considering M2 when I got my m235i. Ultimately I decided I wanted the adaptive suspension since I mainly use the car for road touring. Note I didn’t drive the M2 because what you don’t know doesn’t hurt right lol.

In spite of that I did decide to kill some sidewalks and ran the M235 in some autocross events. The chassis control is much improved over my 128i and the brake vectoring simulated diff even lets the car drift in a controllable manner in DSC inactive mode. Really what it needs is some bigger front tires and some camber and that’s basically what the M2 is lol.

If your going to Motorsports the car at all definitely M2. I also would have had to sell my AP2 S2000 to justify an M2 and that might have been too much for M2 to live up to. Let alone the price difference mentioned above.

[baege]

I was coming from a 2016 Cayman S and cross shopped the m240i and the OG M2. I drove both several times.
In the end the m240i won
- b58 over n55 anyday for less turbo lag and immediate torque, it is just a nice smooth eager engine.
-the m240i ride is so much comfortable
- the winter capability of awd

in the end I realized all I really liked about the M2 over the m240i was looks. and I mean I am shallow but not that shallow

[happyjack]

havent driven either the M235, M240, or the OG M2...but i have driven the M2C during the M-town tour. based on what i read about the OG M2, i expected the M2C to knock the filings out of my teeth...however, i took it on a ~12 mile drive on the DC beltway and tried to make the ride hurt...and...it just didnt. i looked for every expansion joint, rough patch and pothole, and the M2C handled it in sport mode. i was incredibly impressed with the car. acceleration is immediate (it was a DCT model)...and the brakes are amazing.

M2C is absolutely going to be my next daily driver. probably a 2020 that i buy CPO in three years...or maybe i splurge for ED?

[DanG]

I had an M235i for four years before buying my M2. From my experience the M2 is such a better handling car that there is no comparison. I was getting my M235i serviced when my sales associate pull me aside and told me I had to test drive this M2 that just came in. I had an extensive test drive and bought it that day. It just felt that much better. To this day I think it was a great move with zero regrets. And no the ride is not any harsher than my M235i.

[wtfbrah]

Naturally asking on this forum will get biased results but I do think that if the M2 and M240i were the same price, almost everyone would take the M2.

The M240i is still probably the best performance bargain out there though. Even heavily used M2s aren’t really getting that cheap yet.

[Sonertial]

I have an M240i 6MT, colleague has an M2, DCT.

Stock, there is no real comparison. M2 is more capable. Main differences as I pick them, ignoring the much faster gear changes of the DCT:

The M2 is much more planted in and out of corners. The M240i is horribly skittish and suffers from narrower RFTs and the lack of LSD.
The M2 has dramatically better steering feel. The absolutely worst aspect of the M240i, no road surface feedback at all.
The M2 has much more positive braking. The M240i is mush.
The M240i feels softer - or maybe the M2 is actually a little too hard. My wife thinks so.
Acceleration-wise they're fairly even, M2 is quicker off the line, M240i evens up as the speed increases.
I've installed a Bootmod3 stage 1 and 300cpi downpipe, the M2 has a 200cpi cat so the power differences are minimal, both cars are around 400hp, the M240i's extra engine torque is offset by the M2's more aggressive gearing/final drive.

On a 2.3km track, times were maybe 1:07 vs 1:04.5

I replaced the wheels and put on 19" OZR wheels and wider PS Cup 2 tyres, replaced the stock brake pads with Yellow Stuffs and replaced the diff with a Quaife ATB. The LSD is by far the biggest improvement noticeable when pushing it. Accelerating grip is hugely improved, and throttle modulated steering is now predictable and possible.
These modifications gave track time improvements. The M2 track time advantage is under 0.5 seconds. But still a consistent advantage.

I recently installed M2/3/4 Lower Control Arms. This is the single biggest improvement at tootling around DD speeds -the steering no longer feels like a cow pat and the car doesn't randomly drive itself into the median barrier on tram-line furrowed highways. When pushing it the extra camber gives a much more positive turn-in.

I haven't tested the latest adjustments on track, but now, I would say the biggest differences are the brakes and the bodyroll. The m240i is still more skittish under acceleration, despite the huge improvement from the LSD, especially with cold tyres.

Springs would be what I'll look at next.

The M2 is modded with steel brakelines, but I'm not sure if that will help. The M2 has a different stock master cylinder which may be the main difference.

As I've made changes, I've never felt that I wished I had an M2 instead, despite recognizing it's obvious inherent superiority. The M240i feels extremely good value for money.