Having both the BMW ZF8 in my 340i and a DCT in my M3 I can say that I am slightly disappointed in losing the DCT, which is a brilliantly fast shifter. However, while it is a much better shifter than the ZF8, I feel like some tweaks and more R&D will make the next gen auto just as fast or faster than the DCT. Time will tell.

 

With the appropriate options, it's just a turnable switch - a fixed, unremovable 'fake' key, if you will. So instead of pushing a button, the driver just turns the 'fake key'.

But yes, it was only a few years back that such was even an option. Porsche has been quite slow to adopt many typical amenities/comfort features, but much better in the current iterations.

 

Normal planetary automatic transmissions are just fine. What you never want to see is a CVT, they are great for kid stuff, but not for good torque transfer. It is a constant slippage transmission.

 

^^ This. CVT's are the most consistently underwhelming of all current transmission types when looking at any quality other than their ability to delivery better fuel efficiency.

 

That's pretty much like my 3rd gen LS430, right? Nice, now I can say hey if it's good enough for Porsche, it's good enough for my LS! I was fortunate enough to spend some time with a so-called 951....dated by today's standards but still fun to drive. Saw one on eBay for $1400 2 hours away, and the seller claimed it was a daily driver--yep, gone when I refreshed the screen.....remember the handbrake being on the left of the seat...I still like how they look today, with the cursive badge "turbo" in lower case, and the valence under the rear bumper...yes it was a 5-spd, I don't even know if it came in an auto....

 

Autos are fine. I can't imagine constantly shifting in stop and go traffic. There are enough road rage, dont need another thing for people to get mad over.

 

I think DeMuro made the best case for the positives of a modern BMW with a manual transmission in the M2. It's not nearly as big as a 3 Series, 4 Series or 5 Series, it doesn't have 600 or more horsepower and it doesn't chase Nurburgring lap times. It's just very fun and satisfying to drive.

No matter what they do with their much larger cars BMW would be foolish to stop making a car like the M2 with in either stick shift or dual clutch.

 

I'm all for sticks btw..... What's sad about the M2 (I had justified one, main thing being what you get for the price, crooked seat, not real M motor, I was ok with those), is the selling price. Not easy to find one even at list price, or even 10k over for that matter lol (I feel above list is not acceptable just me)....virtually all are marked up over...rather save my pennies for a M3 in that case...

 

I agree with your about the ridiculous dealer markups though I feel that only furthers the point that it's in more relative demand and is considered the better driver's car of the bunch. Though I'm sure M3's and M4's are not going for near MSRP either. If most M2's are listed at about the same as the MSRP of the M3 and M4 it sure does kill the value proposition. Still, the current huge M3's and M4's are not the same formula as an M240i or M2.

Overpriced in the real world market as they are at least BMW actually builds a small, driver focused 6-speed / DCT car like this in the first place. That's more than I can say for most manufacturers. I imagine more of them would be sold without the insane level of markup.

 

The M2 is not only that, the residual and money factor sucks, which make it more expensive than a base M3/M4. You better off buy it than lease it.

 

^^ But why would someone lease a rare specialty driver's car like an M2 rather than just buy it outright? It will be luck if BMW keeps making it and keeps hitting the same winning formula it has. It's fascinating that the not-very well known status symbol M2 is financially harder to obtain compared to the supposed very well known status symbol (and faster) M3/M4. You would assume it is the opposite case.

But this is true of just about every true enthusiast special model that a manufacturer gets to sell. Some of them are widely hyped and publicised and some of them are only known to those in the know. Regardless of popular appeal or not, whichever models are actually the more focused driver's machine always tends to list way over MSRP compared to other performance cars that it is assumed outperform them.

The M2 is basically today's much improved original first couple of M3 coupe designs. The current M3 and M4 aren't in reality representative of the same things the E30's and E36's were. Sadly most dealers always realize this and always mark up ridiculously which leaves no way to get a truly accurate gauge of what customer demand would be.

This usually goes for any new specialty driver's car offered by almost manufacturer.

 

the residual and money factors suck because of the M2's proximity to the M235/M240. Their street performance isn't that far separated and the M235 actually outperforms the M2 in outright speed in a straight line IMHO. Residuals for the M3/4 are strong because the demand is usually strong in the secondary market. At the same time, the M2 just launched, so dealers are taking advantage by marking them up. Meanwhile, little or no M3/4s are going much below MSRP.

 

Plenty of deals out there actually.
A dealer in NY has 2 in stock and offered me allocation to order one at MSRP.
I'm not sold on the M2 over M3/M4 and looking to see what the M2CS brings to the table.

 

Here it goes, the next Gen M5 is getting the ZF8 speed!!!

 

Disappointing... unless there a an 8 spd DCT we don't know about yet. Truthfully, the M5 isn't a track car anyway. It's a highway cruiser with adrenalin. The ZF8 is good. It's just not AS good. I guess the DCT just couldn't handle it.