BMW M2, the Starter Porsche 911
When I decided to buy a 911, having owned an M2 proved invaluable in selecting and specifying my new car
I have always dreamed of owning a high-performance sports car. Of the many performance-oriented cars that have come and gone, two have always stood out to me as the most desirable, the BMW M3 and the Porsche 911. I admired those two models through thick and thin because they were produced in various guises since time immemorial and they always excelled in their respective categories. To be more precise, 1984 saw the introduction of the M3 and 1963 the 911. They were remarkable cars when launched, continued evolving into even better performance-oriented road cars throughout their development and have always proven extremely versatile and robust. Their success in various forms of racing has added even more to their appeal.
In 2016, when I was finally in a position to acquire a car where performance, not overall practicality was the first priority, the M2 model was being introduced by BMW. It was based on a brilliant concept and it looked great with its menacing front end, bulging wheel arches and wide stance. I remember thinking when I took delivery of the car, if Porsche were to produce a compact front-engine 2+2 sports car, there’s a good chance it would have that kind of demeanor. Based on the BMW 2-Series, it was not an M3 but as many automotive journalists remarked, the 3-Series had grown so much by then that the M2 is really today’s M3 in spirit. And they were right. I owned a E-36 325is in the late 1990s which was almost the same dimensions as the M2. By the time the M2 was conceived, 3-Series cars had grown into a very large and heavy sedans. When I see one at a glance on the road, I often mistake it for an M5.
We saw the M2 displayed on a platform at the Toronto International Auto Show that year and the car looked spectacular. We asked if we could sit in it but were told it was a mock-up, not a running car. Based on our first impression and the glowing reviews it received during its press launch in California, we added our names to the waiting list. It took one year and three months for us to receive our car and it was well worth the wait. It is a fabulous car and during our six years of ownership, it continued to impress. When the decision was made to purchase a Porsche 911, we were very sad to see our M2 go and quite frankly, if we had the room to keep it, we would have.
Many have asked me why I didn’t get a 911 in the first place? There are two reasons. First of all, I have always wanted to experience an M car. BMW has made some outstanding models over the years, but when you take a remarkable BMW and it is reworked by the M division you end up with something exceptional and I have never regretted owning one. The second reason was that the M2 is a very good introduction to high performance sports cars. It effectively takes you into the realm of uncompromising performance without the extremes of an exotic. Calling the M2 a starter 911 is a reasonably accurate description because it introduces you to both the joys and requirements of a car like the more potent 911.
I learned so much from that vehicle that when it came time to confront the 911 configurator, I found myself making informed decisions as to what boxes to tick and which to skip based on my M2 ownership experiences. An interesting feature of the M2 is that it came fully equipped. Pretty much every feature BMW makes available in a 2-series is included. Other than having to pick from a choice of four colors, I recall being asked two other questions. Did I want an optional sunroof and would I prefer an automatic transmission instead of the six-speed manual? I declined both options, chose the color white, and that was that.
The Porsche approach is the complete opposite. You have an endless number of choices to make to the point where it can become mind numbing. How you use a performance car should help inform you and given I use my 911 the same way I used my M2 has proved invaluable. Here are some of the ways my M2 helped me make many of those decisions:
- The M2 came with a black interior and plenty of light-blue colored stitching on the front and back seats, door cards as well as the centre console. The leather steering wheel was stitched in a combination of blue and red representing the M-car colors. Although very attractive, I admired all that contrasting stitching for a total of about ten minutes and never paid attention to it again. When you are driving, you don’t even see most of it. No need then for what Porsche calls deviated stitching on the 911.
- The M2 was equipped with a premium radio sourced from Harman Kardon. I once decided to count how many loudspeakers had been fitted in the cabin. I found twelve separate loudspeakers, including two under the front seats. Like the 911 T that I ordered, the M2 was designed to emphasize engine sounds and was also delivered with wide, low-profile tires adding even more cabin noise. Both cars don’t lend themselves to the audiophile experience but rather the sound of their wonderful powerplants and other mechanical components propelling the car forward. When the engine was turned off the M2’s sound system was outstanding but all that technology is wasted the moment you push the start button. I decided to select the basic radio on the 911 T and, although it does not sound as good as the M2’s when the engine is off, I hear no difference when I am driving.
- I managed to drive my M2 for six years without a dent or scrape on the body work. The underside of the car, unfortunately, suffered a few minor mishaps. Like the 911, the BMW sits low, especially at the front end. My wife and I use our cars to travel and we often explore areas we have never visited before. No matter how accurate the car’s navigation system is, you still miss turns, have to make U-turns, use bumpy parking lots late at night to get your bearings or pull off the highway onto dark rural roads. These maneuvers are not planned, you always have an impatient commuter behind you, signage is vague and corrective maneuvers never seem to be executed on smooth roads. When it came time to make a decision to select a front-axle lift on the 911, I thought of these hairy situations and opted for it.
- Another stressor with driving the car in unknown locations is dealing with the exterior mirrors hanging out there, especially while negotiating tight spaces in urban parking garages. The M2 came with powered folding mirrors which proved very useful under these circumstances and were also selected on our 911.
- The M2 did not include a surround-view feature, and for the same reason discussed in the two previous points, we chose that option on the 911. It really helps know where you are relative to those hidden parking hazards. I am a big fan.
- One fact I learned owning a car requiring the highest available octane fuel in Canada is it is not available at all gas stations, which is a particular issue in smaller towns and rural communities. Making it worse in the M2’s case is its small fuel tank due to the car’s oversized differential. BMW had to fit a smaller fuel tank than was usually installed in a 2-series vehicle to accommodate the heftier differential it borrowed from the much larger M3. It holds only 52 litres. This below-average capacity has you looking for filling stations on a regular basis. The 911, also requiring a minimum of 93 octane, comes with a 60-litre tank in standard specification. A 94-litre tank is available as an option and I did not hesitate to tick that box.
- The original M2 was fitted with a 365-horsepower engine with a boost feature that added four more in short bursts. The Competition and CS versions that followed were rated at 405 and 444 horsepower respectively. I never felt shortchanged power-wise by the original M2. I do not take my cars to the race track and use them exclusively on public roads. Without trying too hard there have been many driving situations where I could have easily ended up having my car impounded if I wasn’t careful with the accelerator. Consequently, I have never yearned for more power. When I was considering a 911, a lighter vehicle than my M2, I did not feel a sizable increase in horsepower was necessary. The Carrera S is rated in the mid-400 horsepower range and the Carrera GTS in the high 400s which, for my requirements, are both excessive. Considering the base engine’s 385 horsepower coupled with a manual transmission propels you to 114 k/hr at the red line in second gear, I knew my choice had to be between the base-model and the T, both equipped with the 385 hp engine.
- The M2 came with a premium headlight system that is self-leveling, points in the direction of a turn and controls the high beams automatically. They are glorious headlights. The only problem is that I rarely used them. I store my sports car during the winter months and during the summer when the days are long, I rarely drive after dark. If I am on a road trip, I am usually on the road all day, so don’t tend to drive late, except when I get lost, which happens more often than I will ever admit. To call the Porsche optional Matrix Headlight system glorious would be an understatement. In addition to the M2 features described above, the Porsche system prevents blinding the drivers of upcoming cars when the high beams are on yet still provides you with high-beam illumination. They are a marvel of lighting engineering but they are very expensive and, in my case, based on my M2 driving history, not necessary. Incidentally, although less prone to making complex decisions on their own, the 911 base headlights do the job wonderfully.
- Now, on to the very emotional question of whether to rear-seat-delete or not. The Porsche world is passionately divided on this question. The pro rear-seat camp recognizes things can get a little tight back there but feels these seats are useful in an emergency. This camp rightfully argues that you can safely fit a child’s seat if your family situation warrants. The rear-seat-delete camp will acknowledge the child seat argument but points out that only legless adults would sit comfortably in 911 rear seats. I would extend this somewhat graphic imagery further by claiming that rear passengers should also be headless. There isn’t enough headroom to comfortably seat an average sized adult due to the 911’s aggressively sloping fastback. Being a six-foot-one-inch adult, If I were asked to hop into the back seat of a 911 in the case of an emergency, I would reach for my phone and call an Uber instead. Deleting the rear seat gives you a bit more storage room behind the front seats and that extra space is a benefit, especially on road trips, adding more usability to the car given the frunk is surprising deep and if you plan well, is able to carry a lot when you travel. Notwithstanding my rear-seat-delete bias, how did owning an M2 help me in making a decision? The M2 has a deceptively roomy back seat that will comfortably accommodate two average-sized adults. The only issue is most people need help getting out due to how low the car is. You literally fall into the seat getting in, so your exit is never graceful or elegant. An interesting fact is that during the six-year period I owned my M2, the back seats were used on only two occasions. I am quite sure I will not miss those emergency seats that are specified as deleted on the 911 T, the model I selected. The customer can have them put in if desired, thereby further fueling the seat-delete debate.
- The M2’s front seats are adjustable electrically in all directions. The seats in my wife’s 2016 Toyota Tundra pick-up truck do two things: they slide back and forth and you can adjust the back rest. Both these actions are accomplished using manual levers. Why is it I can sit comfortably in the truck with five seconds of manual adjustment yet in the BMW I was always fiddling with the buttons firmly believing I could get more comfortable? The light-weight sports seats that come with the 911 T package slide back and forth manually, lift and lower electrically and also adjust the backrests electrically. That’s it. Being lucky enough to not have back issues, I have resisted the temptation of ordering heavy eighteen-way optional seats and am very happy with that decision. I drive more and adjust my seat less.
When working my way through the Porsche configurator, there were many other options on offer that needed decisions, but most of them were aesthetic or convenience items. Those choices are much easier to make. All you need to do is have an internal debate as to whether spending the extra money will be worth it to you in the long run given the car is a high-quality product in standard trim. In other words, if picking a specific option makes the car feel more special to you, then consider it.
Owning a BMW M2 helped me provide clarity when deciding whether a number of these options are appropriate for the 911 I was specifying. Without the experience of having lived with a car in roughly the same category and used in a similar fashion, I would have been doing a lot more guessing.