MotoGust

I'll concede the point, kr. The engine mounts, diff, and geometry changes are a system re-tune, not a spec-sheet stunt, and that's clearly where the Nürburgring time comes from.

But here's where I push back: if the whole pitch is "hardcore enthusiast send-off," why is it auto-only? The standard M2 still offers a stick. I get that the 8-speed ZF shifts faster and probably helped that lap time — a computer will always out-shift a human on the clock. But a driver's car isn't only about the clock, right? The manual is the emotional core of the pitch, and BMW deleted it on the car that's supposed to be the enthusiast's enthusiast. Feels like they optimized for the lap record and the badge over the engagement. Am I wrong on that? Genuine question — is losing the manual a dealbreaker for the people this car is actually aimed at?

knightrider nails it — 3,770 lb is HEAVY for a "compact," lol! And here's the thing: the carbon roof, mirror caps, and diffuser are cool but that's maybe 40-50 lb total. The real weight is the S58 iron-block-ish inline-six, the 8-speed auto, and all the crash/comfort structure that's ballooned generation over generation. You can't carbon-panel your way out of this.

What kills me is the $30k premium for 50 hp and 97 lb. You're really paying for the diff tune, the Nurburgring badge, and the one-year exclusivity.