G87 Mini Review – A Year In
Reflecting on the past year with the G87, it’s been nothing short of exciting. The car has been flawless mechanically not a single trip back to BMW, which is a refreshing change compared to my previous M340i that had a few niggles. Ride quality for a car of this performance class is surprisingly good. In Comfort (Efficient) mode, it handles our less than perfect South African roads with ease. Switch it up to Sport, especially with the suspension firmed up, and it becomes a corner hugging weapon. Its brought back the drama I was missing from the F82 M4 that the M340i was not fulfilling
There’s no shortage of settings to fiddle with maybe too many, if I’m honest but at least there’s something for everyone. Personally, I’ve set M1 to full attack mode with traction on level 8, and M2 with MDM engaged. For relaxed cruising, I throw the gearbox in level 2 and keep it in Sport perfect for longer trips (unless I feel like unleashing M1 or M2 mode, of course).
Now, the weight debate. Let me say this again: on the road, I don’t feel the extra kilos compared to my F82 M4. If anything, the G87 feels sharper dare I say, "more nimble," as many reviewers love to put it. The performance never gets old. It still feels just as quick as the day I collected it. In MDM mode, it delivers an edge with more wheel spin, more fun, but without painting thick black lines everywhere.
Yes, the steering feel is a bit numb but is it a dealbreaker? Not at all. On South African roads riddled with potholes and uneven surfaces, I don’t want to feel every little bump anyway. In this case, I’ll take a bit of filtered feedback for the sake of sanity.
Inside, the cabin is solid and well built. I came across a comment recently criticizing the quality on this platform, I took offense. Even the base 320i interior puts many competitors to shame in terms of cabin quality. From the clean dashboard design to the premium door trims and minimal use of cheap plastics, it feels every bit like a premium product. The rear has just enough space for my 10 and 11 year old kids, while my 5 year old, the king of the castle always calls shotgun. For longer family trips, the iX takes over.
Boot space? Enough for three school bags, which works perfectly when I’m on pickup duty. Yes, this is also my daily, well kind of. Working from home means it’s not out on the roads daily, but it does its fair share.
Public opinion? Since the initial purchase, the compliments rolled in:
- “Looks so much better in person than online!”
- “Damn, that’s menacing.”
- “It’s a machine.”
- “Your car looks wicked!”
- “What do you do for a living to afford this?” (Ask me again when I’m in a Porsche. 😂)
Now I not bias here I let my brother in law drive my car once while I trailed him in his car, yes even I could not keep focused I kept taking peeks at the M2 especially in the review mirror
Petrol attendants love it. They often want to talk shop, ask about my past cars, and even debate if I’d ever switch to an M3 or M4.
Performance wise, the M2 is brutally fast BMW clearly underrates their figures. I’ve had some fun against RS3s, A45s, M3s, and M4s. The xDrive G80/82 will kill me from a dig, but from a roll, the G87 holds its own. RS7s and M5 Comps? Yeah… those humbled me real quick. As for tuning I’ve considered it, but R192K for an ACS chip? No thanks (for now).
The exhaust note gets praise from the outside, but those four silencers in the mid-section do mute it a bit to a point where the inside is quite. I’m tempted to go with a full system equal length midpipe and a new back box to unleash a bit more drama.
Creature comforts? I miss the 360-degree camera from the M340i, but beyond that, it ticks the boxes: heated seats, a clean digital dash that initially felt overwhelming but eventually grew on me.
What’s next? Honestly, no idea. I’m not rushing into a new vehicle upgrade. The G87, for now, delivers everything I want engaging, premium, brutally quick, and still a bit of a bargain in today’s market when you compare it to what rivals are charging.