Quick///M
Well-known member
Thought I would share the journey because what started as "I need for doors" somehow turned into test driving half the performance car market. 😂
I have been driving my 2024 G87 M2 and absolutely loved the thing. The G87 is a proper little hooligan which I have always described as an angry pit bull. It doesn't hide what it is.
The problem was simply practicality. Three kids and two doors eventually starts getting old.
So the search began...
First temptation was a 2022 RS e-tron GT. 440 kW, 11,000 km with the way EV's tank the price I was getting it for was an absolute bargain . Absolutely ridiculous amount of car for the money noting that having an already installed EV charger at home made the car even more attractive but that depreciation was also exactly what scared me vs modern M cars. Some of the issues I was reading about on the early cars and even my insurer not wanting to touch it because of the original vehicle value eventually made me came back to reality. I am glad I didn't go EV just yet. (Some voice kept saying M EV is coming just hang in there!!!). I need to mention that e-tron GT form Audi was not much bigger than my M2 in the rear, the centre seat is basically for tiny people and currently in family there ain't any tiny people they are all growing like giants and my 13 year old is going to stagger over me in a year or two! With that the boot was also tiny so as much as it looked like a cool car there is nothing practical about it, it is and will will always remain a bullet on the road, respect AUDI!!!
Then came an RS3. Audi Bryanston actually brought one for me to test. Very, very quick point to point. From a robot, particularly against a RWD G87 it will disappear. But after driving it I got back into the M2 and immediately knew which car I would rather drive. Steering, chassis, interior, suspension, general involvement is where the M2 won for me. Hell I even asked for a second test drive and once you get over the point to point joy you realise the place M cars have in this world, not mention I found the Audi interior nowhere near close to the G87 in terms of material feel. Parked next to my M2 the Audi looked and felt small and my wife who likes to the stir the pot then politely pointed out your "son" will be going to university before you know it maybe you should get one for him! Ouch that is like a hit to ones manhood, but she was just politely telling me it's not a car for someone of your age!
Next victim: X3M Competition, this one nearly got me. 😂2025 car, extremely low mileage and the dealer was prepared to move significantly on price. Brilliant S58, four doors, loads of space and properly fast with a proper spec list from the original owner who only drove the car for 3000km! But here's something that surprised me: the X3M is HARD and I mean properly hard. On our roads I found it noticeably harsher than my G87. Anyone thinking an X3M is automatically more comfortable because it's an SUV really needs to drive one first. Hugely capable car, but it wasn't what I wanted as a daily then there was the fact that I was cross shopping a performance SUV against a performance Sedan.
That eventually left two cars.
G80 M3 Competition vs F90 M5 Competition.
And this was bloody difficult. 😅The F90 I drove was a 2024 with very low mileage and a known history. Full PPF, Michelin PS4s, beautifully looked after. And that V8... Good grief!!! The G80 feels every bit as quick down low, but once the M5 gets moving and that V8 starts doing its thing, it is something else. The sound alone makes the S58 realise it has only six cylinders. 😂 I also love how understated the F90 is. A G87 is a pit bull. The G80 is more like a Rottweiler it looks aggressive and you already know irritating it probably isn't wise. The F90 is different. To most people it's just a nice 5 Series. It doesn't need to advertise anything. Keep pushing its buttons though and eventually you discover there is a twin turbo V8 monster underneath the suit. BMW even made the decision harder by moving on the M5 price again but eventually common sense won. The M5 for me would be fantastic as a second or third car. Something to keep beautiful take out when I feel like hearing a V8 and probably hang onto because cars like that are never coming back. As a daily doing school runs, errands, traffic and everything else? That V8 was going to make friends with every petrol attendant in Gauteng. 😂
So...
M3 Competition xDrive.
Decision made. ❤️
First order of business is actually much less exciting she was sitting in the garage with the bonnet open and the CTEK topping up the battery. 😂 Just to make sure! Then Firi got a call in the first week, Heritage Badges on! A week later CSL grill and somehow twisted his arm into putting mesh behind the grill, with that we did the front grill air vents as well all in Gloss Black! In the middle of it all of that some chop dinged the bumper which added some additional pain in the process of installing the new grill, this I am almost sure is either Uber Driver dip Sh1ts or checkers trolley! Very frustrating PPF needed to come of the bumper dent need to be pulled out, new layer of PPF applied. It was a tiny dent as described to be by most people but my OCD would never let me sleep at night with a dent on any of my cars.
Having now spent time with the G80, I think it was the correct decision to make. Should I have waited for the new Gen M3 ? Maybe, But I needed to experience a G80 XDrive car first get it out of my system. It gives me what I loved about the G87 the S58, ridiculous performance and proper M car feeling but now I have xDrive, four doors and a car the family can actually use without somebody performing gymnastics to get into the back. Interior wise its very close to the M2 screens are the same etc, steering is the same, so the familiar interior I was used to from the M2 feels remains. The difference between these M2 and M3 is the drive, yes they share the same engine and transmission but they are nothing alike, the G80 feels more accomplished on the road even more comfortable for sure, cruising around in the G80 it still feel rear bias and this changes in an instant when you mash the pedal and there is a shift in power from rear to the front wheels.... It all happens so fast though your mind barely registers what is actually happening. The fact that now that I have 2 more doors has put the family at ease especially the wife! Next on the cards will be getting a Z pipe (mid pipe) from either tone exhausts or yonristic! Not that the exhaust is bad its just I want something louder and different, I cannot stand systems that are just loud for the sake of it without adding something unique! Exterior wise I am looking at carbon bits for the front spoiler, boot spoiler and mirror caps (That is how I styled the M2 in the end) everything else can remain gloss black.
Styling is interesting too. (Some hate majority loves, it's quite remarkable how BMW pit these car and make a success out of them). When the G87 first appeared at M Fest at Kyalami around 2022, I went early to take photos and videos and remember looking at the blue launch car thinking: BMW, what the hell have you done?" 😂 I genuinely didn't like it. Two years later I owned a black one. Day two: front lip and boot spoiler. Suddenly I couldn't stop looking back at the bloody thing whenever I parked it. And judging by the number of pedestrians and other motorists who stared at it, apparently neither could anyone else. So I've learned not to judge modern BMW styling too quickly. I actually like the G80 front end. It's aggressive and unmistakable. Will it get the same attention my G87 got? I don't think so. But that's okay. Those few subtle OEM+ exterior changes completely alter the presence of a car without turning it into a carbon fibre Christmas tree.
Then I needed a Dragy. Because apparently these things will run around 3.1 seconds 0–100 km/h stock under the right conditions and naturally I now need to find out for myself. 😈However with my busy schedule the dragy is collecting dust faster than my G80 M3 can do 0 to 100!
The whole exercise taught me something though:
RS e-tron GT, RS3, i5 M60 (another solid choice for a fast sedan altough full EV in nature), X3M, F90 M5... they are all seriously capable cars. There isn't really a bad choice amongst them, but sometimes the spec sheet doesn't tell you which car you actually want to live with.
The F90 still has a place in my head though. (And Heart) Maybe one day when I can justify having one purely as a garage queen.😁There was also some G90 M5 Temptation funny how more and more appealing these cars become after time.
For me in the end the G80 ended up being the sweet spot between M2 madness, M5 performance, family practicality and reasonable daily usability without having to remember to charge it before getting back to our very well surfaced South African Roads.
For now...
G87 chapter closed. G80 chapter begins.
Some pics below
Also to really end it here is a little something (Those charou's know what this is for
)
I have been driving my 2024 G87 M2 and absolutely loved the thing. The G87 is a proper little hooligan which I have always described as an angry pit bull. It doesn't hide what it is.
The problem was simply practicality. Three kids and two doors eventually starts getting old.
So the search began...
First temptation was a 2022 RS e-tron GT. 440 kW, 11,000 km with the way EV's tank the price I was getting it for was an absolute bargain . Absolutely ridiculous amount of car for the money noting that having an already installed EV charger at home made the car even more attractive but that depreciation was also exactly what scared me vs modern M cars. Some of the issues I was reading about on the early cars and even my insurer not wanting to touch it because of the original vehicle value eventually made me came back to reality. I am glad I didn't go EV just yet. (Some voice kept saying M EV is coming just hang in there!!!). I need to mention that e-tron GT form Audi was not much bigger than my M2 in the rear, the centre seat is basically for tiny people and currently in family there ain't any tiny people they are all growing like giants and my 13 year old is going to stagger over me in a year or two! With that the boot was also tiny so as much as it looked like a cool car there is nothing practical about it, it is and will will always remain a bullet on the road, respect AUDI!!!
Then came an RS3. Audi Bryanston actually brought one for me to test. Very, very quick point to point. From a robot, particularly against a RWD G87 it will disappear. But after driving it I got back into the M2 and immediately knew which car I would rather drive. Steering, chassis, interior, suspension, general involvement is where the M2 won for me. Hell I even asked for a second test drive and once you get over the point to point joy you realise the place M cars have in this world, not mention I found the Audi interior nowhere near close to the G87 in terms of material feel. Parked next to my M2 the Audi looked and felt small and my wife who likes to the stir the pot then politely pointed out your "son" will be going to university before you know it maybe you should get one for him! Ouch that is like a hit to ones manhood, but she was just politely telling me it's not a car for someone of your age!
Next victim: X3M Competition, this one nearly got me. 😂2025 car, extremely low mileage and the dealer was prepared to move significantly on price. Brilliant S58, four doors, loads of space and properly fast with a proper spec list from the original owner who only drove the car for 3000km! But here's something that surprised me: the X3M is HARD and I mean properly hard. On our roads I found it noticeably harsher than my G87. Anyone thinking an X3M is automatically more comfortable because it's an SUV really needs to drive one first. Hugely capable car, but it wasn't what I wanted as a daily then there was the fact that I was cross shopping a performance SUV against a performance Sedan.
That eventually left two cars.
G80 M3 Competition vs F90 M5 Competition.
And this was bloody difficult. 😅The F90 I drove was a 2024 with very low mileage and a known history. Full PPF, Michelin PS4s, beautifully looked after. And that V8... Good grief!!! The G80 feels every bit as quick down low, but once the M5 gets moving and that V8 starts doing its thing, it is something else. The sound alone makes the S58 realise it has only six cylinders. 😂 I also love how understated the F90 is. A G87 is a pit bull. The G80 is more like a Rottweiler it looks aggressive and you already know irritating it probably isn't wise. The F90 is different. To most people it's just a nice 5 Series. It doesn't need to advertise anything. Keep pushing its buttons though and eventually you discover there is a twin turbo V8 monster underneath the suit. BMW even made the decision harder by moving on the M5 price again but eventually common sense won. The M5 for me would be fantastic as a second or third car. Something to keep beautiful take out when I feel like hearing a V8 and probably hang onto because cars like that are never coming back. As a daily doing school runs, errands, traffic and everything else? That V8 was going to make friends with every petrol attendant in Gauteng. 😂
So...
M3 Competition xDrive.
Decision made. ❤️
First order of business is actually much less exciting she was sitting in the garage with the bonnet open and the CTEK topping up the battery. 😂 Just to make sure! Then Firi got a call in the first week, Heritage Badges on! A week later CSL grill and somehow twisted his arm into putting mesh behind the grill, with that we did the front grill air vents as well all in Gloss Black! In the middle of it all of that some chop dinged the bumper which added some additional pain in the process of installing the new grill, this I am almost sure is either Uber Driver dip Sh1ts or checkers trolley! Very frustrating PPF needed to come of the bumper dent need to be pulled out, new layer of PPF applied. It was a tiny dent as described to be by most people but my OCD would never let me sleep at night with a dent on any of my cars.
Having now spent time with the G80, I think it was the correct decision to make. Should I have waited for the new Gen M3 ? Maybe, But I needed to experience a G80 XDrive car first get it out of my system. It gives me what I loved about the G87 the S58, ridiculous performance and proper M car feeling but now I have xDrive, four doors and a car the family can actually use without somebody performing gymnastics to get into the back. Interior wise its very close to the M2 screens are the same etc, steering is the same, so the familiar interior I was used to from the M2 feels remains. The difference between these M2 and M3 is the drive, yes they share the same engine and transmission but they are nothing alike, the G80 feels more accomplished on the road even more comfortable for sure, cruising around in the G80 it still feel rear bias and this changes in an instant when you mash the pedal and there is a shift in power from rear to the front wheels.... It all happens so fast though your mind barely registers what is actually happening. The fact that now that I have 2 more doors has put the family at ease especially the wife! Next on the cards will be getting a Z pipe (mid pipe) from either tone exhausts or yonristic! Not that the exhaust is bad its just I want something louder and different, I cannot stand systems that are just loud for the sake of it without adding something unique! Exterior wise I am looking at carbon bits for the front spoiler, boot spoiler and mirror caps (That is how I styled the M2 in the end) everything else can remain gloss black.
Styling is interesting too. (Some hate majority loves, it's quite remarkable how BMW pit these car and make a success out of them). When the G87 first appeared at M Fest at Kyalami around 2022, I went early to take photos and videos and remember looking at the blue launch car thinking: BMW, what the hell have you done?" 😂 I genuinely didn't like it. Two years later I owned a black one. Day two: front lip and boot spoiler. Suddenly I couldn't stop looking back at the bloody thing whenever I parked it. And judging by the number of pedestrians and other motorists who stared at it, apparently neither could anyone else. So I've learned not to judge modern BMW styling too quickly. I actually like the G80 front end. It's aggressive and unmistakable. Will it get the same attention my G87 got? I don't think so. But that's okay. Those few subtle OEM+ exterior changes completely alter the presence of a car without turning it into a carbon fibre Christmas tree.
Then I needed a Dragy. Because apparently these things will run around 3.1 seconds 0–100 km/h stock under the right conditions and naturally I now need to find out for myself. 😈However with my busy schedule the dragy is collecting dust faster than my G80 M3 can do 0 to 100!
The whole exercise taught me something though:
RS e-tron GT, RS3, i5 M60 (another solid choice for a fast sedan altough full EV in nature), X3M, F90 M5... they are all seriously capable cars. There isn't really a bad choice amongst them, but sometimes the spec sheet doesn't tell you which car you actually want to live with.
The F90 still has a place in my head though. (And Heart) Maybe one day when I can justify having one purely as a garage queen.😁There was also some G90 M5 Temptation funny how more and more appealing these cars become after time.
For me in the end the G80 ended up being the sweet spot between M2 madness, M5 performance, family practicality and reasonable daily usability without having to remember to charge it before getting back to our very well surfaced South African Roads.
For now...
G87 chapter closed. G80 chapter begins.
Some pics below
Also to really end it here is a little something (Those charou's know what this is for
)
