Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to drive these 3 cars back to back at our local track here in MC.
I have reasonable track experience but very very far from a pro. Done a bit of instructing for basic level drivers. I have owned and extensively tracked an E46 M3 (still own), E90 M3 (sold) and my 1M. Have taken some Porsche, BMW and BMWCCA performance schools.
I drove the 3 cars at the start of the day back-to-back literally. I hadn't been to the track in a few months so I was feeling a little out of touch. This happens, it usually takes me a while to become confident and "in the zone" so to speak again. I usually drive much better in the afternoon than in the first sessions so factor that into my impressions.
I drove the M4 first. This is a friend's M4 that has the DCT tranny and a sunroof. It was the car I liked the least of the 3 on track. I had previously driven both the M3 and the M4 at another, shorter track and loved them back then. Those had the CF roof but I really can't believe that makes such a large difference. I am 99% sure I had the car setup right with dampers and throttle at their "trackiest" sport+ setting and the steering in comfort. It felt really large and heavy on the corners, quite unwieldy in turns with a lot of body roll that I didn't love compared with the other two. The brakes also lost stopping power after 3-4 laps and I had to start backing off a bit (this car had steel brakes). This last bit is sorta normal for stock ///M cars in my experience. I did about 6-7 laps and my overall impression was that it wasn't that at home on track. It surprised me because I had great memories of my previous drive on track. Also, two weeks ago I drove a DCT M3 on mountain roads and loved it. So, a bit weird. This car's tires where somewhat worn as were the brakes. Maybe that + the sunroof changed the character or maybe I was just not drivin' good on my first session out. Still, weird because I expected to love it but didn't. The one thing I loved was the powertrain. The car accelerates quite noticeably harder than both the M2 and the 1M. It also has the better gearbox compared to the M2 specially - more on this later.
Next (and later in the afternoon) came my own 1M. My car is stock except for rims, tires, pads and fluid. I have it on 18 inch, lighter than stock wheels with Dunlop Direzza ZIIs that have been fantastic. They are quite worn by now with just a day or two left on them. Fronts are 265/35 and rears are 275/35. The tires do help a lot with the handling IMO so take that into account. My car definitely felt both a lot slower in acceleration and a lot nimbler in turns than the M4. Part of that is of course my familiarity with it - but I definitely preferred the 1M that day on that track. It is simply much more fun to drive. I am sure it is also slower by some margin but I couldn't care less.
Finally, the car I had been lusting to test: the M2. It really is like the 1M turned up to 11 in speed but not without a few drawbacks. This car had new tires and brakes, basically just out of its break-in service. It was a DCT which after driving it, I'd never get over the manual. Turn in felt a bit better than the 1M, with a bit less understeer and a bit more balance. The steering feel is fine IMO, maybe not as tactile as the 1M but still fine. No complaints there. The driving position is also fine, you wouldn't notice the "twisted" seat if you weren't told about it. A non-issue. The power is noticeably higher than in the 1M, but I'd say slightly. The difference is more noticeable between the M2 and M4 than between the M2 and the 1M. So yeah, it is a true successor to the 1M. On to the main drawbacks. I hated that you can't configure the DCT shift speed separately from other stuff when you put the car in Sport+ which I did. The shifts get a huge jerk between gears, I guess in an attempt to make them "sporty". That absolutely sucked. In the M4 you can do that and in the 1M, being a manual not a problem and also more fun. So, my main tip here is: do get the manual. This car had the optional M Performance exhaust as well. It's worth it IMO. The sound is leaps and bounds better than my stock 1M that is quiet as a night cricket. In fact, I prefer the sound of both the M4 and M2 over the 1M, with the M2 having the best sound of the 3. Brakes also got a bit faded after a few laps - less than in the M2. Nothing that can't be fixed with fluid and pads in my experience.
At the end of the day, and after a lot of lapping in the 1M where, as I always do, re-bonded with the car, I just love the thing and am probably holding on to it forever. It is super fun at the track. I wanted to love the M2 enough to get that "I must have it" feeling. I didn't. It's a fantastic car and I think a better choice than an M4 for pure driving pleasure but very, very slightly incremental over the 1M at most.
Final notes: M4 and M2 I drove in MDM mode (cars in Mexico have euro MDM). 1M I drive DSC Off.
