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My personal factors looking at the M2 6MT vs my current M3 6MT:
Size (weight is irrelevant as they are too close to each other):
I don't want to compromise my ability to carry three adult passengers, but if the only compromise is that the largest of my usual passengers couldn't sit in back, it isn't a big deal. I would need to bring a volunteer to come sit in back of a 2-series to check this.
Length-wise, I wouldn't mind having a shorter car for garage-space purposes. Coupe doors could be an issue due to the 530e I share the garage with. But, I'm used to my car's size so this isn't pulling me towards the M2.
The shorter wheelbase may be the most important handling change. I would expect that the car will feel more nimble in the curves, and a little less stable here and there vs. the M3. Wheelbase is what it is. The shorter wheelbase combined with the low clearance could cause me to again have issues with my stupid driveway.
Performance:
I honestly don't care much. Looking at the whole package, I'm expecting it to be very similar to my current car. The detune could most likely be resolved with a piggy-back or other very minor tune. Once its out of warranty, of course. I don't need my M3 to be any faster, and I can't imagine that I'd notice if the car is a tenth of a second slower in any particular statistic.
Looks:
It's hard for any of us with a current G8x to come down on the looks of any car without it coming off a bit strange. I like my car's appearance, but verbally slapping how anything else looks can come off like a pot/kettle situation. That being said, I would lean towards TR or BSM on this car as the lighter colors highlight the odd appearance, at least in pictures. Exterior looks are the 3rd most important factor for me when it comes to cars (Driving dynamics and interior stuff come first and second).
Price:
We'll have to wait and see what US prices look like. The UK configurator prices don't make it look terribly attractive vs. what I paid for my car (at the lower-end of the range), but it may for those folk who spent more.
Why would I keep my current car?
I've had it for over 19 months, almost 11k miles, and I've had zero quality issues with it. That bodes well for long-term ownership. I leased the thing, and my residual isn't very high (again, my purchase price was on the lower-end of the scale). I plan on buying it out at the end of the lease and it will be vastly cheaper than buying a new M2, along with most other options.
Why wouldn't I keep my current car?
I would look to the M2 as a possibility if my current car shows signs of issues near to the end of the lease. Or if a dinosaur eats my car and I can't get another M3. It's not impossible that, given access to either an M3 or an M2, that I could decide in the moment to buy the M2 just to not buy the same car twice. I do, really, have a history of impulsive car decisions so who knows what would happen.
We'll all need to see the driving-based reviews to get a better idea of what the sum of the parts ends up equaling. For my vehicle use-case, I can't see replacing my M3 with the new M2, unless my M3 was no longer a functional vehicle.
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