[Silber]

So I think in order to move from an F82 into an G8X it takes a good bit of self-reflection as to what matters most to you as a driver.

There was a time when I used to autocross my 135i almost every weekend and I wanted something with a lot of cornering capability, plus really wanted to go through Euro Delivery so I went and priced out an M4 and surprisingly enough it leased so well that it was essentially a no-brainer.

This was back in 2015, and after my lease was up I bought it out since I figured I'd keep it for a few more years and then jump into an M2 to get something in a smaller package. And then I actually sat in an M2 and had a difficult time justifying the payment on a car which felt significantly less refined.

And then I leased an i8 for less than many M4s were going for and it completely changed my outlook. I love the duality of a Super GT, from the styling to the surprising level of performance to the AWD and efficiency, and with some tweaks I was even able to make it sound good. AWD has especially been nice since there have been times where the M4 has definitely tried to kill me in some of the weather conditions we get up here, and even in the dry on some off-camber corners. The big drawback has been that I've missed a stick, but less so than I expected and have found fun in other parts of managing that vehicle. Plus I still have the M4 and 135i if I want to scratch that particular itch.

I was offered an M2CS slot the other day and there was a time where I would have absolutely jumped on it, but again I just can't justify an M2 at that price point anymore after getting absolutely spoiled by the M4 and i8.

To circle back to the G8X - I'm pretty annoyed by BMW for making the car a good bit heavier and larger than the F8X, and in certain ways it feels like a step back from the prior generation since it appears that we've lost a ton of the carbon and lightweight construction that M was so proud of. It puts the car in a bit of an awkward position because the styling is very out there and I'd almost rather get into an M8 to avoid it. But to consider an M8, I have to rule out RWD and a manual, at which point I think I'd rather either get an AWD G82 or wait for a likely M4 Gran Coupe or something electrified.

I think what I really want is to have an option to get a refreshed i8, but that's obviously not possible since they're out of production and it's looking increasinly unlikely that we'll see a successor. And since I've already comromised on a manual before to get excellent grand touring capability and AWD, it's likely that I'll do that again with an AWD M4 Coupe or GranCoupe, go up range for the M8, or skip BMW altogether and wait for the hybrid + AWD Grand Sport C8.

TL;DR: I think BMW's lineup is really awkward for enthusiast right now, but at the same time I'm realizing that my priorities are changing and that I'm increasinbly more willing to accept additional weight and skip out on a 6MT if it's in exchange for better all-year street performance and AWD.