Quote:
Originally Posted by toprarnen
The 2022 GR86 felt loose and light, as it should. The steering was a bit sloppy but with more feedback than the G87 M2. It felt the most "fun" because it just didn't feel like a serious car. Obviously underpowered compared to the other two, but it was fun to take it up to more of it's "potential" on the road. Less grippy/poised compared to the other two, I could feel it getting nervous as I took it around a roundabout. Noticeable rev hang which was a distraction.
The 2018 Cayman S (718) was so direct in its steering feel compared to the other two, and the car would literally go right where I wanted it to within the lane without any delay. There was more feedback through the wheel compared to the GR86. The shifter feel was much better; it would "snick" neatly into place. Clutch was light, but the engagement point was very predictable. When the sport exhaust was off, it was very tolerable, but that's the word. With the exhaust open and sport mode on, my brain was done after about 10 minutes. Overall a very fun car if it wasn't my daily driver, but living with that noise would get old after a while. I would never order a Porsche without PASM; the difference between modes was significant, very impressive. Acceleration hit after around 4k RPM or so, felt like a Honda VTEC or something with how it got exciting at that point. Prodigious grip and it got fun after 70mph or so. This model had PASM, 20" wheels, and sport exhaust.
The M2 I drove was a manual model, regular sport seats, and carbon roof. The steering feel was barely there but precise at the same time, in [...]
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Thank you! I very much appreciate how much detail you provided and how much thought you put into your response. You hit on many of the points I was interested in learning about. My experience with the last generation of all these cars is very similar, except the F87 had a crap interior. I now like the G87 interior the best of the 3.
I drove a 2015 BRZ for about a year, and it had the same rev hang that you experienced with the GR86 and very similar handling characteristics. So easy to get a bit of slip if you wanted to, at very low speeds just making it a fun car that never felt too serious or pretentious. The one major thing that puts me off on the GR86 is depreciation…sure it’s the cheapest of the bunch, but 5 years down the road, I’ll likely lose a lot more on it than buying a 981 now and hanging onto it for 5 years even though it’s more expensive. Same with the G87 since warranty covers everything for first few years so it’s just basic maintenance and depreciation
With the Porsche, I’m considering a 981 base or S, or a 718 GTS 4.0, because that flat 6 just feels and sounds amazing. I really appreciated the shift feel and feedback in the steering in the 981.
Contrary to popular opinion, I absolutely love the style of the G87. To me it seems muscular and hunkered down with those great fender flares. The interior is amazing. And I’ve just always loved BMW. I like the idea of buying a manual BMW new to vote with my wallet and tell BMW we want more cars like this. But my concern is the numb steering. I’ll have to go for a test drive and see for myself if that bothers me. I do want something with some edge, and it wouldn’t really be a daily for me. More of a weekend fun car and for shorter trips. Based on your description it may be the perfect option for me, although I think I’d go for the carbon bucket seats to make it feel a bit more special.
I’ve got a 2022 Mercedes E450 do the long haul drives, although I’m growing ever so frustrated and seriously consider dumping it for the G60 540i in the near future.
Right now my fun car is an E36 M3/4/5 and I absolutely love it…have had it for 7 years and the thought of getting rid of it gives me pause. But it’s way less composed and connected compared to the BRZ I used to drive, and I don’t feel very safe driving it around town or on interstates. I take it out once or twice a week on country roads where it truly shines, but if I had something more modern I’d feel a lot more comfortable with the added safety and I’d get way more usage out of a GR86/Cayman/G87. Plus I think all of them will have more edge than the E36 M3. Ultimately, I’d have a 3 car garage - long distance modern cruiser (G60 540i), old school weekend toy for nostalgia (E36 M3/4/5), and a modern sports car with a bit of edge for most driving except longer trips (GR86/G87/Cayman)