Apparently the M2 Comp is a better drive than a CGTS 4.0 (more YT review content)
 

First of all, I like this guy's channel. But there's been an inexplicable flood of reviews of the GTS 4.0 recently, and I found this one of particular interest because with my second kid heading into college I sort of just went through an evaluation of what other cars out there could compete with the GTS 4.0 at perhaps a lower price point.

But I'm not sure I completely agree with this take. I know he's supposedly free of bias, driving them back to back in the same conditions, and there are a handful of modifications that inject some variables into the assessment... but are we seriously considering the M2 Comp a "more fun" car to take through some great canyon roads than a GTS 4.0? He starts off suggesting it may not be considering the price point- but my take from the full comparison is he just flat out prefers the M2 over the Cayman.

FWIW he also compares the GTS 4.0 in other videos to a 981 and his NXS, respectively.



Seemed a little more favorable to the 718 in the other vids. Maybe it's the PDK?

I watched this video and it seems like he prefers the M2 because it's less refined and "wild" (aka unsafe). Basically, it seemed like he had a bigger smile in the M2 because of the sense of danger whereas the CGTS was too balanced, refined, and predictable.

I think the Cayman there is @nikuhina 's GTS?

M2C is fun to drive, its F/R with great balance, short wheelbase, an LSD and masses of torque. Its a different experience than a Cayman, some people may prefer it. I can confidently say this because I have owned one, although I found the car to be a let down in a lot of other areas.

I think the F87C is my favorite car ever owned . . .

Avera

I watched the video and really stopped paying attention after you know the mods on the M2. A high quality aftermarket coil-over changes things drastically. For most sports cars, it has one of the biggest impacts on how a car feels and handles when it comes to chassis composure and dynamics.

As much as I complained about my stock GT4 damping, BMW's are even worse.

Also, the BMW is more muscle car, more power than what the chassis can handle. The GTS is a well balanced scalpel.

But some do prefer that muscle car vibe.

I think the F87C is my favorite car ever owned . . .

Avera

Any car can be made a ton better with select very expensive mods. Extreme lightweight forged wheels, coilovers and AP racing brakes are a huge change

I think they are referring to the money aspect, as the GTS is $30k more car than the M2C.

GTS vs M2x been compared many times.

Having owned an F87 M2 myself, its wild child handling characteristic does have its unique charm when driven at 11/10 of tire traction. I broke its rear end loose on my first turn out of the dealer lot after taking delivery (didn't take much esp given fresh tires). That said, you can replicate that in any Boxster/Cayman by switching to a square 235 set up with so-so all-season tires - a page out of prev gen GR86 playbook. Obviously it'll suffer in ultimate handling performance (as does the M2 compared to Cayman). It's a wonderful daily driver to accompany Boxster/Cayman.

Lots of good context in this discussion. I think this review is the first one I've gotten the impression the reviewer actually seemed to actively prefer the M2 over the Cayman which stood out in my mind. Especially after watching his other reviews where he raved about the GTS 4.0 so I knew he was already a fan of the driving dynamics of the Cayman and still liked the BMW more...

I guess the mods are something that wasn't weighed heavily enough in his overall verdict- I know he mentioned them but the coilovers and wheels on the BMW are a pretty drastic change and he seemed to be somewhat dismissive of it or at least didn't call it out sharply enough in his review.

That said, as someone mentioned you still weigh the cost of the mods vs the overall cost of the GTS 4.0, and it's still a huge delta.

Zygrene is local to me and we've talked a few times. I think at one point he wanted to use my GT4 for a review but timing just didn't work out. What i kinda gathered from him is that when it comes to the track, he prefers precision. He regularly tracks his new BRZ and NSX and at one point he had an S2000 and a 911 Carrera S i think.
However the majority of reviews he does is on one of our more popular mountain roads here in NorCal. I get the impression that on the backroads where you can't just be always at 7k RPM, he prefers the more low power band crazy cars. He drove my friends Viper and loved that (for different reasons).

I think a lot of this is mostly just due to where we are located. While we do have some great driving roads up here, most of these are relatively low speed. LOTS of tight corners and elevation changes so it makes wringing out cars (unless you're in a miata) actually quite dangerous. Because of that, short quick bursts of fun can be preferred. When i had my F87C, it was actually a TON of fun in the mountains. Moreso than my GT4. However i prefer the driving dynamics of the GT4 and i know i'll be able to really have fun with it when i'm at the track in a few weeks.

went from a M2C to the GTS 4.0
they are different kinds of fun
ultimately it's subjective
drive both (preferably back to back) and you will know which is more fun for you
the M2C has a playful go kart nature to its handling that I probably prefer overall to the handling characteristics of the GTS
BUT for me a big naturally aspirated engine tied to a much better manual takes the cake
the 4.0 gets to my soul in a way the M2C with its rubbery manual and turbo lagged engine never could

I have a 718 Spyder and an M2 CS and while I enjoy the spider, I find the M2 more fun, not in a dangerous way, just in a playful way. The Spyder is way more refined, I also have a 14 Boxster S and I kind of hate to admit it, but I enjoy driving that car over the Spyder. The Boxster sounds better, and I prefer it's lumpiness compared with the 718 platform, the 718 makes a better daily driver than both cars. I regret trading my 981 GT4 for the Spyder.

As a preface to my comments, I owned and loved a 981 CS for six years and 37k miles. I have also owned a 981 GT4 since new and about 16k miles. Two years ago I read that MotorTrend liked the M2 CS more than the GT4. That got my attention. For my purposes, I decided I didn't need the CS and lucked into one of the very last allocations to build an M2C, so I did. I sold the 981 CS because it was a bit redundant to the GT4. I LOVE the M2C. I also lucked into an allocation to build a 718 CGTS 4.0, which I am doing for later this year. I am kinda doing that car because it appears that it's gonna be one of the last of its kind, even though the use case for me isn't crystal clear.

To me, comparing the M2C to a GT4 or CGTS 4.0 is kind of silly. They are completely different cars at completely different price points. They are ALL great cars; just different.

To me, the M2C is a better all-around, more usable car and the Porsches are more of an event. If nothing else, the seating position alone makes them very different driving experiences. All of those cars have more power than most of us can ever use safely on the streets.

I am fortunate to have them but one of the reasons I can justify to myself any of these cars is their relatively modest depreciation curves.

Again, they are all great cars and are more capable than most of us can use safely on the streets.

Enjoy the ride!