Since its debut, the BMW M2 has long been considered the savior of the Bavarian brand. It’s the car that brings BMW closer to its roots than its current crop of SUVs and luxury cars. With its small size, humble roots and punchy motor, the BMW M2 is the roundel-wearing sports car to have. But it’s tough to gauge what a car is actually like when it’s just being used by journalists for a few days at a test track, where it’s being pushed to its limits. What’s it actually like to drive everyday, all the time, even when you have to run mundane errands? Well, Car and Driver give us an update on the M2 during its 40,000 mile stay with them.

So far, C&D has done three months and over 7,000 miles in the M2 and most of the staffers have good things to say. In terms of its handling, performance and fun factor, C&D heaps praise on the little blue Bimmer. Their car has the optional seven-speed DCT, rather than the more desirable manual, thanks to supply and delay issues. However, that hasn’t really prevented them from loving it any less. The 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine makes 365 hp and, with the rapid-fire DCT, can get the M2 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. That’s properly quick and especially so in such a small car. On the skidpad, the M2 pulled a very sold 1.00 g, which is a number usually reserved for massive-tired Corvettes. Overall, the BMW M2 has been a very fun car for C&D.

There have been a new quibbles, though. Apparently, there have been some issues with the differential on early M2s and C&D’s had them. This required a replacement diff to be fitted and break-in miles redone. This is done and no-cost, of course, but still an inconvenience to many owners. Other than that, C&D has reported no other issues or repairs. You might think that it better not have any issues at 7,000 miles and three months and you’d be right on a normal car. But, believe me, press cars driven by journalists are usually dead before 50,000 miles. They don’t live easy lives. They have reported some squeaks and rattles that are unbecoming of a premium car at its mileage, though it does have a rather firm ride and they have been driving it in pothole-ridden Michigan during winter months. Woof.

Speaking of ride, that’s really the only complaint they’ve had. Its ride is very firm and when driven in the sort of areas they’re driving it, it can shatter bones. Though, many of the staffers feel that its handling balance and performance capabilities make up for the ride. There was a day when BMW made fantastic handling cars that didn’t need spine-shattering suspension to do so, but that day seems to be gone. We’ll take what we can get though, and it seems the good outweighs the bad.

[Source: Car and Driver]