Interview - Head of M division Franciscus Van Meel

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

From the latest EVO Singapore...

Enjoy... or not the read

The part that makes me cringe is that he enjoys the auto rev match feature of the manual gearbox on the M2... I enjoy being able to properly rev match myself, not let the computer do it for me!

Cheers!

[eau_rouge]

Thanks for sharing. At least, it is one of his interviews where he is more pleasant and seems more approachable.

I have nothing against his comment on the M2 and the auto rev-match. Lets be honest - how many people can do a proper heel & toe on a racetrack when going very fast? The rev-match system will keep the car more stable than anyone could do with heel & toe. So I think it is quite a good option - that, yes I give you that, should be optional and turned off with the press of a button.

[Law]

First of all, OP, thanks for the share, great find.

EVO actually asked some really good questions as these are topics that have been debated and discussed almost on a daily basis in recent years, especially here on Bimmerpost.

The answers, however, echo the same marketing language that we are constantly fed from official sources.

Cliffnotes-
EVO: BMW M is known for RWD. You're from quattro GmbH, which specializes in AWD, so how is that gonna work?
FVM: Well we all know M is known for RWD and characteristic feel & balance, not just about performance numbers. But you know what? Screw it. Its all about the numbers now so its gonna have AWD in the future; we'll work on artificially creating a RWD feel but even that's secondary.

EVO: M is known for NA engines. Is turbocharging a good thing for M? What do you say to the purists who disagree?
FVM: Well its all about the numbers: more MPG, more torque, more HP, nothing else matters. Throttle response? Well yeaa that's important too but hey the new turbo Ms are selling like hotcakes so who cares.
By the way, the new manuals are cool, especially since we've taken more driver involvement out of them, unless you want to have DSC off all the time. But if sales for manuals drop in the future like on the M5 then its bye-bye for the manual trans. On some cars, the manuals are still making us money so we're proud to offer it. So vote with your wallet.

EVO: Does slapping on M-badges on what is otherwise a non-M car dilute the brand?
FVM: Nah, we needed to give the mid-range models a name because they have more performance than the base series models. Since BMW is no longer unanimously synonymous with fun and performance, what better way to assist sales than to slap an M badge on it so people can associate these cars with performance once again? I mean, how else will people know that a 235i competes with the Audi S3 unless we put "M" on it?
The world needs to know we have a BMW for every segment.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Law

Cliffnotes

Funny way to summarize it

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by eau_rouge

Thanks for sharing. At least, it is one of his interviews where he is more pleasant and seems more approachable.

I have nothing against his comment on the M2 and the auto rev-match. Lets be honest - how many people can do a proper heel & toe on a racetrack when going very fast? The rev-match system will keep the car more stable than anyone could do with heel & toe. So I think it is quite a good option - that, yes I give you that, should be optional and turned off with the press of a button.

I can do proper rev match on the track at high speed . The thing is I learned it (on sigle seaters) and that's part of the fun of driving. I don't mind having an automated rev-match feature in a car but not being able to activate/deactivate it permanently is a No No for me.

[eau_rouge]

Originally Posted by Paul-Bracq-BMW

I can do proper rev match on the track at high speed . The thing is I learned it (on sigle seaters) and that's part of the fun of driving. I don't mind having an automated rev-match feature in a car but not being able to activate/deactivate it permanently is a No No for me.

So do I. But my first time on the Nürburgring was with 6 years on the backseat of my dads RS2 back then.

But a lot of people maybe claim that they can do it, but will fail under pressure. I think it gives the driver a bit more time to focus on the "important" things (braking and cornering).

But as already mentioned, I agree on the active/deactivate function 100%.