This is all relative.
Certainly smaller and lighter on a track is more fun than bigger and heavier. That's a no-brainer.
But a G8X is still fun and fast on a track, and it was designed that way.
On the street, a lot of enthusiasts
do want fast and grippy, which is why most G8Xs are sold with AWD, and, as if 500+ hp is not enough, many get their G8Xs tuned for even more power.
So what
you want is not what
everyone wants. BMW is selling to a broader audience of enthusiasts.
Yes, less fun than smaller and lighter, but a bigger car can still be fun in its own right.
...just like most Lotuses are decidedly more fun to track than even the smallest BMWs (they're lighter, have better steering and a better chassis), but that's not saying that a 1M or M2 (or an old E30 M) are still not fun. Again, it's all relative.
As for bigger cars at the track, yes, it's expensive...but that holds true for newer 911s vs. the old 911 platforms. Old ones were much lighter and much cheaper to track. No different for M models. You gotta play to pay.
But, really, like 95% (or more) of most late model M owners don't track their cars, so this is a moot point. For most, great track times are just for bragging rights.
The value is engagement and excitement. The F8X S55 putters out around 5,700-5,800 rpm, so you may as well just shift at that point.
But in the S58, it's still building power right up until the redline, so then one gets the benefit of taking the engine to 7,200 rpm...which for many of us is more exciting than simply a torque-monster engine that delivers all of its power (and thrills) early with nothing left up top.
But, it sounds like you don't mind if all the torque arrives early and often, which is fine. For me, and many others, the F8X power delivery wasn't quite thrilling enough, even though it was still fast as hell.
The G8X is a pretty good combination of a turbo engine (with enough torque down low) coupled with the ability to produce power throughout the rev range. This is not easy to achieve. And the S58 still has a bit of turbo lag early in the rev band (all street-derived turbos do, it's unavoidable)....but once the G8X starts to make power, it's simply a steady, swift rush right up to the redline.
