Is the new BMW M2 the new Ultimate Driving Machine
Car and engine specs and price
So, lets start with what is important with the BMW M2, the engine. So, with the M2 just like the M3 and M4 you get BMW’s legendary S58 engine. This is a 3-litre twin turbo straight 6 engine. It has been down tuned to 458 bhp compared to the M3 and M4 but the M2 is lighter. You also get 550 nm of torque, and the power does though a 6-speed manual gearbox or an 8 speed Automatic torque converter to the rear wheels though a limited slip diff. Unfortunately, there is no MX drive option but there could be in the future. The 0-60 figure for the BMW M2 is 4.1 seconds and it goes all the way to the usual 155 mph. the price of the BMW M2 starts at £64,475 which is a lot for the smallest M Car. Let’s go and see how it drives.
Driving
So the first impressions that I had with the BMW M2 is that it feels like a proper M Car. With the car in its sportiest setting you get great traction and enough pull from the S58 engine even though it is detuned compared to the M3. In some cases it handles better than the M3 and M4 as they just keep spinning their wheels the M2 just goes. The steering feels good and precise which makes this car easy to drive. Even with the car in sports mode it deals with bumps very well. When you put the car in its comfort setting the car feels like a normal comfortable BMW. The adaptive suspension in comfort mode soaks up the road well and you can easily do long miles in it. Lets have a look at the styling.
Exterior – Front
So, the styling of the BMW M2 is just as good as any other BMW M Car. At the front we get an all new redesigned bumper with more squared off kidney grills and a big central air vent and side vents. The only downside with the central vent though is that loads of leaves and stones collect on the radiator which is not a clever design. What we do get is the Adaptive LED headlights and some more grills next to them to make this look as aggressive as possible.
Exterior – Side
Moving round to the side and you can easily notice the extended front and rear wheel arches giving this car a more menacing look. We also get a wider side skirt which again aids the look of the car. We also get the usual M parts like the M wing mirrors and M Wheels which are 19 inches at the front and 20 inches at the back. You can also see the blue or red M brake callipers gripping the 380 mm discs at the front and 370 mm discs at the back. At the front the callipers have 6 pistons and at the back they have a single piston. To finish it off you also get a carbon fibre roof.
Exterior – Rear
Moving round to the back and we get a redesigned bumper with this again squared look. We also get a small boot lip spoiler which for me does not look big enough but lower down we do get some real exhausts but a fake diffuser but overall, the car does look aggressive and like a proper M Car. Lets have a look on the inside
Interior – Design
So, getting inside the M2 and you are welcomed with an updated design compared to the current 2 series. This is because rather than the M2 having the outdated iDrive 7 system this one has the iDrive 8 system. This means you get the new dashboard layout that is the same as the M3 Touring and the new 3 Series facelift. You will also note that the centre console will be different depending on what gearbox you go with. The manual version is slightly different compared to the automatic version. The steering wheel is the usual M steering wheel and with that you get some carbon fibre inserts and your usual M buttons. The instrument cluster is very customisable and gives you enough detail that you need for when you take the car round the track. The infotainment system also has some M graphics and you also get some M apps which include a lap timer and a drift app to see how well you can drift. Final touches include some M seatbelts and some M inserts in the door cards. Finally we get the usual M seats which are very supportive but for an extra £7,000 you can have the M performance bucket seats which are even more supportive but if you have a manual they are not as comfy as the normal seat. Talking of seats lets have a look at the rear seats.
Practicality
So getting in the back there is just about enough room for adults. Legroom is fine if you are under 6 foot but headroom may be a bit tight for long journeys. Lets check the boot out.
Boot Size
Opening the boot and don’t be surprised to find the same boot as the regular 2 series. This means you get 390 litres with the seats up. This is fine for a small family or for a weekend getaway. Ideal for what this car is.
Summary
So in summary then the BMW M2 is a great sports car that is battling in a tough market. The main rivals, the Toyota Supra, Porsche Cayman and this are all great cars. The BMW M2 in my opinion tops it out on looks on the outside and in as well as performance but driving is not as good as a Porsche. If you want a good second car or have a small family, then this may be the car for you.
Exterior 5/5
Interior 5/5
Practicality 4/5
Driving 4/5
Total 18/20
Model | BMW M2 |
Price | From £64,475 |
Engine | 3.0 Litre Twin Turbo Straight 6, 468 bhp, 0-62 = 4.1 Sec |
Transmission | 8 Speed Automatic Torque Converter |
On Sale | May |
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