While the power of BMW’s past performance coupes—notably the 2002 Turbo and the first-generation E30 M3—might have been modest compared to today’s standards, these cars put BMW on the performance map. Their lightweight design and suspension tunings were masterful. But in recent years, as the luxury appointments in BMW’s performance offerings increased, so did the weight. Some Bimmer fans might argue that the tossable character of past BMW M cars was somewhat lost in the shuffle. BMW wants to change that perception with the all-new M2 model.
Taking the brand’s smallest coupe currently on offer, and injecting it with some performance enhancements isn’t exactly new territory for BMW. Last year they introduced the M235i, a beefed-up version of the diminutive 228i coupe that showed promise—but didn’t get the full treatment of M goodies like the venerable 1M had before.
The M2 may be a performance focused model, but BMW isn’t quick to forget that their customers expect luxury as well. Finding a balance between the two has been a hallmark of the company’s design philosophy for decades.
BMW’s naming conventions have become convoluted, but it’s fair to consider the M2 as a direct successor to the 1M. And like the 1M, the M2 takes a fair share of its go-fast parts from its larger BMW performance coupe counterpart, the M4. It’s similar to how the 1M pilfered the last generation M3 parts bin.
The new M2 is powered by a bi-turbocharged 3.0 inline six-cylinder motor developing 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 45 hp and 13 lb-ft over the M235i—but still 60 horsepower shy of the current M3/M4, even though the motors share a number of identical components, including the pistons and crank bearings. Customers have the option to either row their own gears through a six-speed manual gearbox or swap cogs through a seven speed dual clutch unit, also poached from the M3/M4 cars.
The M2 certainly looks the business as well—with bulged and chiseled bodywork that’s designed to accommodate a widened track that swells out 3.1 inches in the rear and 2.1 inches up front, in order to make room for the wider 19-inch forged wheels, which are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
With all of these performance ingredients packaged in a substantially smaller car than the M4, the M2 could genuinely recapturing some of the charm from previous models like the 2002 Turbo and E30 M3. Despite its efforts, BMW was only able to shave 85 pounds off the manual-equipped M2 versus the M235i, as it weighs a relatively hefty 3,450 pounds.
In other words, despite being substantially smaller in dimensions, the car is no lighter than a similarly equipped M4. Yet, it’s safe to assume the M2 will command a price tag that’s significantly lower than the M4’s, and with a reported 0-60 sprint of 4.2 seconds, the M2 certainly won’t be slow. Still, we can’t help but hope that a stripped out M2 GTS is already in the works.
See BMW M2 Cars & Trucks for sale on eBay.
