The second-gen BMW 2 Series lineup is now joined by the much-awaited second-gen BMW M2—for those who don’t find the 275 kW (374 metric hp) M240i not fast enough. The new M2 is scheduled to go on sale in all major global markets around the globe starting April 2023. Production is gonna happen at the BMW Group’s San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico.
The new M2 sports unique front and rear fascias compared with the M240i. The Kidney grille and the side intakes have rectangularish profile, with the latter protruding out a bit more than necessary. The rear bumper too looks busy here as opposed to a cleaner-looking one in the M240i. Notice that the bootlid has a subtle integrated spoiler. Naturally, there are some differences in the overall dimensions compared with the regular 2 Series models. The new M2 measures 4,580 mm long (+43 mm), 1,887 mm wide (+49 mm) and 1,403 mm tall (+13 mm), with a wheelbase of 2,747 mm (+6 mm). Those wider tracks should help you with more stability, especially at corners.
As standard, the M2 rides on a staggered setup of 19-inch light-alloy wheels at the front and 20-inch at the rear. Also standard are M Compound brakes with six-piston fixed calipers at the front and a single-piston floating caliper at the rear. Adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled dampers is standard as well. However, that M Carbon roof is an optional extra, which is claimed to save ~6 kg (13.2 lbs) weight. Compared with the M240i xDrive, the M2 with manual gearbox weighs (unladen, DIN) 10 kg (22 lbs) more at 1,700 kg (3,748 lbs). The automatic gearbox adds 25 kg (55 lbs) more.
On the inside, it’s a typical, modern M car affair. I mean, if you’ve been in any new M car, it’s not gonna feel all that different. You got a 12.3-inch driver display and a 14.9-inch touchscreen; the former comes with a new graphical layout with shift lights. You get Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity as standard. The optional BMW Head-Up Display also features M-specific readouts. M Carbon bucket seats are optionally available for those who don’t fancy the standard sport seats—which I think are already pretty good. But hey, if you wanna spend more money, who am I to stop?
Long live the manual!#BMW #BMWM2 #WeAreM pic.twitter.com/GdyvUishj5
— Sagar (@autodevot) October 13, 2022
Other standard features include three-zone automatic climate control, BMW Maps navigation system, M Traction Control, and M Drive Professional (includes M Drift Analyser and M Laptimer). Standard ADAS include Front Collision Warning, Speed Limit Display, Lane Departure Warning and Park Distance Control. The Driving Assistant, Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function and the Parking Assistant with Reversing Assistant are all optional extras.
Moving on to the juicy bits of the story, the new M2 packs a 3.0-litre (2,993 cc) straight-six twin-turbo petrol engine with 338 kW (460 metric hp) at 6250 rpm and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque from 2650 to 5870 rpm. The power output is more than you’ll find in the previous-gen M2 Competition and M2 CS. As standard, the engine is coupled with an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox, but you also get an option of a 6-speed manual.
The official 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time with the automatic gearbox is 4.1 seconds while the manual takes 0.2 seconds more. The top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph), but if you give BMW some extra money (M Driver’s Package), they’ll shamelessly increase it to 285 km/h (177 mph). The M exhaust system with electrically controlled flaps should make things even more enjoyable. The Active M Differential at the rear axle comes standard; if needed, 100% locking is possible.
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