2023 BMW M2 First Drive Review: The ultimate M car is back

But the M2’s key selling point was never anything to do with its looks: it’s the way it harnesses all the best qualities of the modern M. It comes standard with one of the best engines the brand has ever produced, is comparably smaller than the M4, can still be had with a manual transmission and is rear-wheel drive only. Here’s why it’s the best BMW of its era.

Without spending too much time on the elephant in the room, its face, the M2 is a generally good-looking sports car. Its wide and muscular fenders look great and are nicely complemented by short overhangs. BMW says it took some inspiration from the 2002 OG smol-boi headlights, and I’m really into the M2’s LED design. The kidney grille is very reasonable and actually doesn’t look much bigger proportionally than the previous generation F82 M3 and M4.

Those square vents on either side are visually a bit much, but to be fair, they have a lot going for them: providing cooling for the front brakes, as well as letting in plenty of air for all the oil and water cooling . at the front of the 2’s powerful S58 twin-turbo engine. This gloriously fun, almost race-level inline-six produces 453 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, which reaches the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox.

Inside, the new M2 is a vertically gifted dream. This car’s very low and deep driving position, excellent all-round visibility and ample shoulder, head and leg room fit me like a glove. The steering wheel telescoped low and close to my torso, and the seat had plenty of recline and excellent bolstering. However, I think the main reason it fit so well was because my tester was equipped with the optional carbon fiber roof and bucket seats that contribute to maximum passenger openness. No pesky, weight-adding sunroofs here. Pedal positioning was pretty good too. The clutch pedal felt a little too far forward relative to the dead pedal, but that’s splitting hairs. All of this was a huge relief after driving the oddly limited current-gen M240i and the previous-gen M2 Competition.

Elsewhere in the cabin, the rear seat was basically useless for any child or adult blessed with legs, BMW’s latest iDrive 8 infotainment system worked quite well and is among my favorite systems to operate , and I really dug the various M aesthetic touches. Especially the touch of M colors on the door cards; its design looks like it was taken from an E36 STW poster from the 90s.

When I got into gear and headed for twisty, hilly roads, it was immediately apparent that the M2’s suspension is more enthusiast-focused than its bigger M3 and M4 siblings. Its adaptive M suspension is noticeably firmer, even in comfort mode, but not too much for anyone interested in the enthusiast chassis life. You hear the pops and cracks and cracks, but it’s in no way accidental or intense, but more solid and focused.

This is mainly due to what BMW has done a lot over the years: share the parts bin. Under the skin, the M2 shares the same front and rear suspension as its bigger siblings, albeit with stiffer spring rates up front. It’s basically an M4 in a smaller body, and it even matches the 4’s track width of 63.7 inches in the front and 63.2 inches in the rear.

Getting up to speed around town and onto the freeway, the 2 has meaty, readily available torque in all gears and throughout the rev range, even in sixth. While cruising, it’s a quiet, comfortable place to be and reminded me of my own BMW E82 128i, albeit with more headroom and a lot more power at my disposal. Shifting through the gears is also easy; the six-speed manual had the typical BMW rubber like the M4, but had a good spring with a light action. Despite the rubber, I’d still prefer it to a car. I quickly got used to the clutch take-in point and found it easy to shift quickly and smoothly with any measure of throttle, and its automatic rev-matching made life even easier.

Turning off the main highway and onto a very fun and slightly tricky strip of desert tarmac, it quickly revealed the incredible level of athleticism that the new BMW M2 possesses.

Its strong torque curve was merrily joined by a lively upper and mid-range powerband with a quick shift into third gear, and then the mighty S58 twin-turbo really got to work. Considering the M2 weighs 3,800 pounds, 453 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque felt very conservative, given how exciting it accelerates at full throttle and the fact that zero-to-60 mph steps are they felt much faster than the advertised 4.1 seconds, this is considered. BMW pulling a BMW and underestimating its numbers. The Bavarian marque says this six is ​​also up to the task of high-performance driving, thanks to its oil pump, specially baffled oil pan and massive cooling intakes in the front bumper.

The test route included a twisty road in the middle of the desert with massive, rollercoaster-like elevation changes that featured some blind ridges and plenty of off-camber action. We could have easily flown, but unfortunately BMW doesn’t configure the M2 for sick jumps from the factory. With every line item in its settings menu set to Sport, this was a great opportunity to feel the precision inputs and communication of the baby M chassis.

The adaptive M suspension did an excellent job of limiting body roll but providing plenty of travel and, despite disabling most of the traction control, the 275/35/19 and 285/30 Michelin summer tires /20 always had a lot of grip. Even working with very awkward lefties and righties at the top of the hills. Like its bigger M4 sibling, the chassis relayed just as much information to the driver’s seat, and while the steering lacked feel and was a little too light for my liking, input was very direct. The car handled incredibly neutrally and its big six-piston front and single-piston rear brakes with M Compound pads never showed any hint of fade through its solid pedal.

If you haven’t gathered yet, this car essentially drives like what it is: a smaller M4. For anyone who finds the current M4 feels, and is simply too big, the new M2 is the solution and I’m dying to know what it’s like on a proper circuit.

The previous M2 started at $59,895 before it disappeared, but parking this new model in the garage will cost about $4,500 more. That’s not exactly walking for the money. Neither is the shiny $9,900 carbon package. But the fact that it shares the exact engine (just slightly out of tune, but man, could BMW have fooled me) as the M4, it all seems like a deal over the $83,600 limited-edition, carbon-roofed 2020 M2 CS. Sure, the CS benefits from a significant curb weight deficit, but the new car’s performance numbers and overall handling are impressive.

In terms of competition, there aren’t many direct rivals at the moment besides the comparably specced Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang, although the former is being killed off and the latter will see a new generation. next year. Although, if we want to get pedantic, these are technically M4 competitors, especially in the eyes of the motorsport classification. For those considering other similarly athletic German creations packing naturally aspirated engines, the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 would be the way to go.

Fun fact: One of the M Performance accessories that BMW is offering for this new M2 is center locking wheels. That’s right, hubs and wheels normally reserved for the Porsche 911 GT3s of the world are now optional on what is technically the “entry-level” M car. And if that’s not an indication that the Munich outfits are happily fulfilling the wishes of the engineers and making the M2 the purest M car of the modern era, I don’t know what is.

The 2023 BMW M2 is an immense amount of fun and a solid step forward for the flagship. It’s the right size, has exciting stats, is comfortable and has a well-thought-out interior, and includes all the enthusiast-friendly equipment you want in a high-end European sports car. Whether you want a comfortable highway storm or a smile-inducing day session around the bends, it’s a universally excellent driving experience, if not the best…watching M2 so far, but really, F87 was a tough act to follow here.

No, it’s not the stripped-down little coupe that the previous 2 Series and 1 Series cars were. But the driving position is brilliant, the engine is voracious and the handling is solid, making it the most M car true to its roots on sale today.

Have a tip or question for the author about the M2? You can contact them here: peter.nelson@thedrive.com