BMW M2 2016 Review

BMW M2
International launch
Monterey, USA
 
BMW has rekindled the spirit of M3s past with its new M2. More than $50K cheaper than the traditional M flagship sporty, it's better balanced and arguably a more convincing enthusiast's car than its big brother. With shared running gear and a less powerful but still impressive 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, this is a car that is far more than the sum total of its parts. One that rewards those willing to look past the 'lesser' badge with engaging and purposeful dynamics and more performance than 95% of us will ever need. It's a cracker.

Forget what you know about the previous generation of BMW M's pocket rockets. Where the 1M was a feisty coupe that was more feared than admired, the new M2 is a polished, precise and powerful performer.

Indeed, BMW says the new M2 sets a fresh benchmark for the small sports segment and just this once we're happy to toe the company's line. In place of the 1M's snappy, at times tail-happy antics are more measured and better resolved dynamics and a package that is as balanced as its predecessor was flawed.

That doesn't mean the M2 is without a significant performance edge. It is just that the whole package is better. A lot better... Indeed, M4 owners/drivers beware. You'll have to work hard to outpace your car's upstart little brother.

By the time you read this the M2 will almost be in Australian showrooms, fast tracked and priced from $89,990 – for the six-speed manual Pure edition. A top-spec seven-speed M-DCT twin-clutch automated gearbox version is priced at $98,900 Given that its M4 big brother is fully $51,000 more, I reckon even the DCT variant is a performance bargain.

If you're keen (and you should be!) then get in quick. This one is going to be a sellout.

The star of the M2 'show' is another fine example of BMW's traditional in-line six. In this case the updated 3.0-litre TwinPower turbo equipped direct-injected petrol engine pumps out 272kW and 465Nm. That's 45kW and 85Nm (although only 55Nm on overboost) down on the M4, but more power than the M3 had until 2007 and more torque than it had until the current version.

The engine is new, but clearly draws from the BMW parts bin. It has a new bespoke oil system for racetrack use and some M4-sourced internals. Key 'big picture' differences are the fact it has a single twin-scroll turbo in place of the M4's twin-turbo set-up. Another (power-limiting) difference is the air to air intercooler. The more expensive M3/M4 engine uses a water-to-air charge cooler.

The M2's top speed is arguably academic but unfettered this pocket rocket will easily top 270km/h. Spec junkies will want to know that in its seven-speed dual clutch transmission version the M2 can accelerate 0-100km/h 4.3sec. Yet it is not just straight-line performance that defines this car. BMW says the M2 chassis has been refined on the Nordschleife and it also claims a lap time of 7m 58sec. That's a time set by one of its engineers, not one of its racers. The M4 is a scant 6sec slower – just over 1.2%.

The comparisons between the M2 and M4 were a talking point at the new car's launch at Laguna Seca Raceway and on the roads near Monterey in California this week. As much as the BMW tech team wanted to steer discussions towards other cars within its competitive set (Porsche's Cayman, Audi RS3 and CLA 45 were mentioned regularly), it was the M4 to which we kept coming back.

Inevitable I say, given much of the running gear used onboard the M2 is sourced from its larger stablemate. Front and rear suspension set ups are both derived from the M3/4. Other carryover components include steering, and in part, the braking system.

Unlike Aussie M3/M4s, however, the M2 gets non-adjustable dampers. Perhaps a good thing, they worked oh so well at the track and not too shabbily during a quick drive down the famous coastal Highway 1 towards Big Sur. Let's hope for Aussie BMW performance fans that this means the car works better locally. While we loved the M4 at its track based launch in Portugal in May 2014, once we got it on Aussie roads much of the allure evaporated. If there are any caveats in my impressions of the M2, they are here for this reason.

That said, as my colleague Marton Pettendy is down to drive one of these beasties in Targa Tasmania in April (and with the likely addition of an M2 in this year's Australia's Best Driver's Car), we'll soon known exactly how the manners transfer Down Under.

For the time being, the M2 certainly looks the part. The standard 2 Series coupe body is pumped up in its transformation from hopeful to hero. At the front a new, wider, lower splitter gifts the car serious look. There is the signature M 'gills' and flared guards front and rear, which barely cover the wide 19-inch wheels and tyres (again M4 sourced).

At the rear there is that trademark M division twin dual-tailpipe exhaust system. And a real engine note that is beefed up when Sport or Sport+ are selected via the standard Drive Experience control.

If the standard look is not wild enough, feel free to examine the M Performance catalog. Or check out the MotoGP safety car for inspiration. We think plenty of buyers will...

Inside there are the usual M cues too. Heavily bolstered sports seats that work well on road and track, fat small diameter steering wheel and open-pore carbon-fibre detailing define this very clearly as an M car. That is even if you can't see the multiple M logos, trademark blue stitching and the unique M-DCT transmission lever.

As noted above, the M2 will be offered in both six speed manual 'Pure' and seven-speed dual clutch variants Down Under. BMW insiders play up the extra performance of the latter. Traditionalists will applaud the retention of a proper manual.

The manual Pure features all the appropriate M mechanical goodies, including the active M differential straight from the M4. There are 'compound' brakes (in this case 380mm cast-iron front rotors on alloy 'hats' with four-piston calipers) which easily coped with days of racetrack use at Laguna Seca.

But it also packs a high level of amenity, with features like tyre pressure monitoring, BMW Connected Drive, cruise control, BMW Driving Assistant with low-speed autonomous braking, pedestrian warning and the like, rear park sensors and camera, DAB+ digital radio and Professional level satnav and audio.

Tech-savvy buyers will like the Go-Pro app that allows you to operate a Bluetooth-paired camera via the iDrive controller. There's also a track app that allows you to share your lap times and the like via Facebook and Twitter. #Lookmumnohands!

The extra $9K for the 'headline' seven-speed dual clutch version of the M2 takes all of the above and adds an alarm, heated electrically adjustable seats, adaptive headlights with High Beam Assist, keyless access, upgraded nav and a harman/kardon surround sound system.

The M-DCT is the same unit used in the M3 and M4 and features creep on demand (for parking and slow speed manoeuvring) and 'smoky burnout' mode to keep both creeps and hoons happy. The manual meantime, incorporates automated downshift throttle blipping.

Key dimensions such as the M2's track are all but identical to the M4 (the rear differs by just 2mm and the front matches). The M2's wheelbase is 119mm shorter but the overall difference in length is over 200mm. Coupled with the same size 19-inch wheels as the M4, this might go some way to explain the 2's wheel-at-each-corner stance.

There are advantages in this part sharing strategy but one of them is not light weighting. In fact, one of the potential handicaps of the M2 is that it is barely lighter than its bigger and faster kin.

At 1570kg (unladen DIN, DCT variant) the M2 is just 2kg lighter than the larger coupe in the same configuration, according to BMW's spec sheets! Experts on the ground say that due to specification changes, the "real" difference is closer to 25kg. In either case, it's not the big gap you'd assume.

BMW's own official power-to-weight ratios show (DCT v DCT variants) the M2 is at 17% disadvantage at 5.6kg/kW versus 4.84. This doesn't necessarily show itself in the real world – perhaps in part because of traction limits. For the record, the M4 is only 0.2sec faster 0-100km/h and in 80-120km/h roll on acceleration in fifth gear, the M2 is only 0.1sec adrift (4.4 v 4.3).

Reference: the comments above. Get in quick... Because if you have a millilitre of petrol in your veins, or you wave the blue and white roundel at the track, this is your new sporting hero. The shorter M2 is more wieldy on the track than the M4 and, in the hands of anyone short of a proper racing driver, probably every bit as quick.

There's gold plated communication through the steering wheel and also through the seat of your pants. Punting the M2 hard around Laguna Seca's amazing layout, it's easy to sense everything the car is doing. It might be clichéd but you REALLY do feel connected.

In Sport+ mode the smart M-DCT twin-clutch gearbox makes better choices than you're likely too – a great way to learn a track that demands concentration at the pace the M2 can quickly generate. And as the pace further increases and you take over the shifting duties, there's snappy up and down-changes available exactly when you want them – no delay like some dual-clutch boxes.

The front-end has great wads of grip, in part due to those amazing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres. And unlike the 1M and to an extent the M4, power down is predictable and consistent. You can get on the throttle early and stay on it in the M2 even with all the safety nannies turned off. In M Dynamic Mode with some stability control retained, there's a touch of lateral slip allowed, but the real strength of the chassis is the limited number of times the electronics need to intervene.

On the road the ride is firm but better than I remember the M4 – even with the latter's adaptive dampers. The only blot on the copybook here is tyre noise – something I'll live with for the Michelins' grip and the M2's wonderfully communicative nature.

The engine's excellent mid range is highlighted in normal traffic and touring use. We sampled the M-DCT on the track and the manual on the road. With the latter, the torque-rich delivery of the 3.0-litre six coupled with the precise mechanical feel of the gearlever conspire so that you're often changing gear for the fun of it.

Overtaking performance in fifth or sixth gear from 100km/h is, umm, err... Enthusiastic!

And all of this is packaged in a two-door, four-seater that has a decent sized boot and some measure of practicality. Only the RS3 hatch can match this side of the equation – I can fit my mountain bike and a gearbag in one of those (and likely in the M2) – I can barely fit my helmet, lunchbox and shoes in the Porsche.

As you've probably gathered, I'm ten parts smitten with the M2.

In this car BMW has rekindled the spirit of M3s past – in so many ways it's the car we all imagine a modernized E46 M3 would be.