By Benjamin Yong,
Since the top-of-the-line variant of the 2-Series, the M2, was confirmed to be entering production, it has been called a lot of things: heir to the 1M Coupe; the first real-deal M car in many years; a true driver’s car. After spending a week in one, I can confirm every description is accurate, and then some.
The M235i released earlier was a preview of sorts to what the M2 might eventually resemble, but the latter is much more aggressive and there should be no event where the two might ever be confused for one another. In fact, it‘s closer to being a baby M4 with a very similar front fascia featuring the bigger sculpted front air intakes and a sleeker grille.
Additional differences are wider, flared wheel arches and a different rear bumper cover housing an attached blacked-out lower diffuser and integrated quad tailpipes. The wheels also get an upgrade in a major way — they’re forged with a black chrome finish, measuring 19-inches in diameter and nine inches width up front and an impressive ten inches at the back.
The interior is about the same you’d find in any other M vehicle, albeit a little more scaled down in accordance with the model’s lower position in the pecking order. For example, there is loads of a carbon-fibre-wrap material covering various trim pieces rather than the real deal you might find in, say, an M6. No head-up display, either. As expected, there’s not a whole lot of cabin space. Surprisingly, though, the rear seats are actually usable (read: for adults and not exclusively small children).
Once you fire up the motor, you won’t remember, or care, how the inside looks. Side note: a friend of mine who owns an M4 came along for a ride and pointed out a neat detail of how the start button is angled towards the driver, which reinforces the driver-focused nature of the car.
The 365-horsepower M TwinPower bi-turbo six roars to life, sending a fierce cackle surging through the sport exhaust. The best way to articulate in one syllable how this vehicle feels behind the wheel is raw. From the sound it makes throughout the entire rpm range, to how the perfect seating position makes you believe you’re in a fighter jet.
The M2 doesn’t just share an exterior appearance with the M4, but internals as well, including pistons, crankshaft components and high-performance spark plugs built to withstand hotter temperatures generated by the higher-output engine.
My press tester had the optional seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission (DCT) rather than a standard six-speed manual gearbox. I usually prefer a stick shift, although the DCT and its lightning quick shifts were almost enough to make me switch sides. The system has predictive rev matching that works by detecting the current rpms, accelerator position and velocity, so the entire process is smooth and takes place in fractions of a second. Dialling in Sport mode will cause gears to be held longer when you’re attacking a windy road, not to mention make the exhaust note even more glorious.
While I didn’t get a chance to test this feature, there’s a launch control function designed to give the best possible acceleration from a standstill. When activated, the computer determines ideal engine speed and primes both clutches so maximum traction is delivered off the line, with minimum wheelspin, as soon as the throttle is engaged. Once moving, all upshifts are timed and executed at optimal revs, yielding a 0-to-100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds as opposed to 4.5 when using the six-speed.
BMW has given the M2 gas-saving technology like Auto Start Stop, Brake Energy Regeneration and intelligent management of select components, allowing them to draw power only when required. The air conditioning compressor is disconnected unless in use, and the electric steering does not leech electricity when travelling in a straight line. No matter how hard I drove the vehicle, it still returned a combined city and highway fuel consumption of 11.5 L/100 km.
The 2016 BMW M2 is available in dealerships now, but be aware that when you inquire about purchasing one, the wait-list may be long.
