Look, BMW is finally doing well with 50 years of M in the form of the new M2.
With the BMW XM we almost gave up. 50 years of BMW M has not been super exciting so far. Until today. Because BMW has just pulled the curtain on the new M2 and man, what a thick thing this has become (also literally). The Germans left nothing to chance!
May we say it, yes we can: finally a BMW that IS NOT UGLY!
Index
The first generation M2 was in the shadow of the BMW M4. That is still the case with the second generation, but the car has really matured now. The appearance is a bit thicker compared to a regular 2 Series. A big blow of spinach has been thrown at this. We love. It has become a rather boxy design.
Appearance
Knocked-out wheel arches, a large front bumper minus large fog lamps and a striking rear. The latter will probably cause the most discussion. And this is also a real BMW M that makes us happy. A creamy six-cylinder under the hood in combination with rear-wheel drive. Delicious!
The current generation M3 and M4 really drives better compared to the previous generation. The good news is that BMW has also brought that improved chassis and powertrain technology to the new M2. In short, on paper this reads like a very nice steering car. We should of course try it ourselves before jumping to conclusions.
Sizes
At 4.58 meters long, the new M2 is only 214 mm shorter than an M4 Coupé. The sports car is 119 mm longer than its predecessor. Furthermore, the M2 is a healthy 1.88 meters wide and 1.40 meters high. The wheelbase is 2.74 meters. According to BMW, the fact that the car has become slightly longer benefits the legroom of the occupants.
Engine and performance
The new BMW M2 has an M TwinPower Turbo 3.0 inline six petrol engine. The block delivers 460 hp, 550 Nm of torque and can run a maximum of 7,200 rpm. Linked as standard to the M Steptronic automatic transmission with eight gears. But optionally you can also stir from BMW! The M2 comes with an optional six-speed manual transmission.
The automatic is of course the fastest. You can reach 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. By default, the M2 is limited to 250 km/h. With the optional M Drivers Package you are allowed 285 km/h from BMW. There are three driving modes. Road, Sports and Track. With the M buttons on the steering wheel you can personalize the desired configuration yourself. Something that we already knew from previous BMW M models.
M Race Track Package
Standard on every BMW M2 is climate control, navi, a HiFi sound system. Well, ticking options is part of it. And there is quite a bit to choose from. In addition to the usual things such as a Harman Kardon Surround Sound System and a glass sliding/tilting roof, there are also options that really get us excited. I mention an M Race Track Package. With this option you get a carbon roof (cannot be combined with a sliding/tilting roof), M carbon bucket seats, carbon interior trim, the M Drivers Package and sportier rubber. Speaking of tires. The M2 has 275/35 ZR19 at the front and 285/30 ZR20 at the rear.
Improved brakes
A point of criticism on the first generation BMW M2 was, among other things, that the brakes turned out to be very weak. During serious play on the track, fading appeared to occur quickly. BMW has addressed this with the introduction of M Compound six-piston brakes. The braking system is also adjustable. The sensitivity of the brake pedal can be adjusted by means of two setting options.
M Traction Control
Talk about setup. It is very hip today to set traction control in many ways. The most normal thing in the world in a race car, but on street cars it was special. The Mercedes-AMG GT R had it, the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS has it and you can already feel it coming. The new BMW M2 also has a total of 10 setting options for M Traction Control. From gently allowing slip to a full hooligan mode.
fat shaming
BMW M speaks of an almost perfect 50:50 balance in terms of weight distribution. Speaking of that weight, we can’t resist a little fat shaming. The M2 not only looks fat, it is also a fat one. The unladen mass is 1.725 kg. For comparison, the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale from the Autoblog Garage has a curb weight of 1,745 kg. In short, the M2 is a tough guy. Maybe check the M Race Track Package, the carbon bucket seats take 10.8 kg of the weight and the carbon roof about 6 kg.
Zandvoort Blue
With the new BMW M2, the brand is also introducing a range of new colors. Like the Toronto Red metallic shown, but with our orange glasses Zandvoort Blue stands out. Sounds funny anyway. Other colors for the M2 are Alpine White solid, Sapphire Black metallic and Brooklyn Gray metallic. Interesting detail: Toronto Red and Zandvoort Blue are two exclusive M2 colours. BMW is so happy with Toronto Red that they only provided photos of the car in this color.
Competition
But suppose you don’t want a BMW M2. What are the alternatives? Competition from the well-known brands is in the form of the RS3 Limousine and the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S. But in both cases these are not real driver’s cars. In addition, the M2 with 460 hp is a lot more powerful than the RS3 (400 hp) and the CLA 45 S (421 hp).
In the sportier corner you have to look for it with the Porsche 718 Cayman S or the Toyota Supra. The M2 is actually a better deal. More practical, because it can accommodate four people and also more luggage space. Only in terms of price we can not really compare them with each other.
Sales start
It’s still a while to wait. The new BMW M2 will be launched in April 2023. BMW itself expects that Germany, the United States, Great Britain, China and Japan will be the most important markets for the compact coupé. Prices will be announced at a later stage.
This article Official: BMW M2 is an angular purist box! appeared first on Autoblog.nl.
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