Did this compact(ish) M car endear itself to us during its time here? We reveal all
Why we ran it: To celebrate the survival – and indeed evolution – of the proper sports coupé
Month 1 – Month 2 – Month 3 – Final report – Specs
Did this compact(ish) M car endear itself to us during its time here? We reveal all – Final report
Inflation has been quite the talking point over recent years, and the subject feels particularly relevant to the M car that has just left our fleet. The M2 may be the smallest in the line-up, but it grew in every respect between its F87 and G87 generations. Our job was to find out how that impacted the ownership experience in reality.
Well, here’s one positive piece of news about inflation: my enthusiasm for the M2 only increased during its time with us. Initial impressions were of a car that was incredibly capable but had grown into something a little more po-faced than an M2 should be and a bit hard to love. It felt less like a small sports coupé and more a slightly downsized 3 Series with reduced practicality. Park the M2 next to a previous-generation 4 Series and they’re basically the same size.
But once I had adjusted to its size (and realised that even a bulked-up M2 is still delightfully compact by modern car standards) and gained a feel for the twin-turbo six-cylinder engine’s thunderous power delivery, I started to revel in the M2 and looked forward to any journey in it.
The trick, as with so many modern performance cars, is to realise that you will barely scratch the surface of its outright capability under most circumstances. You would need a circuit to truly exploit the M2’s 453bhp output or do more than play with drift mode. And frankly, the Sport Plus driving mode is too stiff for almost any public road you will find in the UK.
But that’s okay, because you can still have a lot of fun. The M2 offers a wonderfully direct connection to the road, while that powertrain is both pleasingly sonorous and responsive. I was always a little too aware, though, that the flashy double-spoke alloys (a £330 option) would be a little closer to roadside kerbs than I would like.
The M2 is one of the increasingly rare cars still offered with a manual gearbox, about which our testers raved following the car’s road test (23 July). So it was a tough decision to forego the stick-shift and choose the torque-converter for our long-termer.
But after my experience over the past few months, and at the risk of having my Autocar staff pass revoked, I would probably make the same choice again, because the automatic ’box is genuinely superb. Gearchanges are quick and always well timed, and with the auto also offering electronic launch control and traction control, it just feels that you can exploit more of the car’s potential more easily.
Plus, the automatic makes the M2 that much easier to use as a daily driver, which is a task it handles with surprising aplomb. Clearly this isn’t a car that would suit those with families: the rear seats are just about usable, but clambering into them is a faff. But that bulked-up size does mean the boot repeatedly swallowed more junk than I expected, and the powertrain is surprisingly pliant at lower speeds.
Stick it into Comfort mode or, better still, play with the individual settings and the ride isn’t too jostling either. The ride did grate on extended motorway journeys, but it actually held up well to bumps and imperfections in the road surface. Besides, the M2’s interior was generally a lovely place in which to spend some time, with a neat combination of BMW premium sheen and a sporty M-car feel.
Perhaps the best bit is that the infotainment feels better resolved than in some more recent BMWs. A 14.9in central touchscreen sounds big but, because of its thin design, it never overwhelms, and the system retains a rotary controller, so you don’t have to jab at the screen while driving in order to fiddle with the navigation. In years to come, I suspect we will lament the loss of rotary and other physical infotainment controllers as much as the decline of manual gearshifts.
The enveloping bucket-style sport seats were generally comfortable, although I did feel the effect of longer journeys in the M2. It could be that I never quite got my seating position right or just that I’m getting old, but a combination of the stiff ride and firm seat support did cause some aches and pains.
As mentioned in my previous report, the fuel economy of the M2 could cause some pain over longer journeys too. I was getting close to 30mpg, which isn’t objectively terrible for a 453bhp sports coupé, but it still means you will be spending a hefty amount on petrol if you’re daily-driving an M2. And you could easily see that efficiency drop fast if you regularly engage in more enthusiastic driving.
But as trade-offs go, that all seems pretty fair, because the M2 truly is a glorious thing. It may be larger, more serious and less carefree than its predecessor, but it’s also a more refined and accomplished car, with more performance and more overall comfort. And it’s still a tremendous amount of fun to drive.
That said, returning to the theme of inflation, it is still striking to see the entry-level M model priced at £62,420. And, in a further inflationary twist, BMW has just updated the M2, so order one today and it will cost you an extra £940, although you will gain an extra 20bhp and, providing you opt for the auto, an extra whack of torque.
That feels like an odd move, because at no moment in my time with the M2 did I ever even vaguely wish for more power. But perhaps it also puts that price into further context, albeit while creating some awkward questions further up the M range: if you’re considering an M4, I would suggest you take a very serious look at the M2 instead – not least because it’s one of the few BMWs that inflation has yet to hit hard in the kidney grille.
Second Opinion
Everyday performance cars such as this are so endangered that to nitpick feels like ingratitude, but I struggle to like the M2. I can’t warm to the garish looks, the infotainment is badly resolved and it’s a tad too uncompromising for daily use. Right road, right weather and you’re laughing, but not every journey is so idyllic.
Felix Page
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Love it:
Effortless performance The M2 has all the power you need, and the twin-turbo unit is brilliantly responsive and sounds great.
Sweet styling Two-door coupés are an increasingly endangered species. Shame, because the M2 looks great.
B-road blast Find a nice flowing back road and the M2 offers instant gratification. It rides really well too.
Sleek interior The cabin feels like a BMW’s, the dashboard makes sense and the infotainment doesn’t dominate.
Loathe it
Long-distance comfort It’s a minor gripe, but a stiff ride plus sport seats can equal aches on a long trip
Final mileage: 8274
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Life with a BMW M2: Month 4
It’s not just electric cars that make you stop every 250 miles – 14 August
When we’re running an EV on our long-term test fleet, our reports tend to feature a lot of pictures of them plugged in.
That’s partly because the foibles and intricacies of topping up a particular EV and the variances of the UK’s public charging network are key to the experience.
But it’s also because the still-limited ranges of EVs compared with their combustion-engined contemporaries mean you spend a lot of time either charging them or thinking about charging them.
Which brings me to the picture atop this report of the BMW M2 in what I’ve come to regard as its natural habitat: a petrol station.
Okay, that’s a bit facetious, but the combination of its thirsty six-cylinder twin-turbo engine (official MPG: 28.8) and its 52-litre fuel tank gives a real-world range of just over 300 miles. If you drive it calmly and in a fuel-efficient manner, that is, which I don’t do all the time, because this is an M2 and it’s too fun not to.
That 300-mile range is fine, given what this car is. But when I’ve had weeks with series of long journeys to do, I’ve found myself spending what feel like substantial amounts of time holding nozzles and having to think ahead about fuelling to avoid, say, paying over the odds by stopping on a motorway.
In a way, it’s a bit like the thought process of charging an EV, although with the big difference that it’s a lot easier to find a petrol pump and a lot quicker to top up. Although it will cost considerably more, especially if you treat the M2 to pricier premium petrol, as the little sticker inside its fuel cap suggests.
There’s also a risk/reward factor to driving the M2. Take the recent trip that resulted in the photo above – a late-night return from Gatwick airport. I should have filled up on the way down, but traffic was bad and I had work to do, so I decided to put off the fill until the return journey.
Then my flight was several hours late and all I wanted to do was get home. So what should I do? Put the M2 into Eco driving mode and feather the accelerator as gingerly as possible or resign myself to stopping and hustle on to make up the time?
In most EVs, I would attempt the former. In the M2, my mind was made up as soon as I pressed the start button and the engine revved into life.
Even though it meant familiarising myself with yet another forecourt, I didn’t regret my decision.
Love it
Raspy roar
The M2’s S58 engine is slightly detuned from its application in the M4, but it still sounds great.
Loathe it
Petrol stations They’re cold and windswept and the M2 makes me visit them rather too often.
Mileage: 6287
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Life with a BMW M2: Month 3
Practicality? No issue… 17 July
I’d always thought people with BMW M2s spent their weekends devouring the UK’s finest B-roads, yet here I am with tidying to do at home and piles of unwanted belongings to take to the charity shop. Thankfully, the M2’s boot is large for this type of car and, big load lip aside, really quite practical. And I can always take a detour on the return journey…
Mileage: 5867
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The M2 has grown over the years… – 3 July
I’ve generally become accustomed to the size of the M2, but a chance encounter with an early 4 Series in a car park recently was an eyeopening reminder that it’s no longer a small car. The two machines were essentially identical in length – and the beefed-up grille of the M2 meant it looked the bulkier of the two. Progress of a sort, I guess.
Mileage: 5213
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Life with a BMW M2: Month 2
Is this a flat-track bully that shrinks in the face of rush-hour traffic and heavy rainfall? – 19 June
It’s very easy to criticise the new BMW M2. To say that it has a harsh ride, or that it looks ugly compared with the last one, or that it’s really heavy. And while it’s 119mm longer and 230kg heavier than the car it replaced, BMW has achieved exactly what it should have: the M2 is fundamentally improved over the last one.
As for how it looks, if you remove all subjectivity from the equation and judge it as a successful or unsuccessful piece of automotive design, I’d say this is more a case of the former. It is well proportioned, undoubtedly looks like a BMW and, while it might be fussy in places, I believe it will stand up to the test of time much better than its key rivals.
BMW could have played it safe, evolved the formula and given us a car that, apart from slimmer front and rear lights and maybe wider haunches, would have looked the same as its predecessor. But it didn’t, and so here we are today.
So what’s it like to live with? I borrowed the car from regular custodian James Attwood with as much eagerness as trepidation, because I was about to take this 453bhp, rear-drive ’bahnstormer on a 270-mile round trip to Donington Park circuit through both London and Birmingham’s rush-hour traffic, during two huge rainstorms and around one very tight car park.
My agitation turned out to be mostly unnecessary, because on the move the M2 was a peach. It swallowed every journey like water, was comfortable enough on the motorway and, despite filling up just outside of London on the way back, it would have done both legs on one tank.
At the end of my time with it, I came away with 29.0mpg. For a car with vast performance potential, most of which will rarely be reached on the public road, touching 30.0mpg is a welcome achievement, especially if you don’t want to drive like you’re on an economy run.
When I didn’t, the M2’s 3.0-litre straight six bellowed and howled as it tore through each of the ZF’s eight ratios, with ample torque (406lb ft) delivered throughout a healthy rev range (from 2650-5870rpm).
A special mention also to how planted it felt everywhere: it’s so composed and unruffled by anything that you wonder why anyone would need any more car. Even during two separate thunderstorms that brought rain and hail, reducing my vision to about 10 metres, at no point did it feel as skittish or tail-happy as one might have thought.
This makes sense, given the M2 shares its CLAR underpinnings with the larger M3 and M4, which makes it dynamically more mature and frees up space inside.
Even with two passengers on board plus all of their baggage, equipment and clothing for an overnight stay, we were never left wanting for room. It’s hardly an M3 Touring in the back, but up front you don’t really notice any lack of space.
The increase in size isn’t always welcome, though, partly because of how big the car feels on the road. In tight car parks, it’s quite hard to place, because the front end seems so distant. I suspect that many front alloys will be at the mercy of kerbs.
Aside from the size, though, the M2’s surplus of space, impressive rolling refinement, raspy six-pot and standout looks made it a companion that I hated giving back.
Love it:
Business class
The textured materials on the dashboard and door cards are very attractive and have a built-to-last feel. Oh, and the M Drift Analyser is a welcome gimmick.
Loathe it:
Excess baggage
The screen is wide to the point of obstruction, its icons are fiddly to use on the move and, as for the HVAC controls, there are too many clicks for comfort.
Mileage: 4800
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Our driver has become a noisy neighbour… – 5 June
I’ve had a lot of early starts lately. Good news for my neighbours: the M2 has a mode that quietens the glorious sports exhaust note. Bad news for my neighbours: it defaults to loud when you turn on the car and there’s an automatic theatrical engine rev when you press the start button. It sounds lovely but makes me feel like a hooligan.
Mileage: 4713
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Life with a BMW M2: Month 1
Welcoming the BMW M2 to the fleet
Is it possible for a car to be at once gloriously minimalist and excessive and overgrown? Because somehow the BMW M2 that I will be running for the next few months feels like both.
In an age when the BMW range has expanded to 17 models and is headlined by brash Teutonic titans such as the iX and XM, there’s real throwback charm to the simplicity of a small two-door coupé. And yet this second-generation M2 isn’t as small or simple as its predecessor.
It has grown notably in size and stance, such that it now feels more like a mini M3 than a descendant of the 1M Coupé – which in a way it is.
A quick recap: the previous 2 Series Coupé shared a rear-wheel-drive platform with the 1 Series hatchback. But when the latter switched to front-wheel drive for commercial reasons, the only way the 2 Series Coupé could survive with a driven back axle was to switch to a specially shortened version of the CLAR platform used by the 3 Series saloon.
Power still comes from a blown straight six, but it’s a newer, twin-turbocharged unit tuned for 453bhp – a hefty chunk more than the 405bhp in the previous M2. The result is a model that’s bigger and beefier in almost every aspect.
However, the fact that the 2 Series Coupé – and by extension the M2 – survived at all is a testament to BMW’s continued passion for driver’s cars. There’s a reason why both the standard and M ranges are full of big SUVs, after all.
And, as regular Autocar readers will know, those engineers have nailed it: the M2 scored four and a half stars in our road test and has topped a group test of old-school, real-driven, manual-shift sports cars.
It’s good, then. So my mission here is to find out what it’s like to live with over an extended period. After all, this is the sort of machine that really can serve as both a weekend sports car and a daily driver, especially now that it has grown a bit. The rear seats are actually just about usable and there’s plenty of room in the boot.
The base price of the M2 is now £62,420, which isn’t exactly cheap. But then you would pay nearly double that for an XM, and if you did, you would have to deal with me questioning your life choices.
And while M cars don’t feature separate trim levels, you can get a bit lost adding on the various option packs. I plumped for the £730 Comfort Pack, which adds heated seats and the like, the £1100 Driving Assistant package, the £2305 M Driver’s Pack and M alloy wheels (19in at the front, 20in at the back) at £330.
After ticking the box for Brooklyn Grey paint (which is lovely, although its connection to the New York borough remains a total mystery), I was done. I did make one controversial spec choice, though: the automatic gearbox. It was very tempting to go for the stick shift, given that manual ‘boxes are an increasingly endangered species and so we should enjoy them while we can.
But our previous experience with the M2 has been mostly of manuals, and the auto is more popular with buyers – and, frankly, an auto is generally easier to live with. In terms of styling, you certainly wouldn’t mistake the M2 for a regular 2 Series Coupé – not even an M240i in M Sport guise.
BMW has given it a comprehensive and functional makeover, with styling that has proven a bit divisive among my friends so far. Some quite like the aggressive stance, while others feel it’s trying far too hard and a bit ugly.
One culprit for that could be the kidney grille at the front, which is just a little too in-your-face. Still, it’s a paragon of restraint compared with other current M models.
Inside, of course, that styling isn’t an issue, while the cabin really shines. The sports seats are comfy and deep, the driving position is low and cosseting, and it features a version of BMW’s infotainment that still features a rotary dial.
First impressions, then? Well, after a few months running Honda SUVs, the overriding initial one was a realisation of just how bad the UK’s pothole crisis is. What would have appeared to be minor imperfections behind the wheel of my ZR-V or e:Ny1 suddenly seemed like craters, given the firm suspension of the M2. There has been a fair amount of jostling at slower speeds as a result.
When I reach a smoother road, though, the M2 offers delights like only a RWD sports car can. I hope that sheer visceral thrill doesn’t wane over the course of the next few months, especially as I’ve already started to build up quite a pile of receipts from petrol stations. Being an M2 is thirsty work, apparently.
I will get into more gritty details such as finances aid running costs in a future report, while also hinding ways to further explore the M2’s abundant performance. It’s a journey I’m looking forward to, simply because of the fact that a turbocharged petrol-powered, rear-driven, two-door sports coupé feels in danger of extinction.
Kudos to BMW for finding a way to keep it alive, even if it is different. Now let me find out whether it still delivers once that sentimentality fades with a touch of familiarity.
Second Opinion
The M2’s new platform makes it considerably longer and wider than its predecessor, and I certainly found it more challenging to place on the road. I reckon James will spend a lot of time worrying about those diamond-cut alloys on busy London streets, with their width restrictors and one-way systems…
Jonathan Bryce
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BMW M2 Coupe specification
Prices: List price new £62,420 List price now £63,360 Price as tested £66,885 Dealer
Options: M Driver’s Pack £2305, Driving Assistant £1100, M2 Comfort Pack £730, 19/20in M alloy wheels £330
Fuel consumption and range: Claimed economy 28.8mpg Fuel tank 52 litres Test average 29.2mpg Test best 32.2mpg Test worst 26.7mpg Real-world range 334 miles
Tech highlights: 0-62mph 4.1xsec Top speed 155mph Engine 6 cyls in line, 2993cc, twin-turbocharged, petrol Max power 453bhp at 6250rpm Max torque 406lb ft at 2650-5870rpm Transmission 8-spd automatic, RWD Boot capacity 390 litres Wheels 19in (f), 20in (r) Tyres 275/35 ZR19 100Y XL (f), 285/30 ZR20 99Y XL (r) Kerb weight 1805kg
Service and running costs: Contract hire rate £639pcm CO2 198g/km Service costs None Other costs None Fuel costs £669.90 Running costs inc fuel £669.90 Cost per mile 18.3 pence Faults None
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