The second-generation BMW M2 Coupé is the final pure-combustion offering from Munich’s storied M division, seeing out the era with drastic increases in power, performance and poise compared with its acclaimed predecessor.
Its unveiling rounds off a particularly busy year for BMW’s M division, which has celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022 with the debuts of the hardcore M4 CSL, the first-ever M3 Touring, the M Hybrid V8 endurance racer, the updated M8 and – most recently – the XM SUV, its first plug-in hybrid and only its second-ever bespoke model.
The M2 is what division boss Frank van Meel calls “the entry drug” to the now sprawling line-up of M cars, slotting in below the M3 and M4 to provide BMW once again with a direct rival to the Porsche 718 Cayman and the pricier variants of the Alpine A110. BMW has described the M2 as a spiritual successor to the legendary 2002 Turbo sports coupé (and more directly the short-lived 1 Series M Coupé). It also noted that the original model, which bowed out in 2020, quickly became the best-selling car in the M line-up and ultimately racked up 60,000 global sales.
This Mk2 version will be built in Mexico alongside the standard 2 Series Coupé, but it’s as far removed from that car as is the M3 from the 3 Series – and, in fact, most of its track-honed drivetrain chassis hardware is lifted from that larger, more powerful saloon.
For now sold exclusively with one engine option and the choice of an automatic or a manual gearbox, the M2 is due to arrive in the UK next May, priced from £61,495 – making it slightly cheaper than the comparably potent and similarly conceived 718 Cayman GTS.
M bosses haven’t, though, ruled out the possibility of more hardcore, perhaps limited-edition additions to the line-up in future.
As recently reported by Autocar, a lightweight, firmed-up M2 ‘CSL’ is set to follow, with a more extreme design treatment to match its increased power and heightened track focus.
From launch, the M2 takes its power from a variation of the ‘B58’ 3.0-litre straight six used by the M3 and M4, giving 454bhp and 406lb ft of torque to propel the coupé from 0-62mph in just 4.1sec (with the automatic gearbox) and on to a limited 155mph – performance figures that make it very nearly as quick as the M4.
The M2 has been designed to be more “extroverted and bold” than its M stablemates, according to van Meel, placing as much of a focus on dynamic flamboyance as it does outright pace and driver engagement.
