Get Excited About BMW's M2, Just Not That Excited … Yet

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

On paper, the BMW M2 should deliver the full-boat of M-division goodies above the M235 — a car that has plenty of promise and fun, albeit at a price.

The M2, which BMW unveiled Tuesday, sports a fully fledged, electronically controlled rear differential, a modified oil sump, more power, wider stance and six-speed manual as standard. It tickles all the right notes for the well-heeled Munich enthusiast.

But the official announcement left plenty of questions about the car, which will go on sale next spring.

According to the official announcement, the M2 will get BMW’s N55 3-liter, turbocharged six that makes 365 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 343 pounds-feet of torque starting at 1,400 rpm.

Although BMW says the M2 is the direct successor to the unicorn 1M Coupe from 2011, the decision to stuff the N55 engine rather than the N54 was probably purely mathematic: the N54 from the 1M Coupe and the current Z4 makes 30 fewer horsepower and 11 fewer pound-feet of torque. The N55 is also likely acceptable middle ground to the M3/M4’s S55, which makes 425 hp and 410 pound-feet.

Although the M2’s power advantage over the M235 is substantial (365 hp vs. 320 hp) the weight savings isn’t: the M2’s 3,505-pound curb weight is identical to the M235i in manual spec, and only 85 pounds lighter in automatic (presumably the weight difference between the 7-speed DCT and 8-speed automatic transmission).

The similarities continue. The six-speed manual is identical between the M235 and M2, although the final drive in the M2 is higher. Despite different final drive ratios, both cars have a limited top speed of 155 mph.

However, the M2 gets a unique front fascia, 15-inch brake rotors up front and 14.5-inch rotors in the back. The 265/35ZR19 tires in the rear are curiously only 20 mm wider than the 245’s found on the M235i.

When it goes on sale next spring, the M2 will likely have an M-sized price tag over the (already high) $45,145 entry price of the M235i.

Whether the car will justify its price differential and feel remotely accessible — unlike the M4’s inapproachable capability — remains to be seen.


















Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • FerrariP4 FerrariP4 on Oct 15, 2015

    I think you need to verify your facts better. Here are some technical information on the M2 with comparison to the M235i and M4. The M2 is closer to the M4 than to the M235i and is priced very competitively in the US. As far as cars it competes with, the AMG A45 and Audi RS3 comes to mind but this is the purer driver car with its RWD layout... - Weight: - Leergewicht DIN (Car with 90% fuel, no driver): 1495kg (manual), 1520 DCT (1455kg for M235i). - Leergewicht EU (Car with 90% fuel, 75kg driver): 1570 kg manual and 1595 kg DCT (1530 for M235i) WEIGHT IS ABOUT THE SAME AS THE M4, 25 Kg lighter than M3. - Power: 272 Kw / 370 hp @ 6500 rpm and 465 Nm/343 lb-ft from 1400-5560 rpm (M235i: 240 Kw/326 hp @ 5800 rpm and 450 nm from 1300-4500 rpm). - 0-100 km/h (62mph): 4.3 secs with DCT and 4.5 secs with manual (M235i: 5.0 secs with manual and 4.8 sec with automatic) M3/4: 4.1 secs with DCT and 4.3 with manual - 80-120 kmh in 5th gear: 4.4 secs (M235i: 4.8 secs) M3/4: 4.2 secs - Full aluminium front and rear axles FROM THE M3/4 (M235i Steel rear axle) - 4 piston calipers 380mm rotors front / 2 piston calipers 370mm rotors rear (M235i 4 piston caliper 340mm rotors front & 2 piston caliper 330mm rotors rear). M3/M4: 4 piston calipers 380mm rotors front / 4 piston calipers 370mm rotors rear. - Track front/rear 1579mm/1601 (M235i: 1516/1532) M3/M4: 1579 mm/1603mm - Active M differential with M Dynamic Mode allowing drifting FROM M3/4. (M235i, Open differential, optional LSD) - Newly calibrated EPS FROM THE M3/4 without assistance when driving straight ahead with 2 settings Comfort and Sport/Sport+, - 6 Speed manual garbox with Automatic rev matching on downshift and upshifts SAME AS M3/4 - Modified N55 engine with parts from M3/M4: pistons, crankshaft bearing shells, extra oil sump cover, extra oil suction pump, oil cooler for DCT transmission, extra water cooler... All in All, the M2 is similar to the 1M as it has lots of components, especially suspension system from its big brother M3/4. One of the reservation I have is the braking system with just 2 piston calipers in the rear, for a car that weighs about the same as the M4. Knowing that the braking systems for M cars are not really up to scratch for track driving, racing pads or aftermarket system may be needed for track days... If you add these all up, the price difference with the M235i is justified and the car is somewhat a bargain.

  • Derekson Derekson on Oct 16, 2015

    The demand (even on the secondary market)for the 1M Coupe shows that they'll have no issues selling these, but honestly the best argument against this car is just how good the M235i already is. Yeah, this will be faster and handle a bit better, and it looks a little meaner, but it's going to cost probably $10k more. And the M235i is already fast, handles well, comfortable, and looks nice (especially for a modern BMW).

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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