2023 BMW M2 Competition review

Taking the mechanicals from the M4 and massaging them into a more compact body is the recipe for the second-gen M2. Does it all gel?

It’s M2 time again, and back when it was a first-generation offering, we revelled in its performance and dynamics. In fact, the last BMW M2 became the best selling M car.

Now everything has changed, right down to the transmission which is an eight-speed automatic instead of a seven-speed double-clutch.

The engine is peppier too, borrowing directly from the BMW M4. It’s the same twin-turbo inline six, just detuned from 375kW and 650Nm to 338kW and 550Nm. However, that’s still 60Nm and 36kW more than the original.

On the downside, the new model has grown and is heavier by around 200kg. This, by the by, is the final ICE power-only M car; in future, they will all be electrified.

BMW has seen fit to continue to offer the car with a six-speed manual transmission option. We imagine most will opt for the 8A, which features shift paddles and the drivelogic system, dictating how fast you want the shifts to be made.

Faster then?

Which brings us to launch control in a BMW rear driver. Er, it’s good. In the M3s of yore it wasn’t, a multistep procedure that often failed and you only got one shot at it before it timed itself out.

It’s the same here – you still get only one attempt at a time – only it is much easier to initiate. Just turn off DSC, select S (for sequential) and opt for the shortest shift interval (drivelogic 3). Then it is like any other LC system (foot on brake, gas to the floor).

However, you cannot let rip straight away. One must wait while launch control is preparing (for takeoff, presumably). This I didn’t realise and fluffed the first attempt, still a respectable 4.3sec (4.1sec is the claim).

At that point, I saw some guy shaking his fist and giving me a piss off signal. As it happened, we had to go on a short drive to refresh the LC system anyway so he got his wish. The whole point of this one-shot system is that you’re not repeatedly stressing the driveline components.

This was the first time I’d had a lone drive in the M2; the rest of the time was with the Missus who doesn’t much like hard-riding sports cars. But she liked its colour.

Anyhow, at next attempt the LC was tikiti-boo, and the M2 raced to 100 just inside its claim, managing 4.08sec on a regular section of flat chipseal. It’s uncanny how it sticks off the line, everything done by the electronics, aided by the active rear differential.

This is only a hair faster than the original for the sprint run; that ran 4.25sec. But on the overtake the extra oomph is telling, down from over 2.6sec to just under 2.2sec 80-120km/h. So it is faster for sure, despite the extra weight.

The latter is due largely to it being longer (+119mm) and wider (+16mm). It also borrows much from the M4 in the way of the steel and aluminium CLAR platform and mechanicals. Plus it gets the CF roof.

How’s it go day to day?

Unlike the original, this is fine and dandy in Efficient engine mode, in and out of town. Sure, you can sense the added verve when going to Sport mode and even more when selecting Track but in general use you just add gas and you’re gone.

On that, we averaged 10s and 11s in typical daily use, not bad given its performance potential. Hitting out and we saw 15- 20L/100km.

Retardation is well covered too. Brakes are big; 380mm discs with six-piston fixed calipers up front. This has two settings for brake function, Sport and Comfort.

The Sport setting seems to give more precision at the pedal, earlier bite, although ultimate stopping power isn’t any different. A best of 32.73m is about what we’d expect from this given its even weight balance.

There’s also a button for the exhaust flaps that changes the tone from somewhat ornery to dont-mess-with-me.

Oddly enough, just beyond the corner we used for the dynamic shots was a sign saying ‘No engine braking, please keep quiet in this tranquil country area.’ At least we complied with the first part of the directive.

Has BMW got the styling right?

An age-old question, it would seem. We got lots of admiration for this car, mainly from BMW owners and drivers. Not all were fussed by the Zandvoort Blue colour, though it hides the dust pretty well.

One guy in a 650i gave it the thumbs up but to my mind this isn’t as alluring as the last one. It’s a good looker on the whole, sure, but more pugilist than pretty, which its forebear was.

The newcomer, or G87, is wider by 16mm and lower by 7mm so it looks more muscular and grounded, the sills and arches helping. But the front end is a bit too squared off, and the lights are not quite slimline enough for this tearaway, while round the back end it seems too bulbous, slightly overwrought.

Its profile is sweet though, and the 19- and 20-inch wheels look great…until it comes time to clean them. They’re smothered in PZero rubber, 275/35 up front, 285/30 at the rear.

And what about the unseen?

Which brings us, unsurprisingly, to grip vs road noise. There’s little doubt about the former; even going easily this rounds up corners with the minimum of fuss and roll.

It is just so stuck until you start messing with the TC/DSC system. But over coarse chip surfaces it sure is loud, worse by a couple of dB than its forebear (78.5 vs 76dB). That can be somewhat tiring on journeys.

Initially we thought that the ride, even in the Comfort mode, was too lumpy. You can forgive it somewhat because of all the low profile rubber and how it handles.

But better was to come. A message to check tyre pressures came up and we discovered that all four tyres were overinflated. Set back to what the handbook suggested and a much more accommodating ride was the upshot.

Even in the Sport modes this was no longer firm and fidgety. Glad we checked. If anything this is even cushier than before because now it comes standard with adaptive damping. You’d not credit how much difference lowering the tyre pressure by 5 PSI made.

We checked a few different set ups for cornering. Just sport everything is good, and we dialled in TC to 5 out of 10 so it wouldn’t trigger too much. Go to 10 if you’re a drift hound, or TC off altogether.

The concept is to give drivers a taste of how to ramp things up safely at the skid pan. The simpler alternative is to go to the MDM setting for road work. It doesn’t do the power-on oversteer like the old one did, until you dial TC right back, so at the limit it tends to push into mild understeer.

This is all-ways configurable and there are two wheel-mounted buttons, M1 and M2, for preferred settings. One you’d set up for touring, engine in Efficient, suspension, steering and brakes in Comfort. The other you’d configure for sport or track driving.

The shortcuts are handy, and there are some also for turning off annoying lane keeping that tugs gently at the wheel. It used to be easy in days gone by but now it’s all submenus and Apps via iDrive.

Switching out the autopilot makes an obvious difference to how this steers, as you’d expect. What a joy, so quick and instant and effortless in direction changes, and it holds righteous midcorner speeds.

So yes, it does gel, and it reminds of the original, though is not quite as darty being 54mm longer in the wheelbase. But it’s quicker and comfier.

Two- or four-seater?

As to practicality, it’s not too bad for a two-door, except that the rear seats won’t get much use; they’re really only for kids; adults will feel hemmed in.

There’s decent boot space, however, for what’s not a big car, although no more than in the original (390L). We like that it self locks and unlocks, and audibly tells you when that’s done, so handy.

The interior is much updated, with big digital screens, and dashes of colour in the seats, the paddles and M1/M2 buttons on the wheel a vibrant red. The minimalist head up display is excellent.

Because of the increased spec and size there has been a price hike of over $20k, putting it up to base Porsche Cayman levels.

That also means it costs well north of the AWD competition; the Audi RS 3 and A 45 S 4Matic.

But it can be had in manual which will doubtless be collectible at some point.

This article first appeared in the November 2023 issue of NZ Autocar magazine.