The M2 is in pole position on and off the track when it comes to the BMW ‘M' range

Sunday World

02-05-2025

The M2 is one of my favourite performance cars of all time and, one of the absolute best I have ever driven on a race track
The BMW M2 looks great but drives even better
The BMW M2 looks great but drives even better
​Greedy. That was the new buzz word used by my daughter's teenage pals when I rocked up one day for a school pick-up. In fairness, even my daughter didn't know the true meaning of the word that was being used to describe the truly awesome wheels I was fortunate enough to be test driving that week.
The model in question just happened to be one of my favourite performance cars of all time and, one of the absolute best I have ever driven on a race track – the BMW M2.
It is very interesting that BMW is showing no signs of slowing down with the production of its high-performance models – especially at a time when almost every resource is being pumped into the production and future of electric models in the entire world of car production.
Inside the BMW M2
Already Skoda has called a day to the production of its RS diesel models and even the latest Golf GTi is rumoured to be Volkswagen's very last one.
So it took me by surprise really that BMW has decided to freshen up its M2 and M5 models in this day and age.
Well there is obviously still a high demand for these models or the German brand would have pulled the plug on them over the last few years.
So what has the premium brand done with the latest model to roll off the production lines you might ask?
Well from the second you see this car in the flesh it will blow you away. I mean I had neighbours knock at my door asking to sit in it, and it turned heads almost everywhere I drove in it.
On the outside, the refreshed M2 features enormous wheel arches that certainly give it the sporty character that has attracted so many admirers.
New front lights, a massive horizontal BMW kidney grille and the three-section split lower air intake.
Although it didn't feature on my test model, the M2 can also be ordered with the optional M Carbon roof that not only reduces the weight of the car, but also lowers its centre of gravity.
Elsewhere, the M2 is fitted as standard with M light-alloy wheels in double-spoke design with a jet-black finish.
And, the fact that the M2 sits on 19-inch rims at the front and the slightly bigger 20-inch ones at the rear, just adds to the model's spectacular stance.
The BMW M2 looks great but drives even better
The inside too has undergone some changes and the first thing that you notice when you step inside the beast is the bulky sports M leather steering wheel, which now has a flat-bottomed rim and red centre marker in the 12 o'clock position.
Also new is the addition of BMW's latest 'Curved Display' cockpit and optional BMW 'Head-Up Display', which are made up of a 12.3-inch information display and a 14.9-inch control panel.
It features BMW's latest 8.5 operating system and I found it very modern and very easy to use.
But that's enough about the M2's looks. This car is all about the performance and, in my opinion, this is by far its best attribute. Under the hood of the BMW M2 lies an upgraded 3.0-litre engine that is capable of producing a whopping 480bhp.
The M2 comes standard with an eight-speed M Steptronic gearbox, however, there is an optional six-speed manual gearbox for those old-school enthusiasts the like to have full control of the pocket rocket.
As I mentioned earlier, the BMW M2 is, in my books, the best performance car (alongside the MINI GP) I have ever driven on a race track. It trumps its larger M3/4/5 siblings by a long shot in my books and I am no Lewis Hamilton. What I also love about the M2 too is that you can strip it right back from a high-performance car so that it can be used on a daily basis around town.
The bad news is that the M2's price tag puts it out of reach for many of its massive fan club.
The M240i xDrive comes with a starting price of just under €80k, which is almost €40k below the M2's starting price of €118,835.
Way over my budget I'm afraid, even though I would love one.