What's all this about?
Hot on the heels of the jaw-dropping BMW M4 GTS (£122,000 worth of 190mph, 500hp lunacy all tinged with Acid Orange) comes another wonderful M Division announcement: this is the M2.
M2? That's the Kent motorway, isn't it?
Silence!
Sorry. Anyway, M2 - that's a shiny new badge, right?
Yes, although it's a spiritual successor to the brutal and brilliant 1 Series M Coupé of 2011-2012. It takes its rightful place at the top of the 2 Series tree, above the already-pretty-damned-impressive M235i.
Is it just an M235i with a body kit and an ECU tweak?
Hardly. BMW claims the 3.0-litre is 'all-new' but its 2,979cc capacity is a familiar figure, while it's fitted with a single twin-scroll turbocharger, which is integrated into the exhaust manifold to allow for highly efficient operation. Munich has been raiding the M3/M4 parts bin for the unit, although you won't hear us complaining; not when a special set of pistons, crankshaft main bearing shells and high-performance spark plugs result in some epic numbers.
Which are...?
A grand total of 370hp at 6,500rpm, a 7,000rpm redline and peak torque of 465Nm from 1,400rpm to a very specific 5,560rpm; depress the throttle fully in demented overtake manoeuvres and an overboost function briefly ramps that latter figure up to 500Nm from 1,450- to 4,750rpm. In 1,495kg of 2 Series, this results in barmy performance: 0-62mph is destroyed in as little as 4.3 seconds with the seven-speed DCT option and its Launch Control function (4.5 seconds on the six-speed manual is none too shabby either), 50-75mph takes just 4.4 seconds in fifth, while an M Driver's Package raises the maximum speed limiter from 155- to 168mph. There are other reasons you should pick the DCT, though.
Such as?
Well, it makes the M2 more efficient, for a start, with 185g/km CO2 emissions and 35.8mpg comparing to the manual variant's 199g/km and 33.2mpg. But the 1M was always a bit of a hooligan and that character has carried over to its son. The M2 DCT doesn't just have Launch Control, it also has a superb Smokey Burnout function - inviting the driver to 'indulge in a degree of rear wheel spin while the car is moving at low speeds'. BMW's words, not ours. For the more sensible, Stability Clutch Control (SCC) can disengage both clutches when necessary to prevent oversteer and stabilise the M2.
Can you talk me through the looks and interior?
We could... although nothing we can say in writing can match up to glory of the visuals. Isn't it just stocky perfection? Those blistered arches, the fatter rear end, its incredible stance on 19-inch wheels, the trademark quad exhausts - we'll go so far as to say we can't think of many better-looking BMW M cars than this, 1M included. The Two's excellent interior has also been subtly overhauled with an M theme, thanks to sports seats, plenty of carbon fibre and M-specific details like the chunky steering wheel and bespoke instruments.
So how about some more of the mechanicals?
Two-mode electric power steering, big brakes with four-pot front and two-piston rear callipers, a rear sub-frame mounted directly to the chassis (not sure on this one, as it's the feature that makes the M4 so divisive a car on the roads) and lightweight M suspension should all make the M2 very capable in the corners. As should an Active M Differential and a drift-capable M Dynamic Mode in the traction control software.
Is this really a big deal, in light of the M4 and its mental GTS spin-off?
We'll say, and BMW itself cites no less an ancestor than the iconic 2002 Turbo. Compact, powerful performance cars that are sublime on the roads are what M Division is known for - with the M4 veering into the track-focused realm, the door is open for the M2 to occupy what used to be the heartland of the old M3s. Although this would make an E46 third-generation M3 look sluggish.
Any word on price?
The new BMW M2 will start at £44,070 on-the-road, which sits bang in the middle of the manual M235i (£35,075) and the £57,055 for a non-DCT M4. It won't be on sale until April 2016; the wait will be interminable.
Matt Robinson - 13 Oct 2015