[RahulNagaraj]

BMW has officially taken the wraps off the second-generation M2. The new BMW M2 Coupe comes with a completely new design, along with plenty of features and tech, both inside and out.



The BMW M2 is said to be the final pure-combustion offering from the brand's M division. The sports coupe sits below the brand's iconic M3 and M4 offerings, with BMW describing it as the spiritual successor to the 2002 Turbo Sports Coupe and the short-lived BMW 1M.



The 2023 BMW M2 now gets the brand's S58 power unit, the same engine which also powers the current M3 & M4 offerings. However, the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged inline-6 cylinder engine on the M2 has been slightly de-tuned, producing 453 BHP and 550 Nm. The engine is mated to either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic transmission, sending all the power to the rear wheels.

BMW claims that the M2 with the manual gearbox is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.1 seconds, while the automatic gearbox-equipped version does it in 3.9 seconds. The 2023 M2 has an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h, which can be increased to 284 km/h with the optional M Driver's pack.



In terms of design, the BMW M2 features a horizontal kidney grille at the front, flanked by slim LED headlamps with LED DRLs on either side. The front bumper gets a large air dam at the centre, with square air intakes on either side. The car sits on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels. It also gets slim LED taillights and a squarish rear bumper with a diffuser and quad-exhaust tips. The second-gen BMW M2 is offered in 5 exterior colours: Alpine White, Sapphire Metallic, Brooklyn Grey Metallic, Toronto Red Metallic and a new Zandvoort Blue (exclusive to the new model).



Inside, the BMW M2 comes with M Sport seats, with M Carbon bucket seats offered as an option. The M2 also gets features like a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.9-inch infotainment screen with connected tech and BMW's latest iDrive8 software and M-specific controls & configurations; among others.

The 2023 BMW M2 will be produced in the brand's facility in Mexico alongside the standard 2 Series. The M2 is priced at US$63,194 and will arrive in the USA sometime in April 2023.

Link to Team-BHP news

[Yash390]

Being an M performance model, it will surely deliver an exhilarating driving experience and even more so with a manual ! I know this is a machine meant to be enjoyed purely from the driver's seat but my god, look at that rear end. It looks very poorly designed, much like a cheap DC design or local garage customisation.

No offense to the designers at BMW but this car deserves a special place in the Weird and Wacky Mod-jobs thread.

[Turbanator]

Those carbon extrusion in the middle male drivers may have to drive with boxes

And that rear, surely copied from some DC design.

[HighRevving]

Ah! Pure RWD on a shorter wheelbase (though only a couple of mm from the M3/M4)! Tears of joy for true blue track-day enthusiasts hearing about the manual gearbox, maybe even the last of its kind! All the goodies including brakes and carbon seats from M3/M4!

Then they go onto to detune the S58 and make the rear really ugly. What's the fun in overtaking another car when all they get to see is something like a Thermocol show-and-tell project by some kindergarten kids?

The respite may be that you cannot see the rear of your car sitting in it. Truth is, this may very well be the last and the most enthusiastic petrol BMW M Car. Anyone who buys this must think of keeping it for a lifetime and always parking it in their garage with the neck sticking out and rear-end stuck to the wall. Always.

[vb-saan]

It’s quite sad to see what BMW is doing to differentiate the M models from the regular ones. With the M3 and M4 they meddled up the face, and now that looks like a decent job when compared to what they have done with the rear of the M2. Probably they hired someone from the Honda Civic Type R design team to do up the rear.

[DeKay]

Looks like a GTA version of the M2. Sad state of affairs over at BMW these days. Each new generation looks significantly worse than the last.

[vj123]

Looks might be subjective but I cant imagine how they made M2 heavier than a comparable M3.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Those carbon extrusion in the middle male drivers may have to drive with boxes

You should see Pagani's seats.

[extreme_torque]

I am willing to bet it will be faster than the quoted times especially the automatic. That said, the front has slight hints of Nissan Z's front and the rear is just weird. Not a fan of the looks.

[meta]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

You should see Pagani's seats.

Some Pagani seats have a seak rake adjustment switch, but it's recessed. In any case, there's nothing bumpy or protruding above the seat surface in Pagani seats.

They are quite comfortable, actually.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by meta

Some Pagani seats have a seak rake adjustment switch, but it's recessed. In any case, there's nothing bumpy or protruding above the seat surface in Pagani seats.

I know, I was being facetious. I was in a Zonda with the adjustable seat (similar to your third and fourth pic) and very wary. I was still a student then and the thought of breaking it, even accidentally, was most discomforting. Luckily, both of us escaped intact.

[kiku007]

It’s ugly as expected.

Originally Posted by vj123

Looks might be subjective but I cant imagine how they made M2 heavier than a comparable M3.

I think they have added about 300 kgs compared to the earlier M2 Competition. It’s like having three well built adult passengers always in the car. This is after the carbon fibre stuff!

The following link talks about the reasons,

https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/09/17/why-bmw-m2-heavy/

Tech Imported From BMW M4
During the prototype drive of the BMW M2, Autocar got to talking with BMW engineers, who explained why it was so heavy and the answer is that BMW chose to make it that heavy. Essentially, BMW M had to choose between two options with the M2; either strip it out as much as possible and remove some of its outright performance, or stuff it with the best performance tech it had and make it the highest-performance small coupe it’s ever made. The former would make it lightweight and nimble but maybe slower than its rivals, while the latter would make it the ultimate performance coupe but one that would suffer in terms of delicacy and feel. BMW M chose the latter.

P.S: On a lighter note.

Toyota and Subaru: Here’s the GT86/BRZ two door coupe that weighs ~1300 kgs but not a lot of power. More power/adding a turbo will affect the balance.
People: We want more power!
BMW: Heres the porky new M2 that makes a lot of power.
People: Wow that’s heavy.

[vj123]

Originally Posted by kiku007

I think they have added about 300 kgs compared to the earlier M2 Competition. It’s like having three well built adult passengers always in the car. This is after the carbon fibre stuff!

Thats a lot of weight for a compact vehicle. I went back and looked at the numbers and its 3814 pounds for M2 vs 3840 pounds for M3. So M2 is not heavier but weighs almost same as a M3.

Originally Posted by kiku007

BMW M chose the latter.

Even though engineers are giving this reason, BMW is focusing on becoming more of a lifestyle brand to cater the wider audience. Other than CS and CSL models, even M vehicles are becoming more of a GrandTourer and not built around driver or hardcore driving experience.

Originally Posted by kiku007

P.S: On a lighter note.

Toyota and Subaru: Here’s the GT86/BRZ two door coupe that weighs ~1300 kgs but not a lot of power. More power/adding a turbo will affect the balance.
People: We want more power!
BMW: Heres the porky new M2 that makes a lot of power.
People: Wow that’s heavy.

If I am in the market for a compact performance vehicle, I would want the M2 to be agile. Anything more than 350hp is plenty of power for the streets and if I need something powerful, I can always go for the M4.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by vj123

Even though engineers are giving this reason, BMW is focusing on becoming more of a lifestyle brand to cater the wider audience. Other than CS and CSL models, even M vehicles are becoming more of a GrandTourer and not built around driver or hardcore driving experience.

I suppose so.

Originally Posted by vj123

If I am in the market for a compact performance vehicle, I would want the M2 to be agile. Anything more than 350hp is plenty of power for the streets and if I need something powerful, I can always go for the M4.

Agree. I guess it's becoming difficult to understand BMW's decisions these days.

[Nair.V8]

Design moto at BMW these days: "you can have an ugly grille on a beautiful car; or a traditional grille on an ugly car'.