BMW M2 review

Is the BMW M2 a good car? 

More than any of its predecessors, the latest M2 fully assumes the original eighties E30 M3’s brief by offering supercar-baiting cross-country performance, astounding handling, and involvement in a compact package. We’re not about to call a £66,000 car inexpensive, but the M2 is such a wonderfully pure distillation of M-power magic and BMW six-cylinder power that we feel obliged to say it’s remarkably good value. 

Then there’s the fact it’s also available with a manual gearbox, a rarity these days, and the BMW’s rise to the top of the class is assured. Make no mistake, the M2 is an absolute triumph.

How much does the BMW M2 cost?

The BMW M2 range is pretty straightforward because, well, there’s only one option starting from just under £66,000. That’s a significant amount more than the BMW 2 Series Coupe, but the M2 is much more than just the top of the 2 Series Coupe range thanks to a comprehensive list of changes underneath, and a fire-breathing 473bhp six-cylinder engine.

Unlike the BMW M4, which has a four-wheel-drive option, buyers of the M2 have to make do with rear-wheel drive only. They can choose between a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic transmission, although the former costs more to buy, demanding a premium of around £1,200 over the standard-fit auto.

Used - available now

2020 BMW

M2

48,693 milesAutomaticPetrol3.0L

Cash £25,499

View M2

2020 BMW

M2

25,602 milesManualPetrol3.0L

Cash £37,990

View M2

2020 BMW

M2

24,500 milesAutomaticPetrol3.0L

Cash £36,990

View M2

2017 BMW

M2

90,000 milesAutomaticPetrol3.0L

Cash £19,999

View M2

Besides the option of a manual, there’s the M Driver’s pack and M Race Track pack to consider. It’s a combined option for a rather pricey £9,500, but picking it might be worthwhile to those taking the car on track days. That’s because the M Driver’s pack raises the top speed to 180mph and throws in an intensive BMW M race track driver training course, while the M Race Track pack has more supportive carbon fibre bucket seats and a weight-reducing carbon-fibre roof panel.

The recipe for the BMW M2 looks promising. The latest G87 generation gets its own take on BMW’s S58-codenamed 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged motor, which has recently been fettled to deliver 473bhp and 600Nm (550Nm for the manual). That power figure is about 23bhp up on the previous M2 benchmark, and the performance figures are a smidgen more punchy as a result; 0-62mph takes 4.2 seconds if the car is equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox (a £1,235 option in the UK), and 4.0 seconds with the eight-speed automatic. It’s about 10 seconds faster around the Nordschleife circuit in Germany, too, if that sort of thing matters to you.

The chassis, meanwhile, has a longer wheelbase than the old M2’s, but at 2,747mm, it’s still 11cm shorter than the current M4 Coupé’s. Significantly, though, the M2 matches that car’s front and rear track widths to the millimetre. There’s also an active M differential and adaptive suspension.

Even when taking it easy, the M2’s sporty credentials make themselves known because there’s a fair bit of road noise coming up from the wide tyres (275/35 ZR19s at the front, 285/30 ZR20s at the rear). However, the forgiving suspension has plenty of travel to effectively round off the harshest of bumps, while having the sophistication to provide excellent body control in the bends. The M2 isn’t as sharp as the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS, but it’s a better everyday car.

The engine (in its earlier 454bhp form) has the wonderful tractability of an oversized, turbocharged unit in a relatively small vehicle. You can be fabulously lazy with it if you want, letting the revs drop to not much over 1,200rpm before riding a wallop of torque that comes in soon after (peak torque is available from 2,650rpm, but there’s enough beneath that). We’re yet to drive the facelifted version with 473bhp, but we anticipate it’ll be equally exciting and no less tractable. 

It sounds good, too – polite enough when you’re on part throttle, but happy to provide a soundtrack if you push the pedal a little harder. There’s a gravelly rasp to the exhaust note, and it’s delivered in a crisp, clean fashion, instead of being muddied by any resonance in the system or the body.

What transmission you choose will be down to personal taste. It’s clear that the six-speed manual is primed to deliver what purists would term involvement – the art of heeling and toeing, the ultimate control of when another gear is to be selected – but the unit itself is actually a bit clunky. It’s not badly engineered by any means, but BMW’s boffins were clearly given the brief of producing a transmission that can cope with a significant amount of power and torque – and the robust mechanicals required for this mean a longer throw than we’d like and a heavier, slightly notchy shift to match.

Sports-car aficionados may want to look away now, but for many the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic will be the better choice. It makes intelligent and extremely smooth shifts, quickly becoming the sort of compliant aid to your progress that only the very best automatic gearboxes can be. And on the right road it helps the M2 to deliver greater enjoyment – a different kind of involvement, perhaps, but arguably an even more thrilling one, wherein everything happens just that 10 per cent more quickly. And if you just want to revel in six-cylinder noise, you still can; it’ll bounce off the limiter in manual mode.

Whichever gearbox you choose you’ll get the same epic chassis. There’s an incredible sharpness to how the M2 turns in and stays balanced through the corners, but also – and here’s where it probably gains over larger M models – it’s happy to snap back in the opposite direction if you want it to. We find a canyon road strewn with washed-out gravel patches, and punctuated by crests followed immediately by adverse-camber turns. It’s the sort of terrain that would flummox many a performance car, but the M2 smashes it – in a manner, we’d argue, that’s even more convincing than its predecessor would have managed.

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If a BMW M2 has tickled your fancy, then it’s unlikely that running costs will be at the top of your list of purchasing priorities. Either way, it doesn’t matter which way you cut it, the muscular German machine is going to require you to open your wallet more frequently than most.

If you do want to minimise your money loss, then the automatic version is the most frugal, claiming a WLTP-certified 29.1 mpg at the pumps. By contrast, the six-speed manual promises 28.0mpg. On the plus side, both versions are slightly more economical than the less powerful Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0, and we achieved over 30mpg from the M2 on a run that included plenty of motorway miles when we tested the car in the UK in 2023. 

However, you won’t be surprised to learn that accessing the M2’s full performance potential will make these figures slump considerably, meaning a range of fewer than 200 miles from the car’s 52-litre petrol tank isn’t an unrealistic expectation.

Depending on the transmission, the M2’s first year of VED will set you back an eye-watering £1,650 or £2,340 - although this figure will be absorbed into the list price. After that, the BMW is subject to the extra annual charge for vehicles that cost over £40,000 when new, which applies from the second time the vehicle is taxed up until it is six years old.

Business users will be equally hard hit, the M2’s high CO2 emissions resulting in a Benefit-in-Kind rating of 37%. That means owners in the higher income tax band of 40% will face an annual bill of more than £9,000 for both the automatic and manual gearbox versions.

You’ll have to continue to dig deep when it comes to insurance, with the M2 featuring a group 40 rating. Still, it benefits from all the latest anti-theft technology, so you can be reasonably confident your car will still be there when you return.

According to our experts the BMW M2 is expected to maintain 57 per cent of its resale value after three years or 36,000 miles. That’s just ahead of the equivalent 718 Cayman GTS, which is predicted to hang on to 56 per cent over the same period. Moreover, this is likely to be the last pure internal combustion-engined M2 ever, so you could consider this a possible future classic investment – although you could be waiting a long time for that to happen.

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You won’t need to be a keen BMW fan to be able to spot the M2’s performance potential. Based on the standard 2 Series (which is based on the shortened version of the BMW 4 Series platform), the M2 is around 50mm wider and gets the bulging wheel arches to match. Overall, the M2 is an aggressive and purposeful machine, even if it lacks some of the style and sophistication of the low-slung Porsche Cayman.

Just like the rest of the BMW 2 Series Coupe range, the M2 benefits from a refreshed dashboard design that sits below a floating curved display that incorporates a 12.3-inch driver’s information screen and 14.9-inch touchscreen. Both run graphics that are unique to BMW M models, using the latest OS 8.5 operating system. 

The M2 also features BMW M’s latest steering wheel design, with a flat bottom and a racy red 12 o’clock marker. Buyers can individually option the carbon-fibre-backed bucket seats that were previously only available as part of a more comprehensive option package – although care is required when sitting down if you’re to avoid a painful interaction with the solid section in the middle of the base cushion. Overall build quality is excellent, while the use of high-grade materials and slick design gives the car a premium feel that’s more than a match for models such as the Porsche Cayman. 

For those disappointed by the relative lack of exterior personalisation in the last generation of BMW M2 will be happy to know there’s a much wider range of colour and wheel choices with the latest. This includes a total of 10 exterior colours, including Sao Paolo Yellow borrowed from the M3 and M4, plus a striking Zandvoort Blue. 

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Despite its refreshed look, the M2’s infotainment is essentially the same as before, which means it's packed with features and is fairly straightforward to use. It features the brand’s latest iDrive setup on a huge 14.9-inch central touchscreen housed within a subtly curved panel that’s supplemented by a 12.3-inch digital driver’s instrument cluster.

We’re familiar with the iDrive 8.5 set-up because it’s the same one you’ll find in many of BMW's other models, including the revised standard 2 Series Coupe. Like that car, it retains the familiar iDrive click wheel and supplementary buttons, which means it’s possible to make minor adjustments and navigate menus on the move without much difficulty. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto remain standard-fit, and the M2 comes with a 464-watt, 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

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Although it’s billed as a coupe, the M2 is essentially a two-door saloon. While you lose some of the sleek kerb appeal you normally associate with this kind of car, you benefit from a decent dose of practicality. For starters, the front doors open wide for good access to the front seats, while the long opening helps make clambering into the back seats less of a chore than you’d expect. 

Inside, there’s little to fault up front; the steering-wheel rim is borderline too thick, as is often the case with BMWs these days, but the driving position is spot on, and you can certainly reach the point where your backside feels reassuringly close to the ground. Moreover, the car’s rather upright lines mean visibility is good, with over-the-shoulder vision much better than in rivals such as the Porsche Cayman.

For those riding in the back, there’s a smidgen more room than in the previous M2, but it won’t seat four large adults comfortably. That said, it’s a far more versatile option than its two-seat and 2+2 rivals. The boot capacity is good, too, with a total of  390 litres – so VW Golf-sized, albeit with a saloon-esque loading aperture – and you can fold down the rear seats in a 40/20/40 split if you want to load longer items.

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EuroNCAP hasn’t subjected the M2 to its crash and safety tests, but it has assessed the closely related 2 Series Coupe – and the result is a disappointing four-star rating. 

Its scores of 82 and 81 per cent for adult occupant safety and child passenger protection, respectively, were good, but the standard car scored only 67 per cent in the Vulnerable Road Users category. Although the 2 Series’ active bonnet safety system worked ‘robustly’ in helping to reduce injuries to pedestrians in the event of a collision, Euro NCAP’s assessment was that “protection of the pelvis area was entirely poor”.

Still, the M2 is fitted with all the latest safety equipment, including numerous airbags and driver aids. For instance, the brand’s Driving Assistant technology is standard and includes warnings for blind spots, lane departure and oncoming traffic when leaving a parking space. Options include adaptive cruise control with stop & go functionality for stress-free progress in heavy traffic. 

The previous version of the M2 wasn’t mentioned in our Driver Power satisfaction survey, but the closely related 3 Series notched up an impressive 18th place finish overall in our 2024 poll. Moreover, the BMW feels solidly built and uses plenty of tried-and-tested components, so durability should be second to none.

As with other BMW models, the M2 is covered by the firm’s three-year unlimited-mileage warranty. It is also offered with the brand’s trademark servicing plans that allow you to cover the cost of routine maintenance with a fixed-price monthly payment.

BMW M2 alternatives

In many respects, the BMW M2 sits in a class of one because you simply won’t find another two-door, four-seat coupe with rear-wheel drive and a powerful straight-six engine with nearly 500bhp.

Still, there are a couple of alternatives that aim to rival the BMW’s mix of dedicated driving thrills and explosive performance. One of the best is the Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0-litre, which combines a howling naturally aspirated flat-six motor with beautifully balanced mid-engined handling. However, with only two seats it’s less practical, plus it costs around £10,000 more to buy.

Similarly priced to the M2 is the Mercedes-AMG 45 S, which is more hot hatchback than classy coupe. Its 415bhp turbocharged four-cylinder engine can’t match the BMW’s for aural drama, but with four-wheel drive, it’s fractionally faster to 62mph and serves up acrobatic agility in the corners.