BMW has unwrapped the new M2 which sees a lightly tweaked exterior design and an enhanced feature set.
It has also gained more power and is now biting at the heels of its bigger siblings, the M3 and M4.
The entry-level M car will arrive in South Africa in the fourth quarter of this year among a host of other models from the German brand, BMW’s domestic subsidiary confirmed.
Everything new
The new M2 features an updated version of BMW’s widely used 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, twin-turbocharged petrol motor matched as standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
As an option, purists can get a six-speed manual gearbox with a Gear Shift Assistant, which ensures slip-free operation when downshifting under braking into corners.
In automatic guise, the M2 now generates 353kW and 600Nm – 15kW and 50Nm more than the outgoing M2 – and in manual, the maximum torque figure remains limited to 550Nm.
Regardless of the chosen transmission, the sports car improves upon its predecessor’s abilities with a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.0 seconds in automatic and 4.2 seconds in manual, reflecting a betterment of 0.1 seconds in both instances.
Getting to 200km/h now takes 12.9 seconds in the automatic and 13.7 seconds in the manual, 0.6 seconds quicker than before.
Top speed is still capped at 250km/h, but can be increased to 285km/h with the optional M Driver’s package.
To allow drivers to explore the potential of the M2 to its fullest, BMW has sharpened handling and throttle response times in all available drive modes.
“As a result, the new BMW M2 offers noticeably more rapid reactions to the driver’s requests for acceleration – both when specified with the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and with the optional six-speed manual gearbox,” said the company.
To distinguish the updated M2 from the one it is replacing will take an expert’s eye.
Virtually the only differences between the cars are the fact that the newcomer gets a silver border around the M2 badge on the grille and model lettering on the boot lid, as well as black twin tailpipes.
It also rides on new double-spoke, light-alloy wheels in Jet Black measuring 19 inches at the front and 20 inches at the rear, with the option to get them painted silver.
Additionally, there is an expanded selection of exterior paints comprising Fire Red, Grigio Telesto, Java Green, Portimao Blue, Sao Paulo Yellow, Skyscraper Grey, Twilight Purple, and Voodoo Blue.
Optionally available are Adaptive LED Headlights, the M Lights Shadowline package with darkened body inlays, an M Carbon roof that shaves 6kg from the kerb weight, and track tyres as part of the M Race Track package.
Inside, the two-door comes with a new M Leather steering wheel with a flat-bottom rim, modified spokes, a red 12 o’clock marker, gearshift paddles, and two M buttons for selecting individually configured vehicle setups.
The BMW Curved Display on the dash, which comprises a 12.3-inch driver’s display and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen, now runs on the latest Operating System 8.5 which supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as BMW Maps navigation and an intelligent voice assistant.
The climate control settings also moved into the central screen, and the aircon vents have been slightly redesigned.
Standard equipment for the new M2 includes two-zone automatic climate control, ambient lighting, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control with a brake function, front-collision warning, and speed limit info with a no-overtaking indicator.
The extensive options list provides an assortment of advanced driver assistance systems, Comfort Access, an M Alcantara steering wheel, M Sport seats, M Carbon bucket seats, an electrically operated sunroof, a Harman Kardon stereo, a heads-up display, and the optional BMW Live Cockpit Professional with augmented reality functions.
BMW M2
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