After almost a year of waiting, BMW has finally launched the halo model of the popular 2 Series in South Africa, the new M2.
The sporty two-door coupe can now be yours from R1,503,975 in manual guise and R1,512,475 in automatic, both inclusive of a 5-year/100,000km BMW Motorplan.
For this price, the baby M car offers a brutish twin-turbo engine, a purist rear-wheel drive experience, and an aggressive design that stands out from the crowd.
M2 specs
The flagship 2 Series sports the same engine setup found in the larger M3 and M4 consisting of a 3.0-litre petrol block motivated by two turbochargers to produce a total of 338kW and 550Nm – 66kW more than its predecessor – in a car that weighs only 1,800kg.
In our market, it is offered with a six-speed manual transmission as well as an eight-speed automatic, both turning the rear axle only, with the powerful foundation supplying a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.1 seconds in auto, 4.3 seconds in manual, and a 0-200km/h time of 13.5 seconds and 14.3 seconds, respectively.
Top speed for both versions is capped at 250km/h, though with the optional M Race Track package this can be lifted to 285km/h.
The new M2 also gets the M Traction Control system with 10 stages of grip settings, adaptive M suspension, an M Sport exhaust with electrically-controlled flaps and various sound profiles, and M Compound brakes.
Moving inside, this BMW is equipped with a 14.9-inch driver’s cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment screen huddled under one curved housing, this system bringing abilities such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, integrated navigation, shift lights for optimal gear changes, vehicle setup, tyre condition monitoring, the M Drift Analyser, and the M Laptimer.
Over and above, the new M2 gets model-specific sport seats upholstered in Sensatec/Alcantara, an electric driver’s seat, three-zone climate control, a Harmon/Kardon sound system, a wireless charger, keyless entry and start, ambient lighting, cruise control, parking assist with front and rear parking sensors, and adaptive LED headlights with high-beam assist.
It also wears 19 and 20-inch light-alloy wheels at the front and rear, respectively, in addition to the BMW Individual high-gloss Shadow Line package which adds darkened headlight clusters and exterior details for a more ominous look.
Buyers that want an even flashier M2 further have the choice of five exterior hues including solid Zandvoort Blue and metallic Toronto Red which are exclusive to the smallest M car, as well as the M Race Track package that adds an M Carbon roof that reduces vehicle weight by around 6kg, M Carbon buckets seats, and interior trim finishers in carbon fibre.
BMW M2
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