A LOT OF WHAT YOU FANCY
With rear-wheel drive and a manual ’box, the new M2 is the 2022 BMW we’re waiting for
BMW’s second-generation M2 ticks so many boxes for BMW fans: a hint of the classic 2002’s simplicity, a straight-six engine, rear-wheel drive… You can see it as a pumped-up version of the new M240i, or a junior M4. Both are very good things.
It shares its chassis with the M240i xDrive, which is in essence a downscaled 4-series coupe. The extended wheelbase improves stability compared to the previous 2-series, while 20-inch wheels and M Sport suspension will make a tangible difference to grip and handling.
Expect a vocal quad-tipped exhaust, bulging arches, a more ground-hugging stance than the M240i and a generous rear diffuser.
The M2 will leave the factory in Mexico with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard but a Steptronic eight-speed auto will once again be offered too. Entry-level cars are rear-wheel drive (and the multi-stage DSC includes the popular drift analyser) but, like the M3 and M4, it’s expected to be available with xDrive all-wheel drive later. We hear the new M2 matches the 444bhp CS version of the Mk1 M2 for power and torque. At an estimated 1715kg it’s no lightweight, but it is 85kg lighter than the base M4, so its unocial target 0-62mph time of 3.9sec is right on the money.
Prices are likely to start around £60k. Extra money buys lightweight seats and a smaller suedewrapped steering wheel. A track pack, bringing carbon-ceramic brakes, is likely to be an extra.
What about a successor to the M2 Competition and CS? It exists in the plan, but insiders don’t expect the Competition before 2024. If the CS, likely to follow a year later, adopts the 473bhp engine of the least potent M4, it can retain the clutch pedal. But if it plumps for the 503bhp version of the 3.0-litre straight-six, all-wheel drive and the eight-speed self-shifter are a must.
NEED TO KNOW I What is it? A more compact, more a ordable junior M4 I Tech? M240i chassis, rear-drive (and xDrive later), choice of manual or auto I Aimed at? BMW purists I When can I have one? September 2022