Earlier this month, BMW revealed all the details about its new M2 Coupe. Being a procrastinator of the highest order, I have only today got round to reading about it. It looks and sounds extremely enticing, and the idea of a compact, pure M car with a manual gearbox (rejoice!) and rear-wheel drive is such a welcome antidote to that ridiculous XM SUV thing.
The power and performance stats are mouth-watering. Whereas the original M2 of 2016 used a relatively ordinary 2 Series-based engine with 365bhp, this new model utilises the twin-turbo 3-litre in-line six from the current M3/M4. Detuned, yes, but with 454bhp and an enormous 406lb ft, more than powerful enough. Besides, there is talk of an even faster, harder ‘CSL’ variant waiting in the wings.
Read that headline power figure again. It’s a big number for what is BMW’s baby M car, isn’t it?
The M3 CSL of 2003 is rightly touted as being one of the greatest M cars, and yet this highest of high watermarks is at a 100bhp deficit compared with the new M2. The previous two decades have seen enormous progress in the car industry, and the M2 has most definitively grown up and transitioned from a bit of a plaything to a very serious performance car indeed.
If you can sense a ‘but’ coming, you’re right, for there is another key statistic at the heart of BMW’s newcomer, and it’s one that elicits feelings of unease. The M2 weighs in at 1,700kg, which, just like the power and torque, is a large figure for the ‘entry-level’ M car. In pure acceleration terms, this matters not a jot, the mighty reserves of grunt allowing for a 0-62mph time of 4.1sec - 0.4sec quicker than Porsche’s 718 Cayman GTS 4.0.
Will the weight of the new car impact its dynamics? Well, considering BMW’s current run of form, it would hardly be a leap of faith to predict that the new M2 will be a blinder to drive. Significant chassis strengthening, recalibrated adaptive suspension and steering, and a near-perfect weight distribution are some of the key developments, and the M2 is likely to be just as happy at bonfiring its rear tyres in typical M car fashion as clipping apexes just-so during fast laps.
And yet, despite the undeniable dynamic prowess of the current M3, journos report that it can’t quite manage to hide its weight on the limit, and I fear the same will be true of the M2. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting it to feel like a blancmange, but you can’t argue with the laws of physics, and one point seven tonnes is never going to conceal itself fully, regardless of how much attention BMW’s world-class engineers have paid to the chassis.
I hope all this doesn’t sound like I’m having a downer on the new M2; far from it. It looks angular and aggressive in a way that evokes the original E30 M3; the combination of manual ‘box and rear-drive is one to salivate, especially at the moment; and the promise of near-supercar-rivalling performance from BMW’s baby M model is an exciting one to say the least. I just wish I didn’t weigh so god damn much…
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