BMW M2 - for the young at heart

BMW M wants to open up to new, younger customers. To this end, it releases the M2, a model that opens the range of sports Bavarians. In our reality, we know that this is more likely to be a car for the young at heart - and will these drivers like it?

Hungaroring. The Formula One circuit where Felipe Massa was seriously injured in a memorable crash. The pace is changeable, there are sections easier and more difficult, and in addition, in a few blind turns you have to trust your memory. And in such conditions tested new BMW M2.

Car for youth. That's right - a short wheelbase, pugnacious chunky silhouette and a lot of power transmitted to the rear axle. Sounds funny. We do not look at the price yet - 267 thousand. zloty. Young people think of such sums more in terms of a "young apartment", but we are not here to wonder who can afford such a car. But let's see if it's worth the money.

Pure sport

BMW M2, as it opens up the sporty M range, it doesn't indulge in luxury on the inside. Also not in a Spartan way, but in accordance with the manufacturer's idea - in such an interior there should not necessarily be high-quality fireworks. You are sure? In this little coupe, we have heated seats, dual-zone air conditioning, iDrive with navigation, everything you need. Maybe with the exception of ventilated seats - on the track they could significantly improve our comfort when we squeeze the sweat out of ourselves and from the car behind the wheel.

The quality of the interior finishes is simply brilliant. Unlike the models below in the price list, we also have genuine leather bucket seats. The icing on the cake was the elements of the dashboard and the central tunnel made of carbon - and this is not some kind of plastic fake, but real carbon. Lest we have any doubts, these fibers do not have a surface layer, so we can clearly feel the texture of this material.

I also like the approach to the client here - the young man gets everything he needs as a standard. And as standard there are, for example, much-needed 19-inch rims to impress passersby, or adaptive bi-xenon headlights with washers. We can also choose the Connected Drive Advanced package with navigation for PLN 1776 or its Plus version for PLN 3, which is about 653 PLN cheaper than ordering these packages for Series 6 with weaker engines. In addition, we have practically nothing to choose in the configurator.

The driving position is comfortable and we don't feel like we're sitting too high for a sports car. The M2 takes us in sporty style, but we don't complain about the lack of space either - at least in the front. The rear seats are, let's say, "ordinary". I can sign up with someone to sit there, but that passenger will have to bite the bullet and try not to comment on his temporary location ... 

Absolute control

What is so interesting about sports driving? Feeling of control. That's just part of the picture - we like cars the best in which we know we're driving them. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but the idea is that we give orders and the car gives us information about how our orders affect driving. We want a lot of feedback.

I'm BMW M2 we get a lot of them. The steering has a lot of resistance in Sport+ mode, but it's not artificial resistance - if one of the axles skids, we immediately feel it on the steering wheel. But the stiffer suspension, which works in three modes - Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus, also helps to feel, although there are hot hatches that are much stiffer. Here is a compromise.

However, this compromise is not noticeable while driving. The organizers gave us some KJS-style entertainment - in the measured areas where we raced against the clock, cones were used abundantly to create additional chicanes, turns and the like. Even in very tight spaces BMW M2 he ran like a stick - and the rear axle was still in place. Until you asked her to step aside with a solid dose of gas. The very compact body design certainly helps the feel. The nuances of driving come directly to the driver and are not lost along the way, as if the body begins to bend. 

We feel the chassis, but the power itself? Even more. 370 HP at 6500 rpm - it's too much for such a baby. The maximum torque is 465 Nm, available in a very wide range - from 1400 to 5560 rpm, but the torque value can still be raised to 500 Nm using the Overboost function. The engine greedily picks up speed, and the limiter appears only at 7000 rpm.

In this class, we most often see powerful 2-liter four-cylinder units, but not in BMW. The inline 3-liter six has common roots with the M3 and M4. These cars, for example, come with lighter pistons, but the rings themselves are new, designed specifically for the M2. The M4 also includes front and rear axles as well as Servotronic steering.

There is also an active differential with an electric motor on the rear axle, which responds to the movements of the gas pedal and steering wheel. If we release the gas, the differential opens and locks in turn, depending on the needs of the situation. And let's not forget great big disc brakes.

A 6-speed dual-clutch transmission is available for the first time in the M range. In Sport Plus mode it's incredibly responsive, taking over like an overzealous student. If we press the gas a little harder, it will immediately downshift and give us full acceleration. We get a 6-speed manual transmission as standard, but for an additional cost of less than 20 0.2. PLN, we can change gears using the paddles or get our hands on the M-DCT gearbox. Acceleration to “hundreds” with an automatic takes 4,3 seconds less time – only s.

Of course, the rear axle can be nervous, because with a wheelbase of 2,7 m, all its movements are clearer and more tangible. However, he is very good at playing with emotions. Reverse mouse acceleration is much more rigid. The accompanying soundtrack consists of a pedigreed gang of six cylinders and a bass-heavy exhaust system sound that doesn't shy away from a series of shots.

Nürburgring bows

All sports cars must be tested on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife. The lap times on this iconic track are a good comparison if we want to know how 'track' a given car is and how it compares to others. AS WELL AS BMW M2 doesn't look too bad. He managed to drop below the 8-minute threshold, showing a time of 7:58 with a penny. That's 7 seconds faster than the previous M3, but unfortunately the new Honda Type-R is a whopping 8 seconds faster. It is most important? The Honda Type-R may be more efficient, but the M2 is a driver who will see a smile on the driver's face much more often.

So, in search of adrenaline and the pleasure of driving a car, you can safely go to the BMW dealership. For PLN 267 we will buy a basic but already well-equipped M2, and we won't even for a moment wonder if it was worth it. Was. Perhaps the "entry level" model is one of the best Ms we can buy today. But if you don't wear shoes, polo shirts, caps and sunglasses with the "M" logo and don't have an aversion to M-Sport badging, you might want to consider the M235i. It is also a six-cylinder, looks beautiful and transmits 326 hp to the rear axle, and costs 54 thousand. less. That's still a lot for a small and not very practical coupe, but should our choice always be wise? Money supposedly should be spent on emotions, not on things. M2 two in one.