After BMW announced that there will be a successor to the 1M, many had already set their sights for the new M2 to appear. Of course throughout the months of waiting, numerous renderings have surfaced but there were none from BMW themselves. And after a magazine leak showing the new M2 in finalized form, BMW finally decided to share the new M2 with the world.
Since this is a car that many of us have been waiting for, let us jump straight into the details. Powering the M2 is a 3.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged straight six-cylinder engine that pushes out 365-horsepower at 6,500rpm and has a peak torque of 343 lb-ft between 1,400-5,560rpm. The overboost function raises the torque figure to 369 lb-ft.
This 3.0-liter turbo is mated to a standard six-speed manual gearbox which does a zerotohundred in 4.5 seconds. BMW also offers an optional seven-speed dual-clutch DCT transmission that includes Comfort, Sport and Sport+ driving modes, launch control and BWM’s Smoky Burnout function. The zerotohundred is reduced by 0.2 seconds for the DCT. However, both transmissions have the same top speed of an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.
To improve the chassis, BMW had started off by giving the M2 tracks that are 64mm wider at the front and 71mm at the rear over the M235i. They had also used a lot of aluminium components on the revised suspension that includes MacPherson struts in the front and a five-link arrangement at the back. The electrically power-assisted steering system gets a re-tuning and added an Active M Differential.
Stopping power is provided by a set of four-piston fixed calipers at the front (380mm) and two-piston fixed calipers at the rear (370mm). The M2 rolls on a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires measuring 245/35 ZR 19 in the front and 265/35 ZR 19 at the rear, all wrapping the 19-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels.
As for the price, the BMW M2 starts from £44,070 (RM 281,931) in the UK, which might be more once it sets foot in Malaysia.
