By Otsile Kadiege 

One of BMW M’s hotly-anticipated new models has officially been unveiled after countless spyshots and renders surfaced on the internet. Meet the all-new BMW M2 codenamed G87. The second-generation M2 boasts a new, opinion-splitting exterior design, a completely new interior design with with new technologies seen in other new BMW cars, a more powerful engine sourced from the M4 paired to an optional 6-speed manual and numerous other go fast bits and bobs.

Bulky exterior design

Starting off with the exterior design of the new BMW M2. The potent newcomer boasts an athletic appearance accentuated by its large air inlets and wide body arches. Up front the new M2 boasts large, frameless BMW kidney grille with horizontal bars combining with a three-section lower air intake with almost rectangular contours giving the front end of the car a familiar M look. The design has been crafted around technical requirements in terms of cooling air supply and aerodynamic balance. 

Clearly designed surfaces, prominently flared side skirts and muscular wheel arches set the tone for the side view. The new BMW M2 comes with 19-inch light-alloy wheels at the front and 20-inch items at the rear, each representing an increase of one inch on the diameter of the wheels fitted as standard on the BMW M3 and BMW M4 models. There is also the option of fitting them with track tyres. 

The rear end of the new BMW M2 also has a compact, powerful feel and adds a number of individual touches in the form of the eye-catching spoiler lip on the boot lid, the vertically arranged reflectors, the rear apron’s diffuser insert – with its puristic design – and the two pairs of exhaust tailpipes positioned a long way in from the outer edges.

It measures 214 millimetres less in exterior length than the BMW M4 Coupé models and has a 110-millimetre shorter wheelbase.The choice of five exterior paint finishes available for the new BMW M2 includes the Zandvoort Blue solid and Toronto Red metallic shades exclusive to this model. An M Carbon roof that reduces vehicle weight by around 6kg is offered as an option.

Advanced sports car interior

Inside, the new BMW M2 sports a cockpit with a driver-centric design featuring M-specific readouts, controls and setup options, as well as the advanced BMW Curved Display. Driving-related information including Shift Lights appears in a new graphical layout on the 12.3-inch information display. M-specific widgets for vehicle setup and tyre condition are just two of the items that can be called up in the 14.9-inch control display. The optional BMW Head-Up Display also features M-specific readouts. Both BMW Curved Display and the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant form part of the latest-generation BMW iDrive – BMW Operating System 8 with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, as well as BMW Live Cockpit Plus complete with BMW Maps navigation system. 

The driver and front passenger are welcomed as standard by sport seats in a model-specific design with Sensatec/Alcantara surfaces. M Sport seats with integral head restraints and perforated surfaces in Vernasca leather/Sensatec are available as an alternative. The M Carbon bucket seats that can also be found on the options list use carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) in the structural elements of the seat cushion and backrest and also feature cut-outs in the side bolsters and below the head restraints, thereby shaving around 10.8kg off the vehicle’s weight.

Other noteworthy features include three-zone automatic climate control, ambient lighting, Hi-Fi speaker system, a three-spoke steering wheel with M1 and M2 shortcut buttons and a Setup button on the centre console providing direct access to the settings options for the engine, chassis, steering, braking system and M Traction Control, as well as the Gear Shift Assistant if fitted. 

Driver assistance systems

The driver assistance systems in the new BMW M2 include Front Collision Warning, Speed Limit Display with no-overtaking indicator, Lane Departure Warning and Park Distance Control functions all come as standard. The Driving Assistant, Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function and the Parking Assistant including Reversing Assistant are just some of the options available. 

Performance

Underneath the hood of the new BMW M2 is a 3.0-litre straight-six engine sourced from the new BMW M4 and M3 with minor differences in details. The engine develops 338kW/550Nm and revs to a maximum 7,200 rpm. The powerplant is paired to either an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic as standard or the optional six-speed manual gearbox. 

BMW claims the new rear-wheel drive completes the sprint to 100 km/h from rest in 4.1 seconds with the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and in 4.3 seconds when fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox. It is capable of powering from 0 to 200 km/h in 13.5 seconds (automatic) or 14.3 seconds (manual). The limited top speed of the new BMW M2 can be raised from 250 km/h to 285 km/h by specifying the optional M Driver’s Package.

Its compact dimensions, short wheelbase, almost perfectly balanced 50:50 weight distribution and sophisticated chassis technology are said to deliver precisely controllable, fingertip handling. BMW M adds, the car’s agility, dynamism and precision also gain from the excellent torsional stiffness of the body structure and chassis mountings helped by bespoke bracing.

Both the double-joint spring strut front axle and the five-link rear axle come with M-specific kinematics. The standard equipment roster for the new BMW M2 includes adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled dampers, M Servotronic steering with variable ratio, DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) including M Dynamic Mode, and powerful M Compound brakes with six-piston, fixed-calliper brakes at the front and single-piston, floating-calliper brakes at the rear. 

Availability

BMW hasn’t confirmed local availability yet. However, the new BMW M2 is rumored to make its first public debut at this year’s BMW M Festival which will held in South Africa at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.