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BMW M2: Gruntier attitude for the deputy
Boasting a racier appearance, the all-new BMW M2 has finally debuted as one of the last remaining rear-wheel-drive models left in BMW's M-Division. A worthy driver's car, we reckon.
The M2's silhouette nods to the boxy shape of the E30 M3 - a shape we still drool over to date.
When compared to the M4 Coupe, the M2 is 214 mm shorter and spawns a shorter wheelbase that measures 110 mm, also making it a tad bigger in dimensions than the normal 2 Series. It features a front kidney grille with horizontal bars as well as a three-section lower air intake for better cooling of the 3.0-litre engine.
Beefier cosmetics come in the form of flared side skirts, muscular wheel arches, a spoiler lip on the boot lid, vertically-arranged reflectors, a diffuser insert, and in typical M2 style, there are two pairs of exhaust tailpipes.
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The M2 can be had in a choice of five exterior paint finishes including the Zandvoort Blue solid and Toronto Red metallic shades. Of course, the latter for us, please. Buyers can have the optional M-Carbon roof that sheds about 6 kg of the vehicle's weight.
Road patches come courtesy of 19" light-alloy wheels at the front axle and bigger 20" at the back for improved traction as standard. For those track days, buyers can optionally fit track tyres. Fitted as standard is an adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled dampers, M Servotronic steering with variable ratio, and DSC with M Dynamic Mode.
Stopping power is provided by M-Compound brakes with 6-piston, fixed-calliper brakes at the front and single-piston, floating-calliper brakes at the rear.
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As expected, the M2 gets the BMW Curved Display that was first seen in the refreshed 3 Series. There are M-specific readouts; Shift Lights on the 12.3" information display, M-specific widgets, a 14.9" control display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and an optional BMW head-up display settles in front of the driver.
The M2 features standard sports seats with Sensatec/Alcantara surfaces. Not your preference? Well, BMW says you can have M Sport seats with integral head restraints plus perforated surfaces as an alternative. For a much racier look inside, M-Carbon bucket seats that save around 10.8 kg can be fitted as options.
The M2 isn't propelled by any form of electrification; instead, it packs the same 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine from the M3/M4 Competition models but with 338 kW and 550 Nm. That's 66 kW more than the outgoing model.
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The biggest flex here is the power that's shoved to the rear axle via an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic or a 6-speed manual gearbox as an option, purists rejoice. We keep our fingers crossed for the latter to make its way to Mzansi, though.
When speaking performance, the M2 with the auto box blisters from 0-100 km/h in 4.1 or 4.3 seconds with the stickshift transmission. It'll continue to run until 250 km/h and if you think that's not fast enough, the top speed can be raised to 285 km/h by ticking the optional M Driver's Package.
About 60,000 units of the previous generation M2 were sold worldwide and according to BMW, the new model is building on the success of its forebear.
The new M2 will be built at the BMW Group's San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico, where the regular 2 Series is built and will arrive in Mzansi in the second quarter of 2023.
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