Surprised to see no discussion. This is the true revival of the E46 M3 in my view. Some numbers first for 1M, M2, M3, and M4, all coupes:

Car | Weight | hp | Nurburgring time

E36 | 3220 | 282
E46 | 3415 | 333 | 8:22
E92 | 3650 | 414 | 8:05

M4 | 3560 | 425 | 7:52

M2 | 3290 | 365 | 7:58

1M | 3340 | 335 | 8:15

Yup, it's a screamer!

Quote :

"A 3.0-liter M TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder engine resides under the hood and produces 365 bhp (268 kW) and 343 lb-ft (464 Nm) of torque - 369 lb-ft (499 Nm) with overboost. When connected to the standard six-speed manual transmission, the M2 will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds before hitting an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). Customers who order the optional seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission might miss changing gears for themselves but they'll be rewarded with a 0-60 mph time of just 4.2 seconds."

Looks great, in my opinion the best-looking modern (E46 M3 and later) M coupe. Thank God it does not have the headlights-connected-to-grill ugliness that plagues the current 3, 4, and 7 series. Actually, the headlights on the 2-series are the best headlights on any production BMW in the past several years, by far.

Now what they should do is make a 1M sedan to complement the M2 coupe.

10/20/2015 10:01:06 AM

I dunno where you got the weight figures, but they're incorrect. Per official press release from BMW, the weights for North American market are:

Manual transmission - 3450 lb
DCT transmission - 3505 lb

For reference here is the weight of the M4:

Manual transmission - 3530 lb
DCT transmission - 3585 lb

So depending on comparison, that's a 25-135 lb difference. If you can afford the M4 it doesn't make much sense to spring for the M2.

10/20/2015 12:24:12 PM

I like it from the B-pillar forward

10/20/2015 6:52:57 PM

I expect that it's because the enthusiast crowd is paying ever less attention to BMW.

10/20/2015 7:05:59 PM

to me, it look ugly, to me. down on power, weak ass looking brakes, and a heatsoak prone turbo motor

strike 3, on to the next one

10/20/2015 9:59:13 PM

I'd have a really hard time picking this over a Mustang GT350.

10/21/2015 8:37:07 AM

that car is ugly. would not bang.

10/21/2015 9:16:56 AM

troll troll troll my boat gently down the stream

10/21/2015 9:23:57 AM

as soon as my lease is up i'm turning in my BMW and it will be the last one I ever purchase unless BMW steps up their quality in the future

i'm not even a fan of this purely on design, the front and rear bumpers are too busy and ugly

10/21/2015 10:33:38 AM

can always count on the TWW garage hate squad

10/21/2015 8:45:23 PM

TKE-Teg, thanks for the weight correction. I got it from somewhere where it said 1,495 kg. It was a magazine scan. Either European weight, or incorrect, or dry weight (I am assuming weights given in the US are wet?). Anyway, since the slightly lower weight than the M4 is more than offset by the relatively larger decrease in power, obviously, it won't be as quick. But quickness is not everything. I bet it will provide a great driving experience, perhaps better than the M4 due to smaller size.

theDuke866, yeah I noticed no one talking about BMWs lately unlike say, last year or before. Ahmet used to praise them a lot, but he has disappeared.

smoothcrim and justinh524, can you please tell us your post-2000 top 3 (or 5) best looking BMWs Ms? I am genuinely curious, because I find this to be the best looking one during that period, and since you are calling it ugly, I would like to know your favorites. I am guessing E46 M3 is at the top(?).

I am still surprised at the lack of enthusiasm about BMWs in general, and this car in particular... oh how the tides have turned!

10/21/2015 8:59:27 PM

2003 m5, e92/90 m3, current gen m5, in that order

10/21/2015 9:26:14 PM

OEPII1, I'm pretty sure the standard for curb weights given, at least in the US, is for a wet weight. All the automakers, except for Ferrari, seem to adhere to that criteria. Ferrari, meanwhile, loves to publish only dry weights.

There isn't as much love for BMW anymore because the company has changed directions, deep within it's core, to something that just doesn't jive with traditional auto enthusiasts anymore. Somewhere along the line they decided that advances in technology and speed are worth sacrificing driving enjoyment for. That's a shift that a lot of automakers have made, though it's more obvious and frustrating when one of those automakers claim to build "The Ultimate Driving Machine".

That's my take at least - I've never actually owned a BMW.

10/22/2015 8:47:00 AM

bmw, especially the M line, has inched from a poor mans more practical porsche, to much closer to a poor man's aston martin.

10/22/2015 9:29:42 AM

they have gotten bigger and bloated, but they still have the best drivers feel among plush sedans

the quality has gone to shit though, I'm just under 100k on my f10 and it's like someone flipped a switch

10/22/2015 11:53:11 AM

Ahmet has NOT disappeared sir... BMW’s sporting driving experience and quality very much has though...

I get a glimmer of hope with this new M2, but I need much more from BMW before I would praise them again. To me (much like smoothcrim) the highlights of the brand are the e36 M3, e46 M3, e39 M5 (I also really like e28 M5s), and the e90 M3 gets an honorable mention. Z3 Ms were sweet also, but I don’t need, and certainly don’t want a self driving 3 series...

While on topic, let me reiterate that the Mustang GT350 has a V8 that revs higher, makes more power than any street legal BMW V8. The car also is lighter than any V8 equipped BMW today, not to mention the fact that it’s naturally aspirated. I feel like Ford’s turnaround to the driving enthusiast has been as sharp as BMWs decline in the last 5+ years. (!)

10/22/2015 2:03:13 PM

Also, I think visually the M2’s new headlights/nose are a big improvement though the bumper(s) is too angular and disjointed. From the side it looks hot though. Overall not bad, but certainly doesn’t have the understated potency or the elegance of any e90 or previous M3 (which is a shame).

I feel like BMW is trying to cater to a segment that doesn’t exist. Audi does the plush sporty, high end car game much better, Mercedes does the fast understated expensive car thing fine. BMW needs to go back to premium, elegant driver’s sports cars/sedans and leave the gaudy designs to the Koreans IMO.

10/22/2015 2:08:30 PM

things were so much better when I was a youth. now that I'm no longer a youth, the only thing that matters is that those things that I liked back then are still good, and the things that the youth of today like are strange and frightening. if only we could return to the old ways, when things were made in a way that is familiar to me, and eschew these new inferior methods.

10/23/2015 6:22:56 PM

Not all change is good. I welcome ABS, fuel injection, front and side airbags, seat belt pretensioners. I do not welcome semi-autonomous cars marketed towards “enthusiasts” or the commensurate weight gain. They’re not all bad you know, Porsche still makes cars like the Cayman GT4, the Alfa 4C, etc. It’s just that, well BMW used to make good cars, and now largely sucks.

The head of the M devision was on record saying they’d never make a 4wd M vehicle because it “ruins the steering”, a few years later the X5M came out. They said the same about turbocharging, a few years later the M motors went turbo.

10/23/2015 6:43:53 PM

never mind that the X5M is a vehicle that should never have existed to begin with, regardless of drivetrain configuration.

10/23/2015 9:19:18 PM

Largely agree with has been said. So much fail at BMW in last few years and probably the reason why I'm on 5th E39 M5. New stuff from Munich is fast, but very much diluted. I pretty much stopped going to forums all together and don't even try to keep up with latest news anymore. Losing interest in cars slowly...

10/23/2015 10:37:22 PM

Just realized the other day that the Focus RS will most likely out perform the M2. Freaking Ford these days...

GT350 > M4
Focus RS > M2

What's next?

10/28/2015 10:27:59 AM

^ The Civic Type-R is also a better performer than the M2 using Nurburgring time as the criterion -- it is 7 seconds faster.

10/28/2015 4:05:42 PM

'ring times are shitty to compare, not unless all the times are closed track in similar conditions

10/29/2015 10:51:21 AM

Agreed.

And good luck getting a fast time with a 300hp FWD car on a circuit with tight turns and low speed.

10/29/2015 2:05:16 PM

the focus RS is awd

10/30/2015 12:48:18 AM

Grille/lamps/fenders look good but it still looks tall and stubby on side view. M2 nose on M4 body might be a winner...

10/30/2015 12:53:23 AM

^^I'm well aware; I was referring to the CTR.

10/30/2015 10:54:37 AM

Yep, I've pretty much given up on BMW. My next sport car probably be either a Porsche or the new NSX

11/1/2015 10:39:48 AM

Lol. The slams against BMW are for their cars being too isolated, digital, and heavy.

And you mention the new NSX as a car that you might want instead? A car that's been criticized already for being too isolated, digital...and heavy.

11/2/2015 8:59:58 AM

Update on vehicle weight: The US spec M2 weighs 25 lbs less than US spec M4.



http://jalopnik.com/the-bmw-m2-is-only-25-pounds-lighter-than-the-bmw-m4-1759763699

2/18/2016 2:31:52 PM

I came to post ^ that...

25% uglier and 25 lbs lighter.

2/19/2016 3:46:09 PM

Road & Track had a great cover story last month on the BMW 2 Series. They tested the new M2, M235i & 228i against the 1M and E30 M3. They drove the cars on mountain roads and a road course (E30 M3 was road course only).

They delivered high praise for the M2, really slammed the 1M and M235i, and said the M3 was the most rewarding to drive. The surprising conclusion, however, was that their overall consensus was that the 228i was the most rewarding modern 2 Series to drive. Best handling, best driver feedback. They ragged on the engine, for it's power output and horrible sound, however they still picked the 228i as their favorite car to drive.

7/7/2016 9:21:15 AM

So basically the same thing that jalopnik concluded like 2 years ago.

i haven't driven an M2 yet, but when I was shopping last year and i drove the m235i vs the 228i, I preferred the power bias on the m235, coming from a 335i. Raw power is a pretty hard thing to give up in a DD.

7/17/2016 4:44:37 PM

M2 Competition leaked; comes with M4 engine tuned to 410 hp

Quote :

"The rumors were true as the M2 Competition will indeed get the same biturbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine from its bigger brother, the M4. In this new specification, the mill has been configured to develop 410 horsepower (302 kilowatts) and 405 pound-feet (550 Newton-meters) of torque. For the sake of comparison, a regular M2 pushes out 365 hp and 343 lb-ft, so the new Competition version packs an extra 45 hp and 62 lb-ft."

Pics/details: https://www.motor1.com/news/238550/bmw-m2-competition-leaked

Looks nice!

4/10/2018 2:57:52 AM

M2 Competition revealed

https://www.motor1.com/news/239479/2019-bmw-m2-competition-debut

405 hp (+40)
406 lb-ft (+63)

6-sp M2 Competition... perfect driver's cars? (within reasonable price and power limits)

4/18/2018 1:42:46 AM

Probably will be ruled as "Appliance Car Performance" by smoothcrim if I had to guess

4/18/2018 2:24:10 AM

It actually looks good too probably going to be my favorite Supra

4/18/2018 8:03:38 PM

Hell even the base M2 looks to be better than the Supra.

4/19/2018 1:23:32 PM

They released the Supra specs?

4/19/2018 2:33:28 PM

^ nope, though latest rumors point to up to 450 hp from the bmw in-line 6

4/19/2018 4:27:49 PM

2019 BMW M2 First Drive: When The Tail Wags The Dog

https://www.motor1.com/reviews/260476/2019-bmw-m2-first-drive

They are saying it is basically perfect!

Looks perfect too. Maybe the best small (under M5) performance BMW ever!

7/30/2018 6:47:22 AM

to me, looks like shit, to me.
worst interior i've seen since the e30

7/30/2018 9:28:46 AM

Quote :

"The more powerful M2 Competition is faced with hauling just 3,655 pounds of car – the fact that it shines so brightly is definitely not because it has nothing to move. The new engine doesn’t sound that great, though. It’s not a highlight in the M4 and that’s no different in the M2 Competition, despite its standard performance exhaust system. Inside it sounds quite restless, a screaming exhaust note, but with little body. From the outside the sound is constant, but not very special – you won’t remember it for too long."

Am I missing something? How is this car 100+ lb HEAVIER than the larger M3?

7/30/2018 11:11:08 AM

Heavier, but not by that much, by 25 lbs only. These are straight off bmwusa.com (just looked them up now)

M2 man/auto
3600/3655

M3 man/auto
3575/3630

M4 man/auto
3625/3685

Yes, it *is* weird that the M2 is a little heavier than the M3. Maybe some CF or other lightweight components in the M3 and/or more performance components in the M2 explain it?

7/30/2018 11:37:47 AM

You sure you were on the BMW USA website? Because:

Quote :

"CURB WEIGHT – MANUAL TRANSMISSION (lbs) 3505 CURB WEIGHT – AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (lbs) 3450"

https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m-models/m2/m2-coupe/specifications.html

7/30/2018 2:06:21 PM

Goddamn, the little 2-series weighs as much as my ‘66 half-ton pickup truck.

7/30/2018 5:20:00 PM

^^ That's the original non-Competition model, no more being produced, which had 365 HP. (see power figures in your link)

7/30/2018 8:53:44 PM

There's no way it magically gained 150-200 lb based on those changes.

7/31/2018 9:41:28 AM

Well it has more power and more performance goodies....

7/31/2018 7:59:44 PM