Madness In Malaga – The BMW M2

Location – Malaga, Temperature, say around mid twenties with the sun shining. Setting? Some of the finest roads Spain has to offer and of course, a brand new toy for our pleasure of testing, BMWs latest sports car and the new addition to the M-Family, Introducing the incredible BMW M2, yes I’ve said,“incredible” already but this has a lot of backing. For starters… we just arrived home from the launch in Malaga and have thankfully been among the first to drive this impressive auto.

Lets run through some of the basics first. This car comes equipped with a 2979cc Straight 6, turbo engine producing 365bhp. This rear-wheel drive car will get you from 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and if you add the DCT option to it you are looking at another 0.3 seconds off the already impressive sprint time, 4.3 Seconds. Torque is there too and with the M2’s overboost function you are looking at 500Nm of the good stuff between 1,450 and 4,750 rpm which is awesome. The car will hit a top speed of 155mph (electronically limited).

Exterior wise it has all of the important M-Car assets, starting with the aerodynamic body kit that M does so well and the quad exhaust pipes at the rear. The wheels are forged 19” alloys sitting on custom Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres. Note the aggressive new front grill and beautiful M-tail lights, which also make this car stand out superbly on the road and subtly differentiate it from its big brothers. Oh and also… how could we forget the notorious kidney grill which comes with the M2 logo attached.

The interior is, well, pretty pretty. It features sports seats in black Dakota leather with blue contrast stitching and one of the most amazing, adjustable driving positions. The car is conveniently marked up with “M” logos almost everywhere, which gets the job done for the enthusiasts that will most likely own them. You will notice the usual paddle shift leavers and M leather steering wheel that you will shortly be holding on to so dearly as you attack the roads. On top of this, the professional media package (8″ screen, really responsive, really easy to use) and Xenon headlights come as standard. Nice touch. The M2 is also available in 4 beautiful paint finishes which do not alter the cost of your vehicle. We love the “Long Beach Blue Metallic” which you may have already seen on the gorgeous X6M.

Lets get on to the good bit then shall we? The drive…

We drove the Dual Clutch automatic variant first, slightly pricier but awesomely worth it for the super-quick gear shifts up and down. We also have the enjoyment of Launch Control and BMWs new “Smokey Burnout Mode” with the DCT. Moving on, the Manual box is a thing of beauty on the M2 because its made for a more “purist” drivers enjoyment. The pleasure and exhilaration you get from driving this car with both transmissions is immense. We roared through some of Malaga’s finest roads and put the cars into some really dynamic handling situations which is where the M2 shines. It’s playful enough to get a lot of fun out of (and that does include the slippy stuff) but clever and agile enough that it makes you feel and look like a precision driver in all situations by doing a lot of the work for you. The brilliant stability functions just work superbly and with its M Dynamic Mode (one press of the DSC button) you are given a bit of slip allowance and this DSC mode is automatically selected when you put the car into Sport Plus. Ready for the track?

Instantly a true M-Car in its own right, the M2 has excited, astonished, thrilled and captivated us with its pure “fun” factor. Thats what makes this car one to choose when you look for a quality sports coupe. For the price you are paying, (car starts at £44,070) you are getting a whole lot of car. This beside much pricier cars will humiliate given the opportunity. We encourage you to take a further look into this game-changing car @ BMW.