Why does everyone like the BMW M2?

Photo: BMW

Why do people think the BMW M2 is something special? They'll go "Well it's light and powerfull". Ain't that what sports cars are about? What's missing these days? Lightweight, rear wheel driven cars that work as an extension of your body. So what's my problem with the M2?

It's 1.5 cm narrower and a whole 21 cm shorter than a BMW M4. Yet it only weighs 11 Kilogram less. Eleven. That's 24 lb of a difference for my American readers. And since it's a BMW you still have to lay out 56,000 Euro for it. There's not a whole lot to be said about it. Sure, it has some clever carbon pads inside the gearbox making it shift smoother. It also takes its oil pump and oil pan, pistons and some other bits from the M4 but all in itself there's nothing special.

In my eyes the M2 only demonstrates how utterly fat cars have become. Because dimension-wise it's closer to the M3 E46 than anything else. It's what the M4 was supposed to be, only minus the carbon parts and the potent engine for the same reason as why it took Porsche 19 years to put a proper motor into a Cayman: It would damage the "brand M3/M4". That's also why people, who buy an M2 because they can't afford an M4, like it so much.

If you're looking for a small, sporty and maybe cheaper coupé, you should look for an M3 E46. If it's supposed to be something newer you should give Ford and the new Mustang a look. If you discredit it simply for being American, I advise you to go back to listen to the same jokes Jeremy Clarkson made for the last 15 years. Maybe it'll distract you from the fact that the new Camaro SS for instance wiped the floor with even an M4 in several car magazines.

Yes, I'm being harsh. The M2 is a true sports car. But it's not that pure, spirited machine that BMW (succesfully) sells it for.