BMW M2 Review 2024

The BMW M2 will suit you if you want a compact performance car that’s capable of keeping up with supercars, both in straight lines and around corners, but you still need four seats. There are a number of two-seat rivals that do a similar job, but with (albeit tight) rear seats and a fairly large boot, the BMW M2 offers that extra level of practicality. It also provides all the thrills that any performance car should, along with a reasonably forgiving ride, a gorgeous interior and a cracking infotainment system.

In truth, when choosing an M2, you don’t actually have a whole lot of choice. All examples come with the same engine, which is a barnstorming 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine fed by two turbochargers, and this sends all of its 454bhp to the rear wheels. It does this through either an eight-speed automatic gearbox or - if you’re prepared to pay extra - a six-speed manual transmission, which is something of a rarity in the class these days. In fact, this choice of transmission is one of the few you have to make, because there’s just one single standalone trim level. There are a few option packs you can choose to add if you so wish, which bundle extras together, but there aren’t that many individual options on offer.

Direct rivals to the BMW M2 and rather few and far between. Until fairly recently, the Audi TT RS would have been one of the closest, with its two doors, four seats and similar levels of power and performance, but the Audi has since been discontinued as a new car. Two-seater rivals such as the Porsche 718 Cayman and Alpine A110 remain, as does the four-door Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S. In fact, the M2’s closest rival arguably lies in-house, as it’s a smaller, cheaper alternative to the BMW M4 Coupe.

BMW has traditionally made some of the best interiors in the business, and just because the M2 is one of the firm’s smaller offerings, don’t go thinking that any scrimping or saving has gone on. The huge digital screens that dominate the cabin instantly deliver a hit of high-tech sophistication, and everywhere else you look, you find stitched leather and carbon fibre-effect trims that deliver a sense of both sophistication and sportiness. The precise action of the switches and dials, and the clicky goodness with which they operate, contribute towards the high-quality feel as well. Yes, this is an expensive car, but importantly, the interior quality easily feels worthy of the price tag.

Like many of BMW’s latest offerings, the M2 comes as standard with the BMW Curved Display infotainment system, running Operation System 8 software. This combines a 12.3-inch driver’s information display behind the steering wheel with a 14.9-inch central control display, all incorporated into one glossy-looking unit that bends pleasingly around the driver. If that’s not enough information for your eyes to process, there’s also a head-up display that projects yet more information onto the windscreen in front of you.

The system supports most of the functionality you expect, including DAB radio, satellite navigation, a Bluetooth phone connection, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus two USB ports. You also get a powerful Harman Kardon surround sound stereo as standard, but at this kind of money, it’s perhaps a little bit surprising that wireless phone charging is an optional extra.

Given the sheer amount and variety of functionality the system has to take care of, it’s actually impressively easy to find your way around. You might initially find yourself scratching your head when trying to find a function, but it doesn’t take too long to familiarise yourself with how things work. It’s slightly annoying that you don’t have separate buttons and dials for the air-con, but at least there’s a shortcut to the climate menus permanently displayed at the bottom of the central screen.

Predictably, there’s plenty of headroom and legroom in the front seats, and despite this being a relatively compact car, you and your front passenger won’t feel like you’re rubbing shoulders too much. There’s also a good amount of storage in the front of the cabin: the centre console has a large lidded cubby and another lidded area with two cupholders and another small space for odds and ends, plus there's a decent glovebox and deep door pockets.

Predictably once again for a car like this, things aren’t quite so rosy in the two rear seats. Legroom is actually surprisingly generous, but headroom is in such short supply that nobody over five and a half feet tall will travel comfortably, and anyone over six feet tall will struggle to fit at all. Small children will be okay, but gangly teens? Forget it.

The boot is a very decent size at 390 litres, but the intrusion of the wheelarches means the space is T-shaped. The shallow opening will make it tricky to load bulky items, too, and so will the chunky load lip. For when you need to maximise your cargo-carrying capability, the car has 40-20-40 split-folding rear seats as standard, which is more versatile than the 60-40 arrangement in some cars. However, the rear seatbacks lie at a slight angle when they’re folded, leaving you with an extended load area that’s slightly sloped, and there’s a small step in it, too.

The regular 2 Series comes with a choice of engines, but the range-topping M2 comes with just one, and when it’s such a belter, you don’t need any more than that. It’s a derivation of the same 3.0-litre straight-six twin-turbo petrol engine found in the bigger M3 and M4, but slightly detuned to develop 454bhp, sending it all to the rear wheels via a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox, or a six-speed manual if you’re prepared to pay extra (yes, you read that right, the manual costs extra).

The numbers on their own make for very compelling reading. Select a car with the automatic gearbox, and the 0-62mph dash comes and goes in just 4.1 seconds. Equip your car with the manual, and that’s extended slightly to 4.3, but stirring through the ratios with a manual shifter does add an extra level of engagement that’s missing from the automatic, as well as many of the M2’s auto-only rivals, making this quite a novel offering in the sector. Top speed is limited to 155mph, but that’s raised to 177mph if you add the optional M Driver’s Package.

To heck with the numbers, though, because they’re only good for pub bragging rights. It’s how that speed makes you feel that’s important, and the good news is that the sensation of speed feels every bit as breathtaking as the numbers suggest. But not all the time, and in a very good way.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing is how docile and usable the car is when you’re just bimbling around town. At low revs, the engine is tractable and easy to modulate, keeping life easy and relaxed. However, let the revs build a bit, and the engine responds in a totally proportionate way, with more and more aggressive grunt being delivered the more the revs pile on. If you’re brave enough to rev it out to its 7,200rpm limit, then you’ll love the sensation of being whiplashed towards the horizon, while the engine screams mechanical melodies into your eardrums.

The M2 we tried was fitted with the manual gearbox. It’s smooth and satisfying most of the time, and although really fast gear changes can cause it to stumble a bit, it’s still an appealingly engaging experience. The throttle response is also as sharp and as quick as you’d want or expect, while the brakes - happily - deliver mighty stopping power.

You’ll have no complaints about the refinement of the engine. It’s smooth and quiet when it’s not being worked hard, and a sensory delight when it’s spinning as the makers intended. It’s definitely the thing that dominates in this area. Wind noise is reasonably well contained, but there is a fair amount of road noise being kicked up at the national limit. Then again, peer underneath the car at the incredible width of the tyres, and you’ll probably be surprised that there isn’t more.

The BMW 2 Series Coupe was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2022, and achieved a four-star rating, which is no disgrace as the testing standards become more and more stringent every year, and the latest ones are exceedingly hard to ace.

The M2 comes with a variety of electronic driver aids as standard. As well as all the usual electronic stability and traction aids, you also get front collision warning with brake intervention, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, speed limit display and driver attention alert. You also get a Parking Assistant that gives a rear-view camera and front- and rear parking sensors, plus cruise control with brake function. However, proper active cruise control is an optional extra, which is a bit mean at this money. Other optional safety systems include the Driving Assistant package, which adds rear cross traffic alert with brake intervention, and lane change warning.

Take a look at the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, and you might be fairly encouraged. In the overall customer satisfaction standings, BMW placed 12th out of the 29 manufacturers considered, putting it above average and out-performing rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz. This generation of 2 Series wasn’t namechecked specifically in the reliability assessments, but we’d hope that this latest iteration of the car would prove to be fairly durable.

All cars have an insurance classification that runs from group 1 (the cheapest grouping) to group 50 (the most expensive). The M2 sits in group 42, and that’s whether you go for the manual version or the automatic. Premiums won’t exactly be cheap, then, but given its lofty price and huge power output, you might have expected its grouping to be a little higher. Interestingly, though, the bigger, pricier, and even more powerful BMW M3 actually sits in a lower insurance group, with classifications starting at group 41 for rear-wheel drive Competition models.

Despite its prodigious power, the M2 is subject to the same flat rate of VED road tax as any other petrol-powered car, which stands at £180 per year. Do be aware, however, that because the car costs more than £40,000 to buy new, it’s classed as a luxury car by the exchequer, meaning that you must pay an additional surcharge on top of that annual rate for five years, between years two and six of the car’s life. That surcharge amounts to £390, taking your annual road tax bill for that period up to £570.

We’ve already talked about all the performance-enhancing kit that the M2 gets, along with the specifications when it comes to infotainment and safety, all of which are critically important in the modern sports car market. There are a few additional items of luxury equipment provided as standard, though. These include three-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, ambient lighting, powered and heated door mirrors, plus powered and heated front seats. 

A variety of option packs are available. The M Driver’s pack increases the car’s top speed and gives you a session of dedicated BMW driver training, while the M Race Track package gives you that package plus a whole array of additional carbon fibre parts, including the M Carbon seats we mentioned earlier.