2023 BMW M2 brings a manual gearbox and rear-wheel-drive

3.0L twin-turbo inline-six will make 453 horsepower
Active M suspension and rear differential are standard
Choice of six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic

What’s that? You say you’ve been pining for a sporty new BMW coupé with three pedals and lairy rear-wheel-drive? Then it seems like the gearheads in Munich have just the ticket.

It’s the new M2, re-upped for the 2023 model year with a new-but-familiar face behind which sits an inline-six engine with more power than ever before. Athletic proportions dominate, as they should in a car of this type, sitting on a wheelbase that is 54 mm longer than the old M2 but just 110 mm shorter than its much larger M4 brother. BMW says this helps with interior space but combined with an increase in track to match the M4, this squirt should have the stance to be well-planted on track.

2023 bmw m2 brings a manual gearbox and rear-wheel-drive

2023 BMW M2 Photo by BMW

As with most revamps in this vein, the ’23 is longer, lower, and wider than its predecessor (104 mm, 33 mm, and 7 mm, respectively). While this author is hardly qualified to talk about matters such as good looks, thanks to my having a face for radio, he will opine this car’s taillamps continue to look as if they are too far apart — like a misshapen alien villian from the Dr. Who series. At least its front end was not besmirched by an M3/M4 grille, though someone did attack these kidney grilles with a T-square.

With 453 horsepower belting forth from the M TwinPower mill at 6,250 rpm, the S58 engine in the new M2 outguns the old car by 48 ponies. Those of you with good powers of recall will have quickly ascertained this power peak is about 1,000 rpm higher than last year’s M2, meaning drivers will have to rev this one higher to wring out maximum grunt. Torque is advertised at 406 lb-ft, showing up for duty 300 rpm further up the dial than before. In short, this is likely to feel slightly more high-strung than the old M2.

Shifting duties will be handled by way of either a six-speed manual (yes!) with rev-matching; or an eight-speed M Steptronic unit. While those of us who toil at the Driving offices will always choose the stick for better road feel and driver engagement, BMW does expect the automatic to be approximately two-tenths faster (3.8 seconds vs 4.0) when accelerating from rest to 100 km/h.

Handling is sure to be crisp. Tires are a staggered size, measuring 275/35 ZR19 up front and 285/30 ZR20 in the rear, meaning it’ll take tire foam and a quick inflator to get you back on the road after a blowout in Flin Flon. The standard Adaptive M Suspension features electronically controlled dampers designed to maximize road contact and traction, controlled with the help of sensors that constantly monitor body movements and steering adjustments. Basic suspension characteristics can be altered in the M Setup menu, where one will also find kit like a Drift Analyzer and a traction control system with no fewer than ten settings.

2023 BMW M2 Photo by BMW

Brakes are six-piston loaves up front on 15-inch discs, slightly smaller out back. BMW claims a near 50-50 weight distribution, though that weight – at 1,730 kilos when equipped with a manual transmission – is about 100 kg more than last year’s M2.

Inside, a set of M Carbon bucket seats will be available, mimicking the ones we know and enjoy in the M4. Newly designed M Sport seats with more pronounced side bolsters will also be on tap, available in a smattering of colours. Carbon-fibre packages will scatter that material around the cabin and on the roof, while the expected infotainment technologies are present and accounted for. Typical active safety gear like autonomous emergency braking and lane-departure alerts are also part of the deal.

Produced at BMW’s San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico, this will be one M whose VIN will not start with ‘W’. Expect a Canadian-market launch in early Q2 next year, with a base MSRP of $76,500.

Keyword: 2023 BMW M2 brings a manual gearbox and rear-wheel-drive

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