With 453 hp and a standard six-speed manual, the M2 returns as the most appealing M car in the lineup.
After months of teasers and leaks, BMW finally revealed the 2024 M2 on Tuesday. A beefed up, highly improved version of the company’s 2-Series coupe, it’s packing a 453-hp variant of M’s twin-turbo S58 inline-six paired to a six-speed manual as standard. There are also a bunch of suspension improvements, taken mostly from the M3 and M4. BMW’s most exciting car has returned.
The 3.0-liter lump under the hood has been virtually unchanged from its M4 counterpart, albeit with a softer tune, missing out on 20 hp versus the base M3 and M4. Still, 453 hp is 48 more horses than the last-gen car. It’s backed up by 406 lb-ft of torque, available from 2650 rpm. If you’re not into the standard three-pedal setup, an eight-speed torque-converter automatic is available as an option. That’s right, the dual-clutch has been dropped, just as it was in the M3 and M4.
Weight is another big piece of news for the M2. With the manual curb weight comes in at 3814 pounds—about 200 pounds heavier than the outgoing M2 Competition. Add another 53 pounds if you spec the automatic. For M’s smallest car, that’s a whole lot of heft to carry around, even for something so modern. For more context, the 2024 M2 is about 200 pounds heavier than an E92-generation M3. It’s also somehow just 16 pounds lighter than the bigger, more powerful, more spacious M4, going by BMW’s own official curb weight numbers. BMW says a carbon-fiber roof is available as an option, but doesn’t say how much weight can be saved when it’s added.
Even so, BMW quotes a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds for the automatic M2, or 4.1 seconds for the manual. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph, or 177 mph if you option the M Driver’s Package.
We suspect the M2 will impress with its agility, despite its oddly high curb weight. It has the same drivetrain and track width as the M4, but its 108.1-inch wheelbase is 4.3 inches shorter. There’s also the chassis structure, which has been given an overhaul to improve stiffness. There’s a specific M front subframe and several braces within the engine bay to deter body movement, along with reinforcements in the C-pillar and trunk areas. Adaptive suspension is standard, as are an active M differential and six-piston front brake calipers with 15-inch discs. The wheels are 19-inchers up front and 20s in the rear, wrapped in summer performance tires.
Inside you’ll find the 2-Series interior with a slew of M-specific improvements, including sport seats finished in Vernasca leather. The adjustable carbon buckets found in cars like the M3, M4, and M5 are available as an option, thankfully. We suggest going for the Carbon Package, which gets you the seats, the carbon roof, and a bunch of extra carbon interior trim.
As with the M3 and M4 you’ll find two customizable M buttons on the steering wheel for changing to your preferred drive setup quickly. Rev-matching is standard on the manual M2, though thankfully, it can be turned off via the infotainment system. There’s also a lap timer and a drift analyzer onboard for scoring your sideways action.
The 2024 M2 will be built at BMW’s San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico, with first deliveries for the U.S. set for April 2023. Base price is $63,195, including destination.
Brian Silvestro Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
Keyword: The 2024 BMW M2 Is Basically a Mini M4