Peter Nelson
We’re at an attention-grabbing crossroads in the high-performance fanatic car market. Running east to west is the adoption of electrical automobiles and a gradual discount in inner combustion engine car manufacturing. North to south is the development of ICE horsepower from the manufacturing unit over the years, and it is unclear how far it continues from right here. Coming in diagonally is the weakening demand for manual transmissions—that is sadly the place they finish.
In the center of this intersection is the 2024 BMW M2 six-speed manual, hanging its tail out in a large managed drift round the edges, expressing one last hurrah as BMW’s closing object of internal-combustion M car affection.
I just lately had the alternative to pilot BMW’s newest, smallest M car by way of a few of Southern California’s most enjoyable mountain roads, plus Willow Springs International Raceway’s Streets of Willow circuit. When it involves shortly determining this type of car’s powertrain and chassis, I am unable to consider a higher mixture of pavement. Here’s what makes the newest—and last—six-speed-manual-equipped M2 era an general wonderful fanatic coupe.
Peter Nelson
Focused inside-out
Looks are subjective, significantly BMW appears, however I feel BMW did a good job on the M2’s exterior. Its kidney grilles, headlights, fender flares, exhaust suggestions, and vast fenders—particularly in the rear quarter panels—are engaging. It’s a muscular little coupe, and it undoubtedly informs you of its intentions with its large intakes reduce into its entrance finish. Behind them lies a warmth exchanger for its engine’s air-to-water intercooling (extra on that in a bit), plus a number of different types of water and oil cooling to make sure long-lasting peak efficiency, all-twisty-road-and-track-session-long. It’s onerous to mistake it for a base 2 Series.
Inside, it is fairly spacious for a coupe and has nice visibility throughout. My check car included the $9,900 Carbon Package, which will get you comfy, near-race-bucket carbon fiber seats and a slick carbon roof. I’m 6 ft and three inches tall, so the absence of sliding glass up high was a godsend and even allowed me to put on a helmet on observe without having to recline, a rarity in fashionable vehicles. The seats are a little bit of a ache to slip out and in of, and the left leg bolster pushed inward barely an excessive amount of, impeding environment friendly and cozy clutch motion for my lanky determine. I think many of us would not have the similar problem, although.
Technology-wise, a crisp 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen take up a lot of actual property. BMW’s iDrive 8 software program is straightforward to get the dangle of, operates fairly seamlessly, and has good haptic suggestions. Materials high quality is general fairly good; all buttons and dials felt substantial, and the Carbon Package contains stylish slabs of carbon fiber trim as an alternative of the boring outdated piano black plastic that is all too widespread in fashionable efficiency vehicles.
Peter Nelson