The purist's M car, the G87 isn't for everyone. Its exterior styling does polarize opinion, but as far as the hardware is concerned, the M2 is all business.
As opposed to the N55 of its predecessor, the G87 sports the S58 twin-turbo sixer of the M3 and M4. Based on the B58, said engine is also shared with the X3 M and X4 M. Given that it's the smallest M car in production today, the G87 is appropriately tuned.
BMW says it makes 338 kW and 550 Nm, which means 453 horsepower at 6,250 revolutions per minute and 406 pound-feet between 2,600 and 5,950 revolutions per minute. However, the Bavarian automaker sandbags. Even the B58 in the fifth-generation Toyota Supra makes a few more ponies than advertised, and the S58 is underrated as well.
How underrated? UK-based Evolve Automotive tested a brand-new M2 on the dyno, and the best results are staggering. Power and torque peaked at 468.7 horsepower and 448.1 pound-feet (607.5 Nm), respectively, which is tremendous. Evolve Automotive ran the car with 99-ron gas in the tank, fully stock.
That's 95 octane in the United States. It should be noted that Evolve Automotive's M2 is a UK-spec vehicle, which means that it's equipped from the factory with gasoline particulate filters. The Germans call them Otto particulate filters after Nicolaus Otto, the first person to build a working four-stroke engine. What's more, four-stroke powerplants that use spark plugs are called – no surprises here – Otto engines.
Evolve Automotive previously tested a bone-stock M3 Competition rear-wheel drive on their dyno, and the numbers are understandably better than advertised by the German brand: 529.8 mechanical ponies and 521.6 pound-feet (707.2 Nm) of torque. By comparison, the on-paper numbers for the M3C are 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm).
There is, however, a problem with the G87. Although the S58 makes in excess of 1,000 horsepower at the crankshaft with the right mods, the M2 is rear-wheel drive only. For the time being, that is, because hearsay suggests M xDrive in 2026 at the latest.
It's not clear whether that means 2026 or 2027 model year, but given that both the M2 and M3 share the BMW CLuster ARchitecture for rear-biased applications, it would be fairly straightforward to give M xDrive to the G87. Before that, a small update is due in 2024 for the 2025 model year. BMW is expected to unlock 15 more ps from the 3.0-liter engine for a total of 475 ps (469 hp) on full song.
Scheduled to enter production at Mexico-based Planta San Luis Potosi, the 2025 model is also getting a few cosmetic updates, including wheel options and exterior paint colors. Regarding the colors, the candidates are Sao Paulo Yellow, Skyscraper Gray, Mineral Red, and the fabulous Portimao Blue.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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