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370 HP BMW M2 Revealed, Nibs on the M4’s Little Toe

Oh, the wait leading to this event has been truly hard to endure and yet, here we are, showing you the final product after thousands of rumors and assumptions. The BMW F87 M2 is here in all its glory and it is a beautiful machine.
2016 BMW F87 M2 40 photos
Photo: BMW
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Just as we expected, the end result of the work done by the people from the Motorsport division started from the M235i. With that car as the first brick in the wall, the M2 was bound to be a great driving machine. After all, the M Performance Automobile was on the receiving end of plenty of praise once reviewers got a hold of it.

As you can see in the photo gallery below, the headlights and kidney grille seem the same, the rest of the body being altered slightly to allow better performance. The front bumper is more aggressive in styling and has bigger air intakes, with a fresh design on the sides.

Round the back, the bumper reminds us of the design used on the current X6 M model, with similar reflectors lined-up vertically. The quad-tailpipe exhaust is also really enticing, not to mention the wider track and tires. The whole thing exudes performance, and the blue brake calipers hiding behind those black wheels make no exception.

Inside the cabin, you’ll find no significant changes but a set of carefully picked out details. For example, the stitching on the seats is done in the color of the car which, in this case, is the Long Beach Blue hue, also found on the F86 X6 M. The steering wheel is just another M part, while the center console and the dash have carbon fiber trims. The DCT knob is a premiere on the 2 Series chassis, though, and a ‘surprise’ from the Germans.

Under the hood

While selling cars today requires good looks, it’s not nearly enough. The BMW M2 also comes with the performance to match, under its hood hiding a heavily revised version of the N55 3-liter inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine.

This is a sort of swan song of the mill that will be pulled out of production in a few years, being completely replaced by the new B58 plant. Thanks to various parts ‘borrowed’ from the high-performance S55 unit, the engine makes 370 HP at 6,500 RPM and 465 Nm (343 lb-ft) of torque between 1,400 and 5,560 RPM. The best bit about these specs is that the engine has an overboost function that increase the torque figure to 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) for a short time, when needed.

While you may think it’s not all that impressive, you need to keep in mind that the M2 is also lighter than both the M4 and the M235i by a considerable amount. Tipping the scale at just 1,495 kg (3,295 lbs) with the standard manual gearbox and 1,520 kg (3,351 lbs) with the 7-speed DCT, this should be a fast Coupe.

Acceleration from a standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) takes 4.3 seconds with the dual-clutch and 4.5 seconds with the manual. Top speed is limited at 155 mph (250 km/h), or 167 mph (270 km/h) with the optional M Driver’s Package.

Unfortunately, BMW didn’t provide a Nurburgring lap time for the M2, but it did specify that the car was tested on the famous track. That’s where the difference will be made, as the rivals of the Bavarian are also incredible beasts.

We’re talking about the CLA45 AMG and the Audi RS3 most of all, but we could also include the Porsche Cayman GTS here. The AMG is the fastest of the bunch in a straight line, with an acceleration time of 4.2 seconds (thanks mostly to AWD), followed by the M2 and the RS3 with 4.3 seconds. The Cayman comes last, with a 4.8-second run.

Pricing wise, the AMG is also cheaper, while at the other end sits the Porsche which, admittedly, is bound to get a new engine anytime now.

More than meets the eye

However, there are deeper changes at play inside the M2 than you may think. The suspension was modified compared to the M235i and is now made completely out of aluminum, with specific elastokinematics.

The steering was also improved and inside the M2 you get two different modes in this regard: Comfort or Sport/Sport+. The brakes are 380 mm in diameter up front, and 370 mm at the back, and they are impressive even to look at. However, the brake disc hub is made of aluminum that also helps shed some valuable weight.

At the rear, we have an Active M Differential that is an electronically controlled multi-plate limited slip diff. The lock goes from 0 to 100 percent, depending on the situation that is analyzed by a set of sensors spread across the car.

Standard equipment

When purchasing this M car, you’ll be looking to get as many standard features as possible. These include the M Sport seats, six-speed manual gearbox with rev-matching, trims in porous carbon fiber, MDM mode for the DSC and a choice of four paint jobs: Long Beach Blue Metallic, Alpine White, Black Sapphire and Mineral Grey.

Optional features are aplenty and the most popular one will be the 7-speed DCT gearbox most likely. BMW ConnectedDrive should come close in second place, along with driving assistants and Park Distance Control amongst others. Pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but is rumored to start at $51,000 in the US and €54,000 in Germany.
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