Dyno Test: G87 BMW M2 With VR Tuned ECU Tuning Box Kit Lays Down 522 Wheel Horsepower

Take, for instance, the black-painted M2 in the video below. Save for a cat-back exhaust and some ritzy wheels, the car is as close to stock as it can be. How did it fare on Vivid Racing's Mustang Dynamometer? Make that 472 horsepower and 437 pound-feet (592 Nm) at the wheels, thank you!

Seriously impressive baseline figures, but the M2 can do even better without any mechanical upgrades. Enter the G87-specific VR Tuned ECU Tuning Box Kit V2, which promises up to 90 more horsepower and 90 more pound-feet of torque for a meager $750 with free shipping. The piggyback system offers up to seven different ECU maps.

With 91 octane in the fuel tank, the M2 produces a staggering 508 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (649 Nm) in the Level 5 setting. Step up to Level 6, and the dyno graph reads 522 horsepower and 485 pound-feet (nearly 658 Nm) at the rear wheels.

Due to heat soak rearing its ugly head sooner than expected, upgrading the S58's cooling system is a must. Every single application of the S58 takes HT-12 coolant, which costs around $30 per gallon. Regarding lubrication, BMW claims 7 liters (7.4 quarts) for the oil capacity, and the G87 M2 takes BMW Longlife-01 FE SAE 0W-30 synthetic oil.

Shared with the M3, M4, X3 M, and X4 M, the S58 engine is based on the B58 of the M340i, M440i, and M40i vehicles. In production since 2019, the 3.0-liter I6 rocks mono-scroll turbochargers and Mahle forged aluminum pistons with a proprietary anti-friction coating. The direct-injected mill is – on paper – good for up to 553 horsepower in the 3.0 CSL and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) of twist at the crankshaft in the CSL, CS, and Competition.

For model year 2025, the M4 Competition xDrive leveled up to 523 horsepower compared to the previous 503 horsepower. The M division could bump up the M2 as well for 2025, with production to start in August 2024. In addition to a few more ponies, the G87 is further expected with new designs for the wheels and new paint colors.

The most likely candidates are Sao Paulo Yellow, Skyscraper Gray, Mineral Red, and Portimao Blue. Next year, the 2026 model year M2 is believed to gain a go-faster variant in the form of the CS. Unfortunately, it's too soon to tell whether the M2 CS will be rear-wheel drive or M xDrive.

Even so, there's hearsay in regard to M xDrive for model year 2026. Considering how big of a difference the M-specific AWD system makes in the M3 and M4, both in a straight line and in the twisties, an M xDrive-equipped M2 seems more like a question of when rather than of if.