Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
Whether you’re on the fence about the huge nostrils of the latest BMW M3 and M4 or not, there is no denying that their performance is the highest as it has ever been.
Even without the addition of the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system, which is not yet available for Competition models, the two sports cars are way faster than their predecessors. At the same time, they offer a high level of driver involvement thanks to the perfect 50:50 weight distribution and the availability of a manual transmission.
The M2, on the other hand, has always been the sweetheart of M purists, who always saw it as a 2002 Turbo revival in almost every sense, especially compared to its more bloated big brothers.
BMW knows this, which is why the 2023 BMW M2 is likely to become the most M car of the third millennium, and probably the last old-school BMW before the rise of the electrics.
Unlike the recently out of production M2 Competition, which has a 53:47 weight distribution on the front and rear axle, its replacement will get a perfect 50:50 one thanks to a host of modifications.
That is apparently one of the reasons why pre-production models of the model have been caught testing in the real world as early as 2020, over two years before the car is supposed to go on sale.
In theory, the new M2 should be easy to develop since it’s based on a shortened platform used by the current M4, and it will even sport a detuned version of the same powertrain. Still, the perfect weight distribution is harder to replicate in a much shorter vehicle.
Rumors say that the CS-only CFRP roof will be standard on the M2, alongside other more subtle mods to bring the front end weight down.
Speaking of powertrain, the model will use the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six, codenamed S58B30T0 in the current BMW M3, M4 and soon to be facelifted X3 M and X4 M.
With around 420 horsepower and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal, sent to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic transmission, the 2023 M2 will simply improve the recipe used by its predecessor in this department.
Future M2 CS and Competition versions are expected to get around 20 horsepower more, and there are even rumors of an M2 CSL following in the footsteps of the upcoming M4 CSL.
The M2, on the other hand, has always been the sweetheart of M purists, who always saw it as a 2002 Turbo revival in almost every sense, especially compared to its more bloated big brothers.
BMW knows this, which is why the 2023 BMW M2 is likely to become the most M car of the third millennium, and probably the last old-school BMW before the rise of the electrics.
Unlike the recently out of production M2 Competition, which has a 53:47 weight distribution on the front and rear axle, its replacement will get a perfect 50:50 one thanks to a host of modifications.
That is apparently one of the reasons why pre-production models of the model have been caught testing in the real world as early as 2020, over two years before the car is supposed to go on sale.
In theory, the new M2 should be easy to develop since it’s based on a shortened platform used by the current M4, and it will even sport a detuned version of the same powertrain. Still, the perfect weight distribution is harder to replicate in a much shorter vehicle.
Rumors say that the CS-only CFRP roof will be standard on the M2, alongside other more subtle mods to bring the front end weight down.
Speaking of powertrain, the model will use the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six, codenamed S58B30T0 in the current BMW M3, M4 and soon to be facelifted X3 M and X4 M.
With around 420 horsepower and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal, sent to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic transmission, the 2023 M2 will simply improve the recipe used by its predecessor in this department.
Future M2 CS and Competition versions are expected to get around 20 horsepower more, and there are even rumors of an M2 CSL following in the footsteps of the upcoming M4 CSL.
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