2023 BMW M2: This could be your last chance to own a manual, all-motor BMW

Ask any car lover for a list of the best front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports coupes and the BMW M3 will most likely be in it.

Since its introduction in 1986, the M3 has served as a benchmark for race-bred two-doors that can be driven on the road. This title was given to the M4 in 2014, with the M3 name applying only to the four-door models.

These cars combined savage performance with the tasteful and handsome lines of a BMW coupe. That all changed when the next-generation M4 came out in 2021.

Much like other contemporary BMWs, the new coupe drew gasps of shock (and even horror) from many brand loyalists for its enormous kidney grills that stretched all the way down to the lower bumper. 

The gaping chasms on the nose, which were part of the German carmaker’s new design language, definitely got your attention and definitely split opinion.

The chatter will likely be less vociferous as photos of the final production version of the M4’s little brother, the 2023 BMW M2, debuted on Oct. 12, 2022.

Subtler nose and huge hips

In a sharp deviation from most of the BMW lineup, the new M2 doesn’t have kidney grills that extend into the lower bumper.

In fact, the lower bumper is less dramatic than the one in the previous-generation model. The huge rectangular vents for the brakes and radiators make the M2 more like a touring car.

And compared to the older M2, this new one actually sports smaller LED headlights that are further apart from the grills, which no longer have blacked-out frames. 

The side profile is what really stands out with this 2023 model. Although widened wheel arches are the norm for performance cars so that these could accommodate wider tires, the fenders on this M2 are huge, almost reminiscent of 1980s Group B rally cars. 

These house 275-millimeter tires on 19-inch wheels up front, while the rears get 20-inch wheels with 285-millimeter tires. The rear end, however, loses the cleanliness of the previous M2. 

As ever, there is a tall decklid spoiler with fairly nondescript LED taillights. But as your eyes move down, it’s angles galore for the rear reflectors and the diffuser, where four big exhaust pipes stick out.

Restrained interior

Step inside the next-generation M2 and it looks fairly similar to a regular 2 Series coupe.

The hexagonal center air vents stretch out to pentagonal side air vents, with hardly any buttons or switches in the center console. The red starter button near the gear selector is probably the only sign that this 2 Series has got more stuff.

Meanwhile, the curved displays for the gauge cluster and the infotainment system dominate the dashboard, measuring 12.9 inches for the former and 14.9 inches for the latter. However, the placement look a bit of an afterthought and could have been integrated better.

The standard M Sport front seats get more aggressive bolsters, while more keen drivers will like the carbon bucket seats, which are 11 kilograms lighter each.

More power, but more heft

The next-generation is powered by the same twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter, twin-cam, 24-valve, inline-6 engine from the M3 and M4.

It has been detuned to produce 460 PS and 553 Nm of torque, which is about 48 more PS than the outgoing M2 Competition. The engine is mated to either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic.

What’s also gone up is the weight. The next-generation M2 manual is now 1,730 kilograms, which is nearly 100 kilos up from the previous M2 manual.

Nonetheless, the company said it will do 0 to 100 km/h in about 4.0 seconds in the automatic and around 4.1 seconds in the manual. For comparison, an automatic Toyota Vios 1.3 will do the same in about 13 seconds.

Keeping everything under control are 15-inch, two-piston brakes up front and 14.6-inch, single-piston brakes out back.  

The new M2 also comes with BMW’s Active M Differential, Adaptive M Suspension, and a rev-matching Gear Shift Assistant on manual-equipped cars. These can all be controlled using the M Drive Professional system, which includes 10 traction-control settings.

A return to tradition?

When carmakers choose a design language for a certain generation of cars, they generally stick with it across the whole line-up.

The M2 would definitely have stood out from the rest of its 2 Series siblings if it were given the same treatment as the M4. But BMW decided to bring less attention to this new model’s face, instead seemingly focusing on refining what made M Series coupes great.

Whether or not this will draw in more traditional BMW aficionados, only time will tell after its launch next year.

What do you think of the upcoming BMW M2?