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2016 M2 Track Test Review

Thermal, CA.

So, you’ve thought recently that BMW has gone soft with their core M-car lineup, that the labcoat’s at Munich forgot how to build a proper drivers car like M’s of days past.  As you’ve probably already read from multiple outlets, the new M2 doesn’t disappoint. It’s like a professional athlete who for years puts up numbers to lead the league, batting .300 with 30 dingers. But the moment they have an off-year, think .270 and 20 homers, everyone cries out that he’s done, trade him even they might say. But no. Next year he comes back and hits .310 and knocks out 40 out of the ballpark. That’s what happened with BMW, they just had a couple off years, but they’re back with the M2.

They took us on the actual Thermal Club North Palm layout, following instructors from the BMW Performance Center. They built up a good pace, settling at 7-8/10ths, reaching upwards of 120 on the two long straights. The North Palm, while short, has a great series of esses, straights, a double-apex hairpin, and a long sweeping carousel all in a shortened 1+ mile to get some serious lapping in. At these higher speeds and wider tarmac, the M2 feels so at home on a real track, with perfect power to fly down the straights and  healthy doses of mid range surge for coming out of corners.

Now let’s be clear here. When people like us say harsh statements such as ‘BMW doesn’t know how to build an M anymore,’ this must be approached from a different, more sensible angle. Brands like M GmbH have such a high standard when it comes to building note-perfect sports cars that when they miss the mark by a nose’s width, the population raises their pitchforks and cries heresy. That’s how good M’s have been in the past. Here’s BMW M, with a rich history of building high-revving, naturally aspirated monsters with chassis balance derived from studying the Russian ballet, so it’s no surprise that their first few forays into the era of turbocharging produced these near-misses as it was such a departure from core philosophies. Character and feel were replaced with comfort and sheer performance. But this level of speed doesn’t always guarantee the fizz. Blame the EU and EPA though for that, with their ever stringent mandates on efficiency. Cars like the 435 were not the best platform to become a focused M-car anyways, being aloof and too soft to start. No, they were artificially pumped up by steroids into the M4. The performance is staggering, but it’s not real (read: steering, noise, firm ride). The M2 has a brilliant base car to work off of luckily, the M235i, already very much a driver’s car. It followed the Mike Trout path of becoming a true star; it’s the real deal.

In spite of this devolution of fun, BMW produce a quirk of a gem in 2011: the now legendary 1 Series M Coupe. Though it was turbocharged, it had a focus on feel and balance, while the engine wasn’t overly powerful to take away the ability to exploit the chassis. That’s what my problem with cars like the M4 and M5 have been. Besides the general lack of steering feel among other issues, the power is so great it can’t truly be appreciated unless on a closed circuit, given it’s inability for the rear end to cope with acceleration. Nailing it on a public road with cold tires only results in a frantically flashing traction control light with little in the way of forward momentum. And the mid range punch from the frankenflat torque curve rarely rewards, encourages or even necessitates running up to the redline. The days of the E60 M5 and E46 and E92 M3s are gone. The new M2  though is a budding example and beacon of hope that BMW M can make a truly wonderful modern, turbocharged M car in the mold of its parent, the 1M coupe. And it’s by far the my favorite BMW currently made today.

So let’s get the basics out of way. In the engine bay you’ll find a reworked version of the single, twin-scroll turbo’d N55 out of the M235i, but with beefed up internals loaned from the M3/4’s S55. Also gifted from the M3/M4 are the brakes, suspension and drivetrain components. The M DCT box is an option, though please, for all that’s holy, get this one with a stick. It’ll save you $2,900 too.

The shape is certainly M worthy too, with giant wheelarches tightly wrapped around the 19″ alloys from the M3/M4. On the latter they’re a $1,200 option, but here they’re standard. In the flesh the whole car looks brilliant, particularly in pupil-pulsing Long Beach Blue. Also revamped is a trick oil sump to prevent starvation under high g-loads aka track duty. Inside you’ll find black leather buckets with contrast blue stitching that provide fantastic support, and a few bits of alcantara swathed over the interior. It’s not exactly luxurious, but it’s purposeful and feels right. But none of that matters, what matters is how the M2 drives. And it delivers.

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Our track driving took place at Thermal Club near Palm Springs on a sweltering 95 degree March day. It’s a beautiful ribbon of tarmac with multiple track layouts serving as a racer’s country club. We first take it onto an autocross section next to the main circuit, a blistering 8 corners wrapped into a quarter mile or thereabouts. Fire up the M2, and the six up front makes a satisfying bark on startup before settling into a low warble. This is a classic Bimmer noise while not being look-at-me loud. It’s a better sound than an M3/4, which sounds artificial, is too loud (especially on cold starts where it does it’s best impression of a garbage disposal), and can’t quite make up its mind as to what it’s trying to sound like.

Pulling onto the autocross I switch the M2 up into it’s MDM setting in Sport + and nail it. Again, the character of the engine feels very much like an M235i but pulls with a newfound ferocity through the gears, only running out of puff just before the 7k rev-limiter. Turbo lag is minimal, pulling hard from down low and keeps building and building in an addicting but non-scary manner. Even on this twisting autocross, the entirety of the rev range can be used without overwhelming the tires, a good sign that the M2 will be truly useable and fun on the public road. The front end has a sense of bite not found in the M235i, courtesy of the wider rubber and track. The steering is incredibly direct and well weighted, but still offers little in the way of feel. However, such is the telepathy of the steering that the lack of feel nearly doesn’t matter. Even in these tight low-speed corners understeer is hard to provoke, making you have to drive it really deep into the corner to wash the front out wide. However, there is just enough feedback sent through the wheel to avoid such tire scrubbing. The brakes, with a progressive travel, stop at command, with no real discernible fade at the end of our 40 minute session .

The DCT transmission supplied in all our cars (how unfortunate) made it a breeze flicking up between 2nd and 3rd on the tight labyrinth. No doubt this was the faster choice of transmission here, but the lack of involvement was noticeable. Shifts were quick and responsive, with the system only locking me out of an upshift once being the only hiccup. Even in MDM, oversteer was largely absent, such is the control of the chassis and a testament to how buttoned down the rear end is. It’s not like it doesn’t have the power to slide the back out, the balance is just that good that it won’t do it unless you want to. And they did have a watchful eye on us…most unfortunately. I would like a more relaxed setting of MDM without going full-blown commando by switching all systems off. But the feeling of going through a long, decreasing radius bend and feeling the front load up in a natural and easy way gives tremendous levels of confidence. Just ease off the throttle until the nose points towards the apex and then give it the beans and let the chassis ever slightly rotate you out and on to the next braking zone. It’s not just easy, it’s also achingly fun.
Next, they took us on the actual Thermal Club North Palm layout, following instructors from the BMW Performance Center. They built up a good pace, settling at 7-8/10ths, reaching upwards of 120 on the two long straights. The North Palm, while short, has a great series of esses, straights, a double-apex hairpin, and a long sweeping carousel all in a shortened 1+ mile to get some serious lapping in. At these higher speeds and wider tarmac, the M2 feels so at home on a real track, with perfect power to fly down the straights and  healthy doses of mid range surge for coming out of corners. 3rd was even enough for the last hairpin before the long main straight. It picks up speed with a turbine like thrust- definitely not M4 fast- but still fast enough. And when it gets to the technical sections of asphalt, the sublime chassis balance shines so brightly, resisting understeer like the plague and maintaining such a level of neutrality and, more importantly, adjustability through a bend. Braking into the slow 90 degree turn one down from 120 is done with no drama and no brake fade from the large stoppers. The level of connection through the whole car just inspires to push harder and keep going, such is the level of fun. I even forgot the steering isn’t the most feelsome. If this is where EPAS started 5 years ago, nobody would have batted an eye. This is why the M2 becomes supreme over the other M-cars made today; it’s a bloody riot.
Sure, there are faster cars in a straight line, but in terms of the fun/price ratio, there’s little else that comes close. Sampling one on the street from the passenger seat, the ride is firm, but not back-breaking by any means as it shows real day-to-day usability. And, where on a snaking backroad an M4 has to be approached with caution from the nervous rear end, the M2 begs to be unleashed, and it’s easy to do so whilst making you feel like a hero. And did I mention it’s a bargain? For $52K you get navigation, leather, an active M differential, those massive brakes and wheels, and also a body kit that makes an M235i look sheepish in comparison. There’s no way to go wrong with this one. Put it this way, if you liked the 1M and/or missed out on it, it’s a modern, faster evolution of its esteemed predecessor. And for purists and fans of the old, it has a similar feeling akin to the US-spec E36 M3, which also didn’t have a fire-breathing, high-revving six, but still used a mid-range strong, characterful motor coupled to a beautifully balanced chassis. It’s by far my choice as the best BMW made today and indubitably one of the best drivers cars available anywhere in the world. The new M2 is for real.