BMW can’t contain its new M2 any longer

BMW launched the first M2 back in 2015. It was a natural successor to the 1 Series M Coupe and proved immediately popular with fans of BMW performance models and this latest version – the M2 Competition – is set to follow that trend. Here are our top five reasons why this latest addition to the BMW M family truly captures the imagination, starting with the engine. It’s the same high-revving, straight-six M TwinPower turbo from the M3 / M4, tuned to deliver 410hp and helps the M2 reach 62mph in just 4.2 seconds* and on to a potential top speed of 173mph**.

*when fitted with the optional 7-speed DCT gearbox / **with optional M Driver’s Package

So, the M2 Competition not only drives like a real M car, it sounds like one too. The outlets for that noise are four black chrome tailpipes, the final part of a thoroughbred M Sport exhaust system, fitted as standard to the M2 Competition. That sound can be ‘tuned’ from inside the car, a consequence of this new M2’s touch-of-a-button, selectable driving modes.

And then there are the wheels and brakes. Bespoke 19” M light alloy wheels (available in a choice of ‘silver’ or ‘dark’ finishes) are neatly tucked into Michelin’s outstanding Pilot Super Sport rubber; the standard fit brakes are four-pot caliper / 380mm at the front, two-piston 370mm at the rear. If you don’t feel that’s quite enough for your needs, the optional track brakes are huge: 400mm six-piston and 380mm four-piston discs, front and rear respectively.

It’s the same M story on the inside, too, and not just in terms of the aesthetic. Yes, the M leather steering wheel feels just right in the hands; the optional M Sport Seats look superb, with their illuminated logo detailing and the M specific instrument display features race-like, red dials. But it’s the way everything works that is so… well, M.

The new M2 Competition’s external mirrors are a great example of the way M-specific design detail is to be found all over this car. Sure enough, the elegant double-bridge design looks good, but there’s a bit more to it than that. They are also aerodynamically optimised. Typical M: stylish and effective, the ultimate combination.

Ultimately, a car like the BMW M2 Competition will be judged in just two ways: what it looks like, and how it goes.

Tom Cruise drives the latest BMW M5 in Mission Impossible: Fallout. Find out more here