2024 BMW M2 Review: Honey, I Shrunk The M4
With the Dodge Challenger now dead, the list of stick-shift, rear-wheel-drive, two-door sports cars you can still buy in the USA continues to shrink. BMW remains committed and launched a brand-new G87 M2 last year, available with a six-speed manual or eight-speed auto. It means business, too, taking over from the superb F87 and now packing 453 horsepower courtesy of a twin-turbo S58 inline six-cylinder engine. What's it up against? With its $63k base price, the 2024 BMW M2 asks less cash than an entry-level four-cylinder Porsche Cayman, while the Nissan Z and Toyota GR Supra are cheaper but less powerful. And let's not forget that the 650-hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 500-hp Ford Mustang Dark Horse are in the same price class - and both are available with a manual gearbox. Not everyone will be impressed with the new M2's huge screen real estate, the loss of the dual-clutch auto, or the portly 3,800-pound weight, especially when compared to its nimble - and simpler - forebear. Sure, it's still a blast to drive, but is it better, and does it remain the default choice in this class?
New for 2024
The new M2 only arrived last year, so the 2024 M2 is left as is and remains untouched, carrying over from 2023. While the car itself and its features may have remained the same, it has received a price bump of exactly $1,000.
2024 BMW M2 Price: Which One to Buy
The price of a new BMW M2 is $63,200 this year, up from last year's $62,200. This is for the six-speed manual, but selecting the eight-speed automatic won't cost you any extra money. This price is MSRP and excludes BMW's destination fee, which is still pegged at just $995 this year.
There's just one trim in the M2 range, so it all depends on how you spec it. The biggest question is, of course, the one of transmission, and you've probably already made up your mind about whether you want the automatic or if you'd rather row your own gears. The Carbon package brings the carbon-fiber roof you get as standard in most BMW Ms, but it's very expensive at nearly $10k and goes with carbon racing buckets, so you'll have to decide how much track time your M2 will see to make these worth the money.
Coupe |
---|
Sole Trim |
$ 63200 |
3.0L twin-turbo I6 (453 hp/406 lb-ft), 6-spd manual (8-spd auto option), RWD |
19/20-inch alloys, LED head- & taillights |
Leather upholstery, power heated M front seats |
12.3 & 14.9-inch displays, 14-speaker audio system |
Blind-spot monitoring, auto braking, lane-departure warning |
Best Deals on 2024 BMW M2
Interior and Features
The enormous digital displays don’t give off a sports-car feel, and although the M2 is high-tech and modern inside, it does tend to overwhelm the driver with too much information.
The most controversial feature inside the new M2's cabin is the vast screen area, with BMW's latest Curved Display with iDrive 8 being standard equipment. It feels more executive-car 3 Series than two-door sportster, doesn't contribute to a sporty feel, and can be distracting with the information overload represented by all the digital displays. It's all M-themed and configurable, though, and tons of performance data is available. The dashboard is well-made from dense, soft-feel materials, there is leather on the seats, and the car feels as solid as its weight implies. Being lifted mostly from the 3 Series, the cabin doesn't feel bespoke, but there are enough M details to remind you that you're in something special, like tri-color M logos and illuminated M logos in the headrests. It's a usable coupe with decent interior space for the genre, and actually able to accommodate rear-seat passengers.
Space
Unlike rivals such as the Supra and Cayman, the M2 is a practical coupe with a second row that can accommodate rear-seat passengers, but there's limited legroom and especially headroom back there. You can only put two people in the back, as the bench is sculpted for two, with a storage space between them and only two seatbelts. Considering you have to clamber over the forward-tipping front seats to get in, the rear quarters are only suitable for children.
Cargo
The M2's trunk space of 13.8 cubic feet is generous for a coupe and beats most of its natural rivals, including the physically bigger Mustang. The Cayman has more total trunk volume, but it's divided between a frunk and a trunk, so bigger items cannot be accommodated as they can in the M2, making the Bimmer a very practical and usable sports car. What's more, you can fold down the 40/20/40-split sear seat to liberate even more cargo space, but BMW doesn't provide a number for the total volume. There's a net partition in the left-hand side sidewall of the luggage area to secure smaller items.
In the cabin, there's about as much space for knick-knacks as you'd expect, with a glovebox, nice big door pockets, front cupholders, and under-elbow storage space in a lidded center compartment. The rear-seat passengers get nothing except that storage tray between them on the bench, not even cupholders.
BMW M2 | Porsche 718 Cayman | Ford Mustang Dark Horse | |
---|---|---|---|
Seating | 4 Seater | 2 Seater | 4 Aeater |
Headroom | 39.8 in. front 35 in. rear | TBA | 37.6 in. front 34.8 in. rear |
Legroom | 41.8 in. front 32.3 in. rear | TBA | 44.5 in. front 29 in. rear |
Trunk Space | 13.8 ft³ | 5.2+9.7 ft³ | 13.5 ft³ |
Materials and Colors
The cabin of the M2 is available in two main interior colors - black/black with or without M Color highlights, and Cognac/black with dark contrast stitching. Regardless of your choice, you get door-panel inserts with flecked M colors and M-color-accented seatbelts. The steering wheel and shifter knob are trimmed in leather, and you get Vernasca leather on the seats. Cabin trim is in high-gloss black by default, but you can select Aluminum Rhombicle Anthracite ($150) or carbon fiber ($800). Besides adding a carbon-fiber roof, the $9,900 Carbon package also adds carbon-fiber interior trim and M Carbon front bucket seats trimmed in black Merino leather with BMW M tri-coloring around the headrests.
Features and Infotainment
The M2 is fairly well-equipped right from the start, with keyless entry, push-button start, heated power front seats, Vernasca leather upholstery, a sunroof, ambient interior lighting, and dual-zone climate control. In typical BMW fashion, you don't get everything included in the price, though, and will have to pay extra for features such as remote start (only with the automatic transmission) and a heated steering wheel.
The infotainment system is BMW's impressive cloud-connected iDrive 8 Curved Display with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 14.9-inch touchscreen side by side under one longer curved pane of glass. The system can be updated over the air, and standard features include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, the BMW app with which you can monitor your M2, connected navigation, and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. iDrive 8 can be controlled via voice commands, a touchpad controller, and the touchscreen. You pay extra for a wireless charging pad ($200) and a personal 5G eSIM ($300).
Coupe | |
---|---|
Heated power front seats | S |
Vernasca leather upholstery | S |
14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system | S |
BMW Curved Display with navigation | S |
Wireless charging pad | O |
Performance
The more powerful M-fettled engine doesn’t make the car quicker due to the extra weight, and the auto is now a traditional ZF eight-speed, so the M2 seems to be maturing like its buyers.
The engine in the BMW M2 is the same S58 twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder that the M4 has, but with 453 hp - 20 hp less - and the same 406 lb-ft of torque. Despite the car's 3,800-lbs weight, this makes for autobahn levels of performance and gives the BMW M2 a 0-60 sprint of 4.2 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox. This is all down to driver skill, of course, and the grip the tires can find at launch, this exclusively being a RWD car. With the optional eight-speed automatic transmission, the sprint time is cut down to an even quicker 3.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155 mph but can be increased to 177 mph with the optional M Driver's package fitted.
With its superbly balanced chassis, the M2 drives mid-corner bumps with minimal deflection, telegraphing what going on at wheel level to the driver and squirming playfully in reaction to driving forces. With the same engine and track width as the M4, it feels remarkably like one, and not everybody will be enamored with the heavier, more grown-up feel. The steering feel is a bit muted and cannot match that of a Cayman, but the M2 is a lot quicker than the four-pot Porker, and the drift analyzer and M traction control with no fewer than ten settings mean glorious burnouts and tail-out track-day shenanigans are still on the menu, even if everything is a bit less unhinged than before. Some will love it for the improved accessibility of its performance, and others will decry the loss of rawness. Ride quality is just about bearable for everyday use in the adaptive M suspension's Comfort setting, but harsh in the sporty modes, which are meant for the track. The ZF eight-speed auto isn't as brutal and quick as the old dual-clutch in the previous M2, but it's a wonderfully smooth and well-behaved transmission for everyday use.
Fuel Efficiency
Due to its high weight and powerful engine, gas mileage isn't a strong point, and it's just as well that a performance-focused machine such as the BMW M2's mpg figures are generally not seen as an important purchasing consideration. The EPA estimates the same city and overall figures of 16 and 19 mpg, respectively, for both the manual and automatic, with the auto managing one mpg worse on the highway at 23 mpg. That overall figure splits the difference between the thirstier (17 mpg) Dark Horse and the thriftier (22 mpg) Cayman.
With a small 13.7-gallon fuel capacity, expect a range of just 260 miles on a tank.
3.0L Twin-Turbo Inline-6 Gas 6-Speed Manual RWD | 3.0L Twin-Turbo Inline-6 Gas 8-Speed Automatic RWD | |
---|---|---|
Power | 453 hp | 453 hp |
Top speed | 155 mph (177 mph with M Driver's package) | 155 mph (177 mph with M Driver's package) |
MPG | 16/24/19 mpg | 16/23/19 mpg |
0-60 | 4.2 sec. | 3.9 sec. |
Safety
Crash safety should be top-notch like it is with other contemporary BMW, but you might be disappointed that some driver assists, such as adaptive cruise control, cost extra.
There's no safety review of the BMW M2 or the 2 Series coupe from either the NHTSA or IIHS. However, using the same CLAR architecture as the 3 Series, and essentially just being a truncated version of that car, we expect that the 2 Series should be just as safe as the 3 Series sedan, which received a five-star NHTSA rating and all-round Good scores at the IIHS.
Most of the important driver assists are fitted, and these include forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot and lane-departure alert, parking sensors front and rear, automatic LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and an auto-dimming feature for the interior and driver's rearview mirrors. Adaptive cruise control and a head-up display cost extra, as does semi-autonomous parking and adaptive LED headlights with automatic high beams.
Coupe | |
---|---|
Front-collision alert with auto braking | S |
Blind-spot & lane-departure alert | S |
Front & rear parking sensors | S |
Adaptive cruise control | O |
Head-up display | O |
US NHTSA Crash Test Result
Reliability
There's insufficient JD Power data to assess the reliability of the BMW M2, but the 2 Series lineup as a whole receives a good score of 81 out of 100 for Quality & Reliability. Recalls have also been pleasingly few, with none for the 2022 launch year or, so far, for the current 2024 model year. The 2023 M2 was recalled for windows that may unintentionally close without the key present.
You also get a decent warranty with your 2024 BMW M2. Not only do both limited and powertrain warranties run for four years or 50,000 miles, but BMW throws in complimentary maintenance for a full three years/36,000 miles.
Warranty
Basic | Drivetrain | Corrosion | Roadside Assistance | Maintenance |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 Years / 50,000 Miles | 4 Years / 50,000 Miles | 12 Years / Unlimited Miles | 4 Years / Unlimited Miles | 3 Years / 36,000 Miles |
Design
Just like its cabin and performance character, the exterior styling of the new M2 has not received universal praise. The heavy-handed bumper treatment, big squared-off air intakes, and exterior lights that bear little resemblance to those of any other BMW have drawn criticism, as has the integration of the box-flared rear wheel arches and body kit. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and at least the enormous bucktooth grille is not present here. Automatic LED headlights are fitted, and the car runs on staggered 19-/20-inch alloy wheels. A power sunroof is standard, but the optional carbon-fiber roof that comes with the $9,900 Carbon package deletes it. In the rear, aggressive quad exhaust outlets and a decklid spoiler round off the package. Blacked-out Shadowline exterior trim treatment can be added, and the Lighting package fits adaptive full-LED headlights with auto high beams.
Verdict: Is The 2024 BMW M2 A Good Car?
With so much in common with the latest M4, the new M2 has been accused of just being an M4 in a different wrapper, and those detractors have a point. Let us hasten to say that the numbers it puts up are superb, and on paper, it's an improvement in every area. It's nearly 200 pounds heavier than the old car, but it hides the extra weight fairly well. But the big screens that feel like they belong in a sedan are more distracting than helpful at speed and detract from the driver-focused and minimalist approach a proper sports car should have. Worse, the subjective feel of the M2 is very similar to that of the M4, and it seems to have lost some of the previous car's fizz-pop character in translation, as the loss of the dual-clutch auto confirms. It's a bit more mature, heavier around the midriff, and a bit tamer than before, and with it has gone a little of the magic that made the previous M2 such a landmark car. It's still a glorious, visceral RWD coupe, and we applaud the survival of the stick shift, but we miss the old one's delicate touch and sense of fun.