BMW M2 2024 review – an M4 with attitude

Amongst the noise around the new plug-in hybrid M5 and high-riding behemoths like the XM, the G87-generation M2 is a reminder that BMW M is still more than capable of delivering on the classic sports coupe recipe it created with the E30 M3. 

Based on a shortened M4 platform means it might have grown, but it still maintains a relatively compact body, a gutsy six-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive with the option of a manual gearbox, the latest M2 is about as traditional as modern M cars get. Based on the brilliant M4 but with 110mm chopped out of the wheelbase, less weight and bespoke chassis tuning the M2 recipe is a tantalising one, promising ‘big engine, small car’ character that made its ancestor, the charismatic 1M, so irresistible. 

We’ve tested the M2 extensively on road and track to discover whether it lives up to its brilliant predecessors – as well as rivals from Porsche, Alpine and Mercedes-AMG. 

BMW M2 in detail:

• Engine, gearbox and technical highlights > BMW’s S58 straight-six provides the grunt, harnessed by a shorter M4 chassis with a choice of manual of automatic.
• Performance and 0-62mph time > If you can shift quickly enough, the manual M2 reaches 62mph in 4.3sec. The automatic M2 is quicker still at 4.1
• Ride and handling > The M2’s boisterous character is familiar from its predecessors, but its weight does bring some limitations
• Interior and tech > Beautifully built and with tech you’d normally find in the class above
• Mpg and running costs > Expect mpg in the mid-teens in mixed use, and set aside budget for those M4-sized front and rear tyres
• Design > Short, tough and bursting with muscle, the M2 has all the presence a baby M car should

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Price and rivals

When the original M2 launched in 2016, it had plenty of playmates from other manufacturers to spar with; now it’s a different world, and there are fewer worthy foes. 

For the £66,510 it costs to buy an M2, you can choose from a pair of purpose-built two seaters: Porsche’s 718 Cayman S and the Alpine A110 GT. The Porsche delivers a sweetly-tuned driving experience but its grumbly turbocharged flat-four engine lets it down, despite offering similar performance to the M2. 

In GT form the A110 is in the same ballpark for raw speed, but weighing just 1119kg it feels very different to either the Porsche or BMW. It treads lightly across the ground and soaks up the road in a way that Lotus owners will recognise, albeit while sacrificing the M2’s extra space, tech and rear seats. The Lotus Emira is another bespoke sports car you might consider, until you realise it costs £81,495 in four-cylinder form…

The Mercedes-AMG A45S packs the Emira’s engine into a practical hatchback body, and it rewards to a much higher level than its mechanical specification would suggest. In some ways it's actually a more exciting car than the M2, feeling more alive and cohesive when stretching the limits of its chassis. It may seem nonsensical to spend c£65k on a hatchback instead of a straight-six coupe, but the AMG just about has the measure of the M2.

Ford’s latest Mustang is a left-field choice but one with bags of charisma and enough dynamic ability to go with it, all for around £10k less than the BMW (the Dark Horse pretty much matches the M2 on price, however). Venturing into the classifieds opens up more options, including 991-generation 911 Carrera Ts and nearly-new BMW M4s.

BMW M2 specs (G87)