I’ve had a real hot-rod for review this past week, the 2023 BMW M2, a 2-door rear-wheel drive coupe that was extremely fast with insane acceleration.
I love the looks of this vehicle-it has beautiful 19” wheels and large brake calipers, a heavily vented front end, bulbous rear quarter panels, and a smaller version of the signature BMW kidney grill. From the rear, you get black quad exhausts that sounds terrific.
The highlight of this car sits under the hood where you’ll find a heavily-braced 3.0-liter inline six cylinder with twin turbos. The end result is 453-horses and 406-pound feet of torque. Top speed is 177-miles per hour and it will carry you from 0-to-60 in a mere 3.5 seconds. My tester is a 6-speed manual transmission, but you can also get it with an 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
Interior
As you open the door, you see the M2 performance seats in front. They are very heavily bolstered, heated, and on the front edge, is a built-in carbon fiber piece that sits between your legs. What is this for? Honestly, I have no idea. For many people, these seats will seem very tight, but they do hold you in place well.
The M steering wheel has active buttons and carbon fiber inlays. There are two red buttons on the wheel that say M1 and M2. These allow you to set the car up in different ways depending on what you are doing. These serve as shortcuts of sorts and I found these to be very handy.
Once you are situated in the seats, you’ll see a 12.3” configurable gauge cluster that gives you a ton of information, and sports the BMW M color scheme. If you look up, you see a terrific head-up display that will give you speed, sign recognition, and a tachometer.
Center dash is a huge 14.9” screen to operate the climate control, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the Harmon Kardon sound system, SiriusXM, and HD radio. The system is quick to respond and very intuitive. As you scroll using the touchscreen or a round dial on the center console, you’ll see pages of apps. This is also where you choose your driving modes, which includes Road, Sport, and Track.
The center console is surrounded by carbon fiber and you have shortcuts to the big infotainment screen. The start button is there, exhaust settings, the My Mode button to change the cars settings however you like it, and there is a button to turn off the start/stop system.
Access to the back seat is difficult at best, but once you sit down, it’s not horrible, but best suited for children. Trunk space is very good actually, and there are handles to lower the back seat for even more room.
The M2 coupe comes extremely loaded with everything you can imagine. My review vehicle has the $9,900 carbon fiber package. This includes a full carbon fiber top, which means there is no sunroof of any kind.
I can’t say enough about the performance and handling of this car. I am not sure I’ve ever driven a car that was so balanced. It comes out of tight turns with no sway and no slippage. Acceleration is insane and the rear-wheel drive system feels fantastic.
Fuel Economy and MSRP
Fuel economy is rated at 16 in town and 24 on the highway. I didn’t come close to the city mileage, but it is impossible not to take off hard and fast in the M2, it’s just too much fun. MSRP as equipped is $75,695 but again, that includes the almost $10,000 carbon fiber package which I think would be a must-have for me.
Verdict
Whether in town or on a track, this car is a performer. All the BMW M-series vehicles are exceptional, but if you want the ultimate driving machine and don’t want to spend $100,000, the M2 should be on your shopping list.
2023 M2 in a few words: It’s a ton of fun to drive as a daily driver and would make a great track car as well, as long as you can get comfortable in it. It’s not for everyone.
Warranty: 4-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper, with roadside assistance, 3-year/36,000 miles of free maintenance.