[RAFiK - BMWClubUAE]

Original Article found on:
http://bmwclubuae.com/forum/showthread.php?9251

One of the most hyped BMWs has been at our disposal for a few days and we couldn’t help but do a write-up on what we thought about it as BMW enthusiasts and share it with our readers and members.



We’ve been privileged to drive various BMW models, Ms and non-Ms throughout the years as being part of the BMW Club UAE family as owners of BMWs or through BMW Training Experiences that we’ve done. Our aim from this review is to highlight how the car drives, go over the interesting bits of this machine, and finally share our thoughts on what we think could have been good to see in this car all from a BMW enthusiast stand point. If you want to know what the BMW passionate crowd thinks of this car then read on…

BMW has done a great job with the exterior design of the car, especially with the flow of lines, curves and sharp edges, giving the M2 an aggressive yet sleek look. The first thing that strikes you is those widened fenders, nothing new on the BMW scene, we’ve seen this since day one and we like it! The vertical slats on the front bumper look great and definitely add a nice touch to the entire front end. We do think an M dome on the hood could add something. The M2 kept the side mirror designs from the regular 2 series; sooner or later someone somewhere will attempt to retrofit an M mirror onto the M2 which could look good in our opinion so let’s wait and see.




Moving on to the rear-end of the car, the widened wheel arches on the back does trigger an aggressive look and feel to the car as a whole; as stated earlier it compliments the front of the car which lives up to the dynamic design that BMW is driving. On the topic of BMW’s dynamic design, they immediately released some ///M performance goodies right after the launch of the car, but we are sure those carbon fiber bits such as the rear diffuser and trunk lip will give owners some more cosmetic options to play around with. At the moment the M2 can only be ordered in 4 different colors, Alpine White, Long Beach Blue, Black Sapphire, and Mineral grey. That being said, pictures do not do justice to this car, its true aesthetic appeal has to be witnessed in person.






On the Interior subject, Dakota leather with blue stitching is the only interior choice. We felt that more interior color options would’ve been great. The interior looks good but not extraordinary, certain ///M traits are missing on this baby ///M like the standard amber ///M dial color and the recently launched M1/M2 sport setting buttons which you find on the M3/M4. The interior is similar to the M235i which may put of some buyers looking for that extra bang for the extra buck. The choice of material for the interior trim on the dashboard can also be improved as there is use of lightweight plastic in certain area. There is big leap in the interior quality on the M3/M4 when compared to the M2. Hence, the M2 loses points on this aspect.



Performance wise, probably the most debatable topic in our books. We all know that this M machine was made to be driver and performance oriented but to what extent?? Let’s find out by pointing you to some facts first. Just like the 1M, the M2 is meant to bring back the M vintage experience, and to that they followed the footsteps of the 1M by picking up parts from the current generation M-powered cars, M3/M4.. Having said that, the 1M was a brutal machine 5 years ago and still is, so to come up with a successor of some sort to match or better that legendary 1M performance would no doubt be a challenge for BMW. The M2 borrowed the non-ceramic brakes of the M3/M4 along with suspension, the N55 engine also borrows parts from the M3/M4 powering N55, the electronic steering rack and pinion, and finally the differential. The outcome is an absolute cocktail of adrenaline pumping performance; the car is nibble and sharp around the corners and very quick overall. The car comes packed with a turbo charged inline-6 motor pumping 360BHP and 343 ft-lbs with overboost capability that sees the torque rise to 369 ft-lbs. the car is capable of sprinting to 100 km/hr in slightly over 4.2 seconds. We liked that BMW has brought back a lighter version of the M cars out to the market. We are not sure that the DCT would be right for the M2, if you are buying an M2 to be engaged with the car and to appreciate how a true M should drive on the road then look no further than spec-ing your car with a Manual transmission. Brakes felt well on street driving, we would love to push an example on the track to see how the brakes hold up in our heat. But for road usage the brakes, suspension, and DCT are just perfect. We have noticed that the M2 has acquired the electric steering from the new M3/ M4 platform as opposed to the hydraulic systems available on the 1M and older E92 M3, the car drives very similar to the predecessor and BMW has done a good job in the transition, however we didn’t really like the electronic differential feel, it was too interruptive and all sorts of settings selected The icing on the cake has to be the thunderous exhaust note! Somehow, we feel it is even more appealing than the M3/M4! Set the driving dynamic control to SPORT or SPORT + and you are greeted with titillating burbles every time you step off the gas and/or downshift, trust us, it is addictive! The auto rev match feature on the manual version makes it even more exciting (unless you fancy the traditional heel-toe method).




All-in-all we like this car and we appreciate what BMW has done for us the enthusiasts for the simplest of all reasons, it is the closest example to the light M cars that BMW used to produce although not as light. BMW has brought back the raw sporty feel that was present in the previous generation M3’s from the e30 to the e46 and then to the 1M. The M2 is raw, tail happy and demands attention from the driver. If you like to get from point A to point B with a mile wide grin, then the M2 is for you. If you are after more luxury, refinement, bigger sized models or more power cars then the M3/M4 and M5s are wonderful choices that pack that extra space, power output and lots of smiles. You can always throw in a tune or a few performance mods to enhance the power output. But straight out of the factory will also do.

We give this baby ///M 4 out 5 stars for its thrilling performance!

Checkout our M2 video here.

[Benzima]

Nice review!

[Makman]

I wish the roads were that good and clean here in sweden....

[ace_maverick]

Originally Posted by Makman

I wish the roads were that good and clean here in sweden....

You should be thankful that you dont have the sand and blowing dust to worry about

[Glounk]

Nice review, any idea about The price ? Could not get a number over here !!! Thanks

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by ace_maverick

You should be thankful that you dont have the sand and blowing dust to worry about

Sand and dust is preferable to the treatment UAE folks get here. You see that article about the poor bastard who got arrested at gunpoint in Cleveland and had a stroke while in police custody?

[RAFiK - BMWClubUAE]

Originally Posted by Glounk

Nice review, any idea about The price ? Could not get a number over here !!! Thanks

Thanks!

The price here varies from 265,000 AED to 295,000 AED (72,000 USD to 80,000 USD)

[Glounk]

Thank you Rafik :-)

[RAFiK - BMWClubUAE]

Originally Posted by Glounk

Thank you Rafik :-)

Sure anytime!