The 2016 BMW M2 will get its global debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January, after which it will hit the street in search of Audi RS3s to fight.
THE 2016 BMW M2 is the direct successor to the absolutely awesome, but short-lived BMW 1 Series M Coupe. Set to be revealed in full at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2016, there’s still no official word from BMW Australia as to local pricing. But, given that this car is a direct competitor to the Audi RS3 then pricing is expected to be within cooee of that car. It’ll also look to take on the Porsche Cayman and the refreshed Mercedes-Benz A45. And according to BMW it runs the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7min 58secs.
Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre six-cylinder that punches out 272kW at 6500rpm and 465Nm of torque, although an overboost function sees that rise to 500Nm – fuel consumption is a claimed 8.5L/100km. At its heart this engine saw service in the original BMW 1-Series M Sport but has been poked, prodded and pulled to be almost unrecognisable from that engine. The M2 weight 1495kg or 40kg more than the M235i on which it’s heavily based.
Mated to the engine is a six-speed manual as standard, which offers automatic throttle blipping between up shifts and lowers the revs on downshifts. The M2 will hit 100km/h in 4.5 seconds with the manual box. This drops to 4.3 seconds with the cost optional seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic. This transmission offers six different driving programs: Comfort; Sport; and Sport+ (three when in automatic mode and three when in ‘manual’ mode).
The M-DCT with Drivelogic offers M specific functions like Stability Clutch Control which disengage the clutch “when necessary” to prevent oversteer, there’s also an, ahem, ‘creep on demand’ function which allows the driver to inch their way out of tight parking sports and prevent that nothing-nothing-nothing-everything sensation you get when trying to press the throttle carefully. It also offers a Smokey Burnout function for, well, exactly what it says on the box.
With M-DCT cars an electronic limited-slip M differential with fully variable locking effect, is standard.
The suspension is a McPherson front end with five-link set-up at the rear which is made from forged aluminium, which reduces the weight by around 3kg compared with steel construction. In addition, a racing-derived rigid connection, dispensing with rubber bushings, is used to fix the lightweight steel grid-type rear axle subframe to the body.
The M2 is clearly a member of the M family of cars. There’s the typical low front apron with large air intakes, muscular flanks with characteristic M gills, 19-inch aluminium wheels in familiar M double-spoke design and low, wide rear with M-specific twin-tailpipe exhaust system. The M2 will be coupe only.
BMW Australia will reveal local pricing closer to the launch next year.
