By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(October 26, 2015) Whoever would have thought there would come a day when a lowly BMW 2 Series would be able to outrun relatively recent vintage supercars. Yet, that day has arrived with the introduction of the BMW M2.

More powerful than its 1M Coupe predecessor (the hot 1 Series was called the 1 M in deference to the legendary mid-engined BMW M1), the M2 will go on sale next spring powered by a twin-scroll turbocharged inline six.

That engine produces 365 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, and a maximum of 369 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,450 and 4,750 rpm. When the overboots function is not engaged, this drops to 343 lb.-ft. between 1,400 and 5,560 rpm. The closed deck block (that is, the water passages are closed at the top) can endure the higher boost pressures produced by the twin-scroll turbocharger. When mated to the optional double clutch transmission, a Launch Control start will propel the M2 from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds. (It takes 4.4 seconds with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, and that transmission features automatic rev matching like the M3 and M4.)

That’s faster than the flat-12-powered Ferrari F512M supercar of 1994 by a healthy margin, though — unlike that car, which was good for 200 mph — the M2 is limited to 155 mph.

An additional oil sump cover helps limit oil movement under extreme acceleration, while an extra oil suction pump transfers oil to the back of the sump under hard braking. Cooling demands are met by the addition of a extra radiator, while DCT-equipped cars get a transmission oil cooler. And every M2 is fitted with Auto Stop Start and Brake Energy Regeneration in order to help fuel economy.

To cut weight, the control arms, wheel carriers, axle subframes and stiffening plate of the double-joint spring-strut front axle are 11 lb. lighter, and the suspension struts and tubular anti-roll bars are aluminum. Front end stiffness is enhanced via a stiffening plate between the front subframe and sills, and ball joints with zero play combine with elastomer bearings to provide precise steering feedback.



The five-link rear suspension’s control arms and wheel carriers are made from forged aluminum, which reduces weight by more than six pounds. Typical of recent M cars, there are no rubber bushings between the rear subframe and body. Tires are Michelin Pilot Super Sports measuring 235/35ZR-19 in front and 265/35ZR-19 in back. Blue metallic calipers — four-piston fixed up front and two-piston fixed in the rear — with the M logo are nearly the same size — 15 inches front and 14.5 inches in the rear.

As with the larger M cars, the M2 is fitted with the Active M Differential. It is an electronically controlled multi-plate design whose locking effect can be varied between 0% and 100%. It looks at the car’s steering angle, accelerator position, brake pressure, engine torque, wheel speed and yaw rate to detect traction loss on one side of the car.

The full 1,843 lb.-ft. of locking power is available in 150 ms. It also ensure that both rear wheels develop equal slip at the same time under acceleration on slippery surfaces. Punching up the M Dynamic Mode counteracts oversteer or understeer by reducing engine power or braking individual wheels in order to stabilize the car. Doing this in track mode (Sport +) engages the stability control at a later point to allow greater amounts of oversteer or understeer as well as controlled drifts.

The front fascia features trapezoidal blades and air curtains in the outer air intakes. They divert some of the air through the wheel arches, while the air curtains guide the rest past the wheels to reduce turbulence. Drag has been reduced 5% despite the greater cooling requirements, and lift has been reduced by 35%.

There are a number of optional safety systems available on the M2 including, Collision Warning and Pedestrian Warning with City Braking function, and Lane Departure Warning. The optional ConnectedDrive Services has an extensive range of apps, including a GoPro and M Laptimer app. You can guess what the first one does, it allows you to film you laps with a GoPro camera, operate the camera using the iDrive system and view the results on the touch screen display.

The second app records the car’s speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, engine speed, gear, steering angle, accelerator position and fuel consumption. This lets drivers analyze their laps, and gives them the option of either comparing their laps with those of other drivers or sharing the data via e-mail or Facebook.

The Virtual Driver