I really need an excuse to stop driving the 720s every day.
EDIT – Article written Mar 2022
I have a BMW i3, our third actually, It is a fabulous car that personifies true function and utility in an unmatched package of usability and accessibility. As a city car it is unsurpassed in my opinion. However, it has the range of a 1 month old toddler and any long distance journeys are filled with a healthy dose of range anxiety.
Unfortunately, the UK simply doesn’t yet have the infrastructure for an electric only household. If you want to go away anywhere more than 50 miles away, you either need to properly plan it or find another car. Even when planned, it simply isn’t fun sitting at 56mph on a motorway as it is speed that saps the power from a battery, not distance.
Fact is, I’ve always wanted an M2 and thought they are one of the best looking cars BMW have ever made and I wanted to buy a car I could use instead of the 720 on my work commute into city everyday.
I’ve always thought they just look so damn cool and I don’t even think they are spec sensitive that much. To continue the theme of a black car household, I wanted a black car and I specifically wanted a car with the bronze wheels that were an option on the M2 Competition. Oh and rear seats that had never been used and oddly enough, despite since then never seeing another one like this, I found the exact car I wanted.
Marking a considerable change to BMWs marketing, this particular Competition moniker actually means something. It comes with the full on, unshackled twin turbo 6 cylinder M3 engine. 404 BHP from the 3.0-litre engine and there’s 550Nm of torque, too. It’s got plenty enough punch.
Also added as part of the 2018 Competition upgrade is a stiffer bodyshell, stronger strut braces for the suspension and improved rear suspension, although the Competition’s overall set-up and geometry remains the same as the original M2 Coupe. That means a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive transmission layout, plus bigger tyres wrapped around lightweight alloy wheels and multilink suspension designed to deliver perfect handling.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/2-series/m2-coupe
It genuinely is unlike me to allow the aesthetic of a car become the primary motivation but I can’t help but be utterly enamoured by this thing. It has the perfect little hot rod shape that does everything in its power to make me smile at thinking my dreams as a kid with Micro Machines toys have come true. Those thicc haunches that give the car the wedge shape, phat bronze wheels giving it purpose – honestly it’s just so cool.
It’s also a really nice cabin with a classic BMW set up that doesn’t deviate too much from a standard 2 series save for some very comfortable M seats, typical alcantara trim where it matters and a frequent reminder that you’re in an M2 Competition by way of the display reminders.
Apple car play cost me £200 to purchase as it didn’t come with the car. It was both impressive and a little concerning in equal measure as it was a very easy and quick download via the BMW app (which I’ve been using to manage my i3) but it does point to how easily manufacturers hide costs of purchase.
Gripes are very few and far between. The steering wheel is typically BMW which means it’s way too thick and I would have loved it to be alcantara also or suede, but I suspect that’s reserved for the CS only.
What’s it drive like? Everyone raves about it – so should I? Well, it’s mostly positive. Starting the car delivers a throaty burble from the exhausts that spits and rasps. Put it into drive and, frustratingly, it always takes a few seconds for it to engage into 1st gear with a resounding clunk. You can’t jump in and instantly go unfortunately and this delay is even further exacerbated with the fitment of the Ghost immobiliser – an insurance demand.
The engine is wonderful though. It’s so buttery smooth when cruising that it seemingly fits perfectly into your current mood – this is very helpful to me as I can often drive aggressively and if a car doesn’t permit me the grace of some driving serenity I can often become a hamster in a wheel.
However, play with a few switches, adjust steering, suspension and engine management and we now have the real M2. It is quite the transformation and with the correct set up on M Drive you can switch between both modes easy enough to do it frequently on a single drive. Steering weight changed, dampers firmed and engine map sharpened, the car is obviously immediately more responsive to throttle input – don’t forget this is a turbocharged car so in comfort mode that lag is very much present. However this disappears very quickly with sports modes enabled.
It’s not a screamer – you don’t need to rev this one out to the redline and if anything it doesn’t like it. Power runs out way before the limiter hits but the paradox here is that you are at the mercy of the automatic gear box to make those decisions for you and as smooth and efficient as it is in full auto mode, it becomes slow and laggy when you take control of the paddle shifts. This is clearly a limitation of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
There is one really annoying frustration though and that’s low speed throttle adjustment when in sport mode. I don’t know why but it has a tendency to kangaroo like a manual car when you try to gently modulate your throttle at low speeds. It jumps and skips as it bounces to and fro until you give up, completely lift off and then try again. It’s not a one off and it doesn’t happen on rare occasions – it’s simply a characteristic of the car confirmed and experienced by other owners to my understanding. I have heard a remap can fix this, but it’s an odd trait.
It’s not the most fun gear box I’ve ever used and is at odds with the quality switchgear which gives the impression of immediacy, but it isn’t. Gear changes are slow and although you can work around it, it does take away a lot of this ‘zing’ I’m going to talk about. For those who’ve driven a car with Porsche Tiptronic, it’s not unlike that.
Speaking of ‘zing’, I’ll add more to the mix. Because it’s an amazing car no doubt and let me be clear, I love it. So much. But it feels hampered. It feels as though something is throttling power and delivery and many people point to the installation of the particulate filter, something that didn’t plague the previous generation M2s (non competition spec) but I feel it’s more than that.
Handling is another issue on the car. I say issue and again, perhaps my benchmarks are super high BUT my god this car doesn’t want to drive in a straight line. EVER. With traction control off, you can be sure to use all 400BHP at any time but also be sure that you’re never gonna be in a straight line. Which can be fun at times but most of the time you actually don’t want to be signing your name on tarmac and I would prefer to be the judge of when I want to slip and slide.
But I don’t want any of this to detract from what is a very special car. The character, as a package, is suited in every aspect. I think there’s actually a lot of room for improvement and I’ve already been speaking to Iain at Litchfield who has quoted me for some choice upgrades that I honestly believe will transform a car that has been shackled with legislation forced down through European law.
Aside from being sideways in every endeavour, I’m actually truly enamoured by this car. I absolutely love the looks, think it sounds great and as a daily appears faultless as a value for money option. I just wish Litchfield didn’t tell me about the Akrapovic exhaust, stage 1 ecu and Ohlins suspension upgrade.
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