2019 BMW M2 Competition: Even more performance and driving pleasure
2019 BMW M2 Competition: Even more performance and driving pleasure
5:35

2019 BMW M2 Competition: Even more performance and driving pleasure

Cars
[MUSIC] [MUSIC] You might have heard that we at Road Show quite like the BMW M2. We think it's the best driving M car in quite some time. In fact our place is been so effusive, would be forgiven for wandering. If there is anywhere at all, the BMW could improve on the M2. Fortunately the BMW's engineers could imagine a few ways to improve on it. Meet the M2 competition So, what's changed? The M2 Competition is more powerful, quicker, fast around the track, and critically even more fun to drive. Gone is the old Cars single turbo three liter inline six engine. It's been replaced with the twin turbo three liter engine from the M3 and M4. That means an extra 40 horsepower for a total of 405 and extra 63 pound feet of torque for a total of 406. Zero to 60 takes just four seconds flat. But what that number doesn't tell you is how effortlessly fast this car is at all times. The engine and the 7 speed dual clutch transmission are so instantly responsive that there's a huge wave of acceleration as soon as you put your foot down. It seems like there's no turbo Lag at all. And with so much torque readily available so quickly, this car feels even faster than the numbers suggest. [MUSIC] Going along with the extra power of the M2 competition gets upgraded suspension all around, a gorgeous carbon fiber strut brace, borrowed from the M3 and M4, and bigger brakes. With all those upgrades this thing hangs arounds bends even more tenaciously than ever before. Now one thing that you won't find on On the M2 competition is the dampers, which is a bit of a surprise because they've kind of become a staple on all modern performance cars. But on the other hand, I kind of appreciate the simplicity. Here's one suspension tune that works all the time, rather than two or three different ones that are slightly compromised that I have to pick between when I get onto a twisty road. Although it is a little bit disappointing that there is this empty switch button dow here where the [INAUDIBLE] Button would be on other two series models. Now if you want to metric how much faster this car is with all the extra power and the handling of breaking upgrades BMW says the M2 competition is about four seconds quicker per lap around the novo green than the old M2, which is a figure that will be Super relevant to most of its buyers and owners. What will be relevant to owners is that this car is just huge amount of fun to drive all the time. Unlike some track focused, high performance cars that are only exciting when you're really at maximum attack, the m2 competition oozes feeling and excitement all the time. You can actually enjoy driving this car at reasonable Speeds. You can actual use all the power on the road. And there's more steering feel and feedback than I remember from any BMW in quite some time. This is a car that's always amped up, and energized, and on. And that's what makes it so much fun. From every angle the M2 competition looks imposing and serious, what with its flat fenders, big air Let's those gorgeous 19 inch wheels and it's hunkered down right height. I also love how it looks inside from all the exposed matte finish carbon fiber. These snug, but not too snug bucket seats, and And this sports steering wheel that feels great in my hands. And BMW tops it off with a lot of lovely little details. Like the seatbelt has the stitching to look like the M brand's colors, that's cool. I know you're probably thinking Wow, is there anything you don't love about this M2 Competition? Well, yes. Like a lot of high strung performance cars it's kind of abrasive on the road when you're not driving it really, really hard. The engine drones a lot and there's tons of tire noise. The drive quality is very, very stiff. This car bounces and jiggles over every little imperfection in the road. You know, in hindsight maybe it would be nice to have adaptive dampers with that comfort setting. All that steering Feedback that so fun on a back road means this car trendlines and bump steers a little bit. It can require a lot of correction when you're driving on the highway. And fuel economy is a lot worse than the old m2. This one's rated at 17mpg in the city and 23 mpg highway compared 20 26 for last year's M2. But you know what? I don't really care about any of those things when I'm behind the wheel. This car is so good, and so involving Flinging so fast that I just want to drive it all day long. The BMW M2 Competition is fast, capable and hugely fun to drive. Now at $65,000 as tested, it's not exactly cheap. But that still is a little bit more affordable than the base prices of the M3 and M4. But above all what I like about this car is that I think it's the right size, the right amount of power and the right handling balance to be a riot on the road at all times. Somehow BMW's engineers took their best sports coupe and made it even better. [MUSIC]

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