BMW M2 2016 review

In Australia, drifting is bad. In the USA, inside the safety net of the Laguna Seca racing circuit with the BMW M2, drifting is mandatory. And laugh-out-loud fun.

It’s easy to crank the car sideways with its short wheelbase, grippy front end and a huge shot of turbocharged six-cylinder power.

Hot laps? Easy.

But it’s just as easy to drive the M2 into the California countryside and relax, knowing it’s not going to demand anything special or turn around and bite if the going gets a bit tough. It’s a bit noisy, with far too much grumble from the Michelin tyres, and the fuel tank needs to be bigger than 51 litres. But, as complaints go, those are minor.

For me, it’s also vital to spend $98,900 for the fully-loaded M2 in Australia, because that’s the one with the M-DCT double-clutch gearbox that’s brilliant on the track and will make life so much easier in stop-start traffic.

BMW Australia says the M2 will land in April, at the same time as the all-new Mini Convertible, with pricing from $89,900 for the Pure model with six-speed manual gearbox and a little less luxury.

But it’s still a car that trumps the Mercedes A45 AMG and Audi RS3 for pure, old-fashioned, rear-wheel drive enjoyment.

It might not be truly affordable in Australia, but it’s a long way cheaper than an M3 or M4.

“This car belongs on the racetrack,” says Carsten Pries, head of product development at the M Division.

But it’s the father of the M2, project leader Frank Isenberg, who has the inside story on his car.

“The idea was to open the M brand for younger people. it should be a nice package which really is affordable,” says Isenberg.

It might not be truly affordable in Australia, but it’s a long way cheaper than an M3 or M4 and more like the early versions of the M3 from the 1990s.

Isenberg had a head start on the M2 because he could snitch so much of the essential stuff – from the basic chassis and active M differential to the double-clutch gearbox – from the M4.

“They are developed for a higher weight and a stronger engine, so they are ideal for our car,” he says.

But the M2 still has a turbocharged inline six that makes 272 kiloWatts and 465 Newton-metres of torque – or 500 on overboost – to give the car a 4.3-second sprint to 100km/h and a limited 250km/h to speed.

Other tasty stuff runs from aluminium suspension and 19-inch alloy wheels – wider on the back than the front – to carbon fibre in the cockpit in which the weave is exposed. The M2 also gets a better Harmon Kardon sound system and better satnav.

I can really feel the punch from the turbo, and up close to the redline it has a sweet six-cylinder scream.

The M2 is the new baby of the high-performance M Division and, like every newborn, it has proud parents and lots of smiling friends.

The success of the M2 project is a sharp contrast to the under-done M235i and the nasty 1M, which was happy to bite any driver and flawed on anything but a perfect surface.

It’s no surprise when Isenberg says 35 per cent of the M2 can be tracked back to the M4, or that he looked closely at the 235i to see what needed to be improved.

The improvements are massive, as I discover quickly in California.

The M2 is a taut little beastie with a real turn of pace. It honks with from just 2000 revs, when I can really feel the punch from the turbo, and up close to the redline it has a sweet six-cylinder scream.

Modern electronics, include the Sport+ setting in the management system, tame the car but also allow the driver plenty of fun. It runs hard to the redline before upshifting in the double-clutch gearbox, allows just a little side slip in corners, and has brilliant brakes.

In fact, the stoppers in the test car have already done two full days at Laguna Seca without a change of discs or pads.

The handling is crisp and direct, with none of the front-end push of a front or all-wheel drive car. Same for the steering.

There is no sign of battle fatigue from the brilliant little BMW.

“Precision and confidence were right at the top of our list. Even if you’re just doing a lane change you can get better feedback through the car,” Isenberg tells me later.

Out on the road, using the six-speed manual gearbox, the M2 is as nice as any M-car I have driven in 10 years. It’s not bulky or over-done, and it doesn’t feel as if it’s aimed at 50-something blokes with over-stuffed wallets.

Compared with an M4, there is better traction, more usable power, and a cabin that hugs in around you.

As I’m driving, I’m wondering if the M2 makes more sense than a Porsche Cayman for the real world. I know it will crack at the track and it has a back seat and a real boot, as well as a considerable price advantage.

Back at the track, with the hard work done, it’s drift time.

I’m not Ken Block but the M2 is huge fun. It’s sideways and smoking, everyone is laughing as we each have a crack, and the there is no sign of battle fatigue from the brilliant little BMW.