It was the Wild And Untamed Thing song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show that got stuck in my head when driving the new BMW M2.
And not because the car’s styling may be as jarring to some as Dr Frankenfurter’s transvestite outfits — a subject we will get to in a moment.
It is this BMW’s raw and semi-filtered nature that spawned the musical memory. The M2 reminds me of old-school M-cars before BMW begun dallying with bloated and heavy high-performance SUVs. Even with its power reined in by electronics, the muscular rear-wheel-drive M2 feels like it wants to go a few rounds in the boxing ring. Maybe even make you shiver with anticipation.
It does not pretend to be a sanitised, every person’s sports car and, with a hefty dose of turbo six-cylinder power thrust solely to the rear wheels, the M2 has an edgy and playful nature that calls for a driver with the same mindset.
The larger new M2 is 150kg heavier than its predecessor, but this doesn’t seem to blunt its performance either in a straight line or through the corners.
With its extra mass and the limitations of rear-wheel drive traction, I didn’t expect the car to race off the line as quickly as it did when we took it to the Gerotek circuit for high-performance testing, but raw power won the day. The new M2 in standard guise is more powerful than the high-performance competition version of the previous-generation car, with an increase from 302kW to 338kW. Torque stays the same at 550Nm in the 3.0l twin-turbocharged straight-six petrol engine.
Using launch control, the M2 swept the 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.97 seconds — an impressive feat at Gauteng altitude and bettering the 4.1 second factory claim.
Even without launch control, the M2 bounds forward like a racehorse and makes a satisfying bellow with the sports exhaust setting selected — as if any other setting were needed. It gallops to its limited 250km/h top speed, which can be raised to 285km/h with the optional M Driver’s Package.
Next, we tackled Gerotek’s handling track. If you want to be picky, you’ll say the car feels a tad portly at 1,725kg — just 50kg shy of the larger M4 — but it’s a flyweight compared with the swollen SUVs the M division has been churning out lately, including the 2.7 tonne XM.
The M2 whisks through curves with a fleet-footedness that never feels ponderous, with well-weighted variable-ratio M Servotronic steering and powerful M Compound brakes and two pedal feel settings. It’s a joy to drive and calls for a racetrack to experience it to its fullest.
The handling skills are assisted by an M Traction Control function, with a choice of 10 driver-selectable stages, and an Active M rear differential that can send up to 100% of drive to either rear wheels, optimising power transfer when accelerating hard out of corners.
Despite the electronic safety nets, it isn’t a car that can be driven with wild abandon and it demands respect. Hit the accelerator too early out of a corner and it gets playful with a twitchy tail before the stability control cuts in. There’s an intermediate M Dynamic Mode allowing some drifting before saving your hide, while it’s possible to disable the electronic nannies altogether, it requires acquaintance with the countersteering technique to keep the edgy creature on a leash.
A firm ride quality is part of the M2’s highly strung nature, though it’s a little more yielding with the adaptive suspension set to comfort mode. It isn’t what you’d call a friendly commuter but in sedate driving the car averaged a respectably economical 11.7l/100km.
To the contentious styling then, and like most modern BMWs the M2 isn’t eveyone’s cup of Kopi Luwak. The coupé detours from BMW’s recent fascination with oversized kidney grilles, instead presenting a brutalist design with squared-off air intakes and an unusual frameless grille. It’s grown on me.
Whatever your view of the brand’s styling experiments, credit to BMW for not making cookie-cutter car ranges that look the same just sliced into different lengths — like some rivals. Sometimes you have to put Dr Frankenfurter in women’s underwear to shock the system and start a trend.
The M2 certainly doesn’t get lost in a crowd, especially not with the test car’s striking M Zandvoort Blue.
Inside, the M2 presents the usual business-class sporting charm of M-cars, with carbonfibre flourishes throughout the cabin and luxurious leather seats with prominent side bolsters. The quintessential thick-rimmed steering wheel has programmable M1 and M2 drive mode buttons, and a twin-screen curved display comprises the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment. The traditional iDrive knob remains as an analogue interface.
The four-seater car accommodates a pair of adults in the back seat with limited rear headroom, but practicality isn’t the main rationale of this car.
The M2 time warps back to the original ethos of the M marque. It may be a junior M-car in size, but it is the brand’s most engaging driver’s machine, delivering the raw thrills of BMW’s earlier sports models.
It makes a refreshing change.
Tech specs
Engine
Type: Six-cylinder petrol turbo
Capacity: 3.0l
Power: 338kW
Torque: 550Nm
Transmission
Type: Eight-speed M Steptronic auto
Drivetrain
Type: Rear-wheel drive
Performance
Top speed: 250km/h
0-100km/h: 3.97 seconds (as tested)
Fuel consumption: 9.8l/100km (claimed); 11.7l/100km (as tested)
Emissions: 220g/km
Standard features
Six airbags, ABS brakes, stability control, tyre pressure monitor, head-up display, high-beam assist, parking camera, touchscreen infotainment system, navigation, cruise control, driving modes, rain sensor wipers, automatic headlamps, voice control, leather upholstery, sunroof, keyless central locking and start, adaptive suspension and electric front seats.
Cost of ownership
Warranty: Two years/unlimited km
Maintenance plan: Five years/100,000km
Price: R1,503,975
Lease: R33,361 a month
*at 11.75% interest over 60 months, no deposit
BMW M2 Coupe auto
We like: Performance, sound, edgy driving nature
We dislike: Limited rear head room
Verdict: Raw and racy, like an M-car should be
Motor News star rating
Design ****
Performance *****
Economy ***
Ride ***
Handling *****
Safety *****
Value For money ****
Overall ****
The competition
Audi RS3 quattro sedan, 294kW/500Nm — R1,326,500
Audi RS5 quattro coupe, 331kW/600Nm — R1,614,900
Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S 4Matic+, 310kW/500Nm — R1,552,741
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