Unsolicited public opinion about the 2025 BMW M2 was divided. Comments ranged from the complimentary: “Nice colour” and, “What a gorgeous car!”, to the blunt: “That’s an ugly car”, and, “Oof, so many sharp angles.”
But when you’re in the driver’s seat it really doesn’t make a lick of difference what anybody thinks. The M2 is all about the automotive alchemy that happens when power and handling come together with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. It’s far more than the sum of its parts.
The already slick M2 has been refreshed for 2025 with 20 more horsepower, BMW’s new curved display and latest iDrive 8.5 operating system, and a few design details. MSRP for the 2025 is $79,400. The cars are built in Mexico at BMW’s plant in San Luis Potosi.
Powertrain: The M2 gets its track-ready attributes from the same inline 6-cylinder, 3-litre twin turbo powerplant as before. For 2025 it has been boosted by 20 horsepower to top out at 473 horses. Peak torque remains the same at 406 pound-feet of torque.
New accelerator mapping provides power faster for both the manual and automatic versions of the M2. As well, the manufacturer says it “borrowed” details from its motorsports designs including a rigid crankcase, lightweight forged crankshaft, and a 3D printed core for the cylinder head.
The car also comes with a M-specific cooling system that keep the engine temperature under control when it is being driven hard. Likewise, the oil pump is designed to compensate for severe lateral and forward acceleration, so when you go drifting or lapping the engine won’t be oil starved.
Exterior: Here’s where the M2 eludes me. Its front and rear fascia look like they were designed on an etch-a-sketch. The lines are squared off, while protuberant bits and pieces resemble bolted-on afterthoughts. The taillights, for example, stick out like handholds at a climbing gym. The whole mess gives the impression of a car that’s trying too hard to be different and just ends up looking goofy.
The rest of the body that the car shares with other 2-series variants looks great. It’s got the prominent hips and long hood that signal a serious sportscar.
The newly available Twilight Purple Pearl Metallic paint is one of those deep easter-egg hues that is different in every light and always looks good. And it should as it is a $5,000 option. Our tester was also kitted out with a stunning carbon fibre roof that added $2,900 to the total.
Also new for 2025 are standard staggered 19- and 20-inch front and rear M alloy wheels in black. Our whip had the burnished finish for an extra $750.
As polarizing as the car looks, the animal kingdom seems to like it. The car had only been in the driveway for an hour when little birds came to investigate. They decided the huge front air intakes were a great place to build a nest and immediately started putting grass and stick inside. Meanwhile a rabbit spent at least an hour posing by one of the wheels like a bored Instagram star.
Interior: The M2’s cockpit is a comfortable and focusing workspace. The new flat-bottomed steering wheel is grippy and provides a convenient “this way up” red indicator that can be seen in your peripheral vision when you’re focused on the road or track. The gearshift is in just the right place, and the M Sport seats are comfortable and very adjustable.
For a dedicated track driver, the lightweight M Carbon seats ($6,500) might be a better option than the Vernasca leather of our tester. They can be fitted with a racing harness.
Infotainment: Along with BMW’s latest infotainment operating system and twin screen configuration, the M2 is also equipped with a little button on the entre console labelled “Setup”. Push that once and you open a treasure chest that allows complete customization of your M2’s driving behaviour.
Here you can individually assign options for the engine, the adaptive suspension, the steering, the integrated braking system, and the traction control function. The latter allows drivers to set individual intervention thresholds for wheel slip limitation using a slider. No pretend ‘on’ and ‘off’ buttons for traction control here. The manual transmission’s rev-matching assistant toggle is also found in this menu.
You can set up two presets using these customizations. Once programmed they are accessible via two bright red toggles on the steering wheel. This lets you flip between track settings that would favour dry over wet pavement, for example.
In another menu the car has lap timer and drift analyzer functions to give you feedback on your driving prowess.
Drive: The M2 is not raw, but with rear-wheel drive and manual it’s as close to old-school as you can get. BMW engineers have made sure it only gets edgy when you decide to turn off the traction control. Otherwise, the latest in transmission, suspension, and engine technology lend the M2 a uniquely spirited yet controlled driving personality.
On the road, the car is a load of fun if you enjoy rowing your own. It shifts like butter, and the downshift rev-matching is precise without being obtrusive. Because it’s a manual it’s harder to get into ticket territory without noticing, since you feel and hear the revs building as you accelerate.
But to really test its capabilities you need to take it to the track. The M2 wants to be unleashed in an environment where it can truly demonstrate its capabilities. BMW even says so itself, noting the M2’s “lightning-fast response, appetite for revs, and consistent capability in track use.”
BMW says the car will now do zero to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds with the manual transmission, and 4.0 with the automatic. I tried and couldn’t quite get there in 4.2 seconds, but I’m not a BMW test driver either. Speed is limited to 250 km/h, which is enough for most track driving. But with the M Driver’s package (which our tester did not have) that limit jumps to a wild 458 km/h, a number that is really only useful on the Autobahn. The package does come with the BMW Experience Driving Course, which is probably worth the $2,500 package price all by itself.
Conclusion: The M2 is truly a track-day car that’s comfortable enough to use daily. For the driving enthusiast, this baby will be a formidable and delightful partner at the temple of the sticky pavement, delivering enough raw oomph and zoom to unleash at the very least a giant smile, if not outright whoops of joy.
A final note on the manual transmission. BMW has phased it out for the M3 and will not confirm its plans for the M2. So, it is safe to say that there will not be many more chances to acquire a manual M2. If you want one, now might be the time.
2025 BMW M2
Price as tested: $92,850.00
Freight: per dealership
Configuration: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine/transmission: 3.0-liter, 6-cylinder turbo/6-speed manual
Power: 473 hp, torque of 443 lb-ft
Fuel capacity: Premium 52 litres
Fuel economy ratings (L/100 km): 14.7 city; 10.3 highway; 12.6 combined
Warranties: 4 years/80,000 km
Competitors: Mustang GT, Porsche Cayman S
Website: BMW Canada