Compact, blisteringly fast and usable everyday!

There are very few small cars that have really blown me away with their disproportionately high performance. They have more often been hot hatches like the Golf GTI, and rarely from some other body type like the Range Rover SVR. The BMW M2 Competition that I test drove a couple of weeks ago was one of those rare compact coupes that left me stunned. I’d choose it over many other cars whether I was heading out of the pit lane or starting a hill climb.

That’s heartening because over the last few years, while Mercedes-AMG has gone about conquering new territory, BMW’s M cars seemed like they weren’t trying hard enough to take on the fight. The new M5, and the M3/M4 before that have brought the brand back on with a serious boost in performance. The new M2 Competition adds to the draw of the existing M2, which was relaunched after a hiatus in 2016. It is quite eye-opening what adding just that bit more to the performance of the in-line six-cylinder can do to the car.

Design

The M2 Competition gets some identifiable differences to the exterior design making it unique, even though the liberal sprinkling of the M2 Competition badge on the side wings and the boot lid makes sure onlookers can’t miss it. The trademark kidney grille is larger and is finished in glossy black. Similarly for optimising the engine cooling system, the air intakes in the front skirt have been modified. The double twin tail pipes at the rear are also finished in the same glossy (Shadow Line) black paint.

The M2 Competition’s design seems like the regular 2 Series’ panels have been stretched over to fit the wider axles, but not in an ungainly sort of way. With a lot of sharp creases and sculpted panels, the M2 Competition’s design assumes an aggressive profile that outweighs its compact footprint. The double-arm door mirrors are also said to be unique to the M2 Competition.

Step into the M2 Competition’s cabin and there are more of the badges all around reminding you of the special status of the car, including a back-lit one on each of the front two sports seats. Positioned at the shoulder level, it’ll make sure that the cop who stopped you for over speeding will know exactly what car you are in even when it is totally dark outside. The other highlight in the cabin is the use of BMW M sport colours for the contrast stitching in the seats and gear stick trim. The M stripes also adorn the edges of the seat belts.

The front sports bucket seats that my test mule sported at the Ascari track in Spain are optional additions and offer extra lateral support for even more sporty driving.

The red engine start-stop button on the dash is also meant to highlight the motorsport heritage of the car.

Performance

The tag line of BMW’s M division goes “where too much is just right”, and the M2 Competition is one of the cars that is a perfect example of that. The effortless madness of this car hits me when I was blasting down the short straights on the Ascari track reaching speeds of over 200 kmph in double quick time with the needle bouncing off the rev-limiter. The M2 Competition gets its power unit from the M3 and M4; its three-litre, twin turbocharged in-line six cylinder engine delivers 410 hp of peak power and a peak torque of 550 Nm. Now that is a car which is about the size and weight of the Hyundai Verna with that kind of power.

Power delivery is very linear and with barely a touch of lag from its twin scroll turbos. Its power to weight ratio of about 273 hp per tonne shows in the way the M2 Competition is much quicker than I expected it to be. Peak torque is also on tap from 2,350 rpm, which for a free-revving engine comes up quick. The standard gearbox being offered with the M2 Competition is a six-speed manual. A mild rubbery shift feel, typically BMW, makes using the gearbox even better. Great feel, perfect gating and a very progressive clutch makes this such a delightful manual.

The M2 Competition’s exhaust isn’t as loud or gruff as the M4 CS that I drove up to Rhonda in Spain, enroute the Ascari track the previous day. But, with the electrical exhaust flaps engaged, it is still very distinctive. Also a feature that BMW calls engagement speed control function helpfully blips the throttle on downshifts and lowers the engine revs on upshifts making the experience so much more exciting. It also helps making the shifts smoother and improves stability especially during dynamic situations like on the track. There is also the option of choosing an automatic transmission in the seven-speed M DCT (double clutch transmission) with extremely quick shifts and the option of using a manual mode with the stick or with the steering mounted paddles. The Drivelogic modes being offered include Comfort, Sport and Sport+ with the predictable changes to the powertrain performance, suspension and steering feel. But the mode to choose, especially on the track, was the MDM (M Dynamic Mode), which is a sub-function of dynamic stability control and can be selected in Sport+ mode. MDM mode allows more wheel spin, giving you the feel of controllable understeer or oversteer. Around some of the tighter corners at the Ascari track, the M2 Competition slides and drifts mildly, egging me to push the car just a bit harder to experience it more often before DSC kicks in. It also gets support from the Active M Differential, an electronically controlled multi-plate limited-slip differential with a locking range variable from 0 to 100 per cent.

BMW engineers have also focussed on improving the front-end rigidity for more precise steering and control and it shows in the way the M2 Competition behaves on the track and on the winding roads around Rhonda. One of the most significant additions in this department is the carbon-fibre strut borrowed from the M3/M4 and mounted on top of the engine. A range of measures to ensure that powertrain fluids don’t shift within the components and affect the dynamics of the car have also been incorporated. The 380 mm/370 mm M Sport brakes’ performance is excellent and very comparable to the M4 CS that I drove previously. Thankfully, the suspension was not similarly set up to be as rigid as in the M4.

 

Bottom Line

The M2 Competition leads me to make ludicrous comparisons. Consider this for example — in markets where both the cars are sold and they would be priced next to each other — which one would you choose? The Tesla Model 3 or the M2 Competition? The new regular M2 and the Competition models will certainly face a lot of competition from other German models, which may be better looking and more practical, but will feel less exciting to drive. On paper and on the road, the M2 Competition I drove delivers more. Hope BMW India brings it in, even as the folks there debate the viability of bringing the regular 2 Series. The M portfolio in India will certainly benefit from an addition like the M2 Competition.