The first examples of the 2023 BMW M2 to leave the San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico are scheduled to arrive with owners in the U.S. this month, and while we aren’t among them, a huge new photo dump is helping us make our minds up about which color we’d have chosen if we were.
Over 230 images taken at a BMW event in Scottsdale, Arizona, show M2s in three of the five available colors attacking some great country roads. Both the Brooklyn Grey and Zandvoort Blue cars are equipped with the available six-speed manual transmission while the Toronto Red coupe gets the no-cost eight-speed automatic. BMW’s own figures say the manual cars can get to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 4.1 seconds, while the auto is fractionally quicker, doing the job in 3.9 seconds.
All three cars are equipped with the optional M Carbon composite bucket seats, and of course all are powered by the same 453 hp (460 PS) turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six derived from the S58 motor in the non-Competition M3 and M4. But whereas those cars can be ordered with a choice of rear- or xDrive all-wheel drive (the Comp cars are AWD-only), the M2 channels its 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) exclusively to the rear wheels.
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These images don’t do anything to change our minds about the styling of the M2. It’s certainly got presence, but the baby M car is not what you’d call pretty. Those wide fender flares look oh, so cool, but the huge boxy structures on the front and rear bumpers are pretty heavy handed. The styling changes over the M240i are at least functional, helping channel air to the cooling system and brakes, and enabling BMW’s engineers to cover a wider track width that helps handling.
The M2 is the last non-electrified BMW M car, as all future M machines will feature either mild- or full hybrid tech, or be pure EVs. Which would be reason enough to buy one. But here’s another: $63,195. That’s the base price for the M2 including destination, and while that’s still a sizeable investment for most people (and $11,300 up on the auto-only M240i xDrive), it’s almost $15,000 less than you’d pay for the cheapest new M4.
Take a look at these galleries and tell us which color you’d pick.
