Compactly Powerful. The BMW M2 officially launched!

April 8, 2016 benautobahn Off BMW,

Ever wondered what is the most powerful alphabet in the world? Let BMW answer that for you, it has got to be the letter M. And the wait is finally over for the people in Malaysia, where the all new baby BMW F82 M2 was launched. However, there are only limited units of the M2 being brought into Malaysia with a staggering price of RM498,800 OTR. Having said that, the M2 is completely in a league of its own if you were to compare it to the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG or the Audi RS3 as it is a two-door coupe instead of a hatchback.

What’s packed under the M2’s hood is a 3.0 litre in-line 6 engine equipped with M TwinPower Turbo technology that produces a total horsepower of 370 at 6,500 rpm and producing 465 Nm of torque at 1,400 rpm all being sent to the rear wheels. 0-100km/h time is an impressive 4.3 seconds. The F82 is also fitted with a Dual Clutch Transmission with a Stability Clutch Control to reduce oversteer.

With it being limited, one would sadly not be able to opt for the manual gearbox and the only colour option available for the car is Long Beach Blue, named after a famous race track, and the interior has matching colour stitching too. All the usual Alcantara and carbon fibre trims can be found inside as well. Standard equipment includes a Push Start Button, paddle shifter, power-adjustable seats and a multifunctional steering wheel. The car is also sitting on 19-inch aluminium wheels with M double-spoke design, just like those seen on the M3 and M4.

After seeing it in person, I can understand why they chose to bring in the Long Beach Blue even though it’s a shame that the manual gearbox won’t be available to Malaysian customers. I’m sure the M2 is a great little performance car, but at close to half a million ringgit, there are better choices out there which provides more bang-for-buck such as the A45 AMG which is a whooping 150k cheaper. That’s more than a lifetime supply of fuel, tires and track days.

I’m sure there’s many buyers out there who can overlook the price, and for the lucky individuals who can, they are no doubt getting themselves a very special BMW pocket rocket with the mature yet sporty design the boy-racer A45 AMG could only dream of having. If only BMW Malaysia offers the manual version to make the M2 even more special.