Bavarian Pocket Rocket. The BMW M2 Competition launch & first drive!

July 12, 2019 benautobahn Off BMW,

Recently, BMW Malaysia launched its most powerful 2 Series ever: The M2 Competition! The M2 Competition is more powerful than ever before with an upgraded chassis and permanently replaces the regular M2. Thus, the price has a higher starting price of RM 626,800.00, a significant increase compared to the previous M2 LCI.

However, there are significant changes that BMW has made to this model, e.g. appearance, the engine, DSC recalibration, and chassis tuning. The M-DCT 7-speed is offered as standard and the good news is, BMW still offers a manual transmission for those who want a more engaging driving experience.

Design wise, we can start with the kidney grille. It is now larger and joined together, thus it adds further presence on the road. On the front skirt, the intake is now larger to feed fresh air into the engine and optimizes the air flow for its sophisticated cooling system.

The front grille is also finished in high gloss black, same goes to the M gills on the side. The quad tail pipes are now finish in black chrome which creates a more muscular rear end.

In addition to that, the side mirror has been replaced with a more sportier look twin-strut design that improves the aerodynamic of the car. Finally, this car is equipped with 19-inch style 437 M-Double spoke alloy wheels, tyre size is 245/35 front, 265/35 rear. These overall aesthetics upgrades makes the car looks fresh and more aggressive than before.

As for the interior, it has new M-sport steering wheel with the M1 and M2 button just like those found in the M5. The presets of these buttons makes it easier for the driver to configure their preferred setup of the car, whether to be comfy for daily use or sporty for a more spirited driving sensation.

Furthermore, the carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) trim adds to the sporty ambiance. The sports seats are covered with Dakota leather together with blue contrast stitching.

Most importantly, it has M tri-coloured stitching on the seat belts! Jokes aside, the interior unfortunately do not feel as special as the hefty price tag suggests, as it looks essentially identical to the average 2-Series.

Other additional equipment includes:
• LED headlights
• Dual-zone climate control
• 8.8-inch touch screen
• Harmon Kardon HiFi loudspeaker sound system (360W, 12 speakers)
• M Laptimer info
• BMW ConnectedDrive services
• Gearshift lever knob with M-badge
• Sport seats for driver and passenger

Biggest change to the M2 Competition has to be its engine, it has been replaced from the N55 series engine to a proper M-powered engine used in M3 and M4 that is the S55. The engine now produces 405hp (410ps) @ 5230-7000 rpm, 550Nm torque @ 2350-5230 rpm, or 40HP and 85NM more than the car it replaces.

As a result, it goes from 0-100 km/h in just 4.2 sec (4.4 seconds for the manual) and the top speed has been electronically capped at 250 km/h. The power is transferred to the rear wheels via M-dual clutch transmission with M differential. The exhaust system has also been upgraded so expect more pops and crackles.

The handling of the car has been improved, BMW re-calibrated the DSC to allow better traction during dry and wet condition. It is said that the traction control will less likely to intervene when you initiate a drift or powerslide.

Besides that, it has CFRP high-precision strut in the engine bay just like the M4, which will improve the car front-end rigidity as well as better maneuverability. Furthermore, the wheel location and tracking stability is optimized by the motorsport-based solid-mounted rear subframe and forged aluminium control arm.

From the experience of a few laps around the Sepang circuit, the M2 Competition really gave a good connection with the driver, with fantastic steering feedback.

The car is twitchy and the front end is obviously more agile than before thanks to the new CFRP strut installed in the engine bay. The car is more playful compared to the bigger and heavier M4 and M5 but it is not as planted as them because of it.

The M2 Competition tend to oversteer when you are hard on the accelerator during a corner, thus making it a little hard to control for the average driver when on the track, but playful when you get the hang of it.

The stopping power of the car is great but after a few hard laps around Sepang, it starts to show a sign of overheating as expected. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a fun pocket rocket from BMW, the M2 Competition would be my weapon of choice!