Automotive enthusiasts lately have been pushing back against a rising flood of mega-powerful EVs, instead preferring rumbly gas engines and even manual transmissions. Well, the BMW M2 has been sitting here all along, boasting everything such an enthusiast could ask for. It’s a sparkling gem of combustion-engine enjoyment—a rear-wheel-drive, tire-chirping, valet-impressing, sports coupe with a manual option and a price that makes it, if not affordable, at least attainable.
For 2025, BMW bumped up the horsepower in the M2’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six from 453 to 473 horses. Additionally, the automatic—a quick-shifting torque-convertor eight-speed—received an extra 37 pound-feet of torque, whereas with the six-speed manual, the engine’s output remains 406 pound-feet.
The combination of more torque and an automatic that shifts faster than a human makes it slightly quicker. It manages a 3.5-second sprint to 60 and a quarter-mile run of 11.6 seconds at 124 mph. The manual M2 does the 60-mph run in 3.9 seconds and the quarter in 12.1 seconds at 120 mph. This is despite the automatic’s slight weight penalty, as it tips the scales at 3813 pounds versus 3755 pounds for the stick. Admittedly, there could be more time left in the automatic as we could not get launch control to activate. We’ll test another one and update the results.
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There is no carbon-ceramic brake option for the base M2 (it’s reserved for the M2 CS), but the standard iron rotors will haul the automatic down from 70 mph in 149 feet and from 100 mph in 294 feet. The manual needed a 153 and 308 feet, respectively. Neither car showed any signs of brake fade. When it comes to the corners, both M2 variants, with their staggered Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires (275/35ZR-19 in the front and 285/30ZR-20 in the rear), have plenty of grip. The manual circled the skidpad at a nice, even 1.0 g, and the automatic just beat it with 1.02 g’s.
The M2 excels at track days, but what makes either coupe so compelling is that it offers the fun of a track toy while still being useful as daily transportation.
It doesn’t hurt either that this second-gen car’s chunky, Lego-like styling has grown on us since it debuted for 2023. The M2 now looks unique and sassy, especially in some of BMW’s bolder color options. For 2025, the M2 can be outfitted in Vegas Red metallic, Sao Paulo Yellow, Skyscraper Grey metallic, Portimao Blue metallic, Frozen Pure Grey metallic, Frozen Portimao Blue II metallic, Voodoo Blue, Grigio Telesto Pearl Effect metallic, Twilight Purple Pearl Effect metallic, or my favorite, Java Green metallic, which makes the coupe look like a scarab beetle on wheels. The M2 is ugly-cute like a French bulldog or a ’90s tennis shoe, and I don’t think I’m alone in liking it. There’s no car I’ve driven all year that’s received as many compliments from passing youths and covetous valets.
It’s hard to resist the temptation to respond to such flattery with a tire-smoking farewell. Surrender to the impulse, and it’s easy to turn the M2’s rear tires into rubber pollution by dialing down the stability control with a quick double press of one of the programmable M buttons on the steering wheel. On damp pavement, you don’t even need to turn off the safeties to get some wheelspin. The M2 wants to wiggle its rear like a backup dancer in a music video.
Keep the M2 pointed in the right direction, and it will eventually power out of its slippy spot and stay planted through the rest of your shifts, swinging gleefully around the curves and rocketing out of the exits like a firecracker. The steering response is almost unnervingly quick. You won’t want to sneeze lest you make an unintended lane change. Somehow, at the same time, there’s not a lot of subtlety to the steering feel. Turn the wheel, and the car turns, but you won’t get much sense of what’s happening between the tires and the pavement. Really, all you feel on the steering wheel is a fistful of faux suede. The M2 has a new flat-bottomed wheel, available in leather or, like our test car, synthetic fabric. It looks great, but it’s thicker than a slice at the Cheesecake Factory. Steering with it feels like doing calligraphy with a jumbo marker.
The steering isn’t my only quibble with the M2. There are probably an encyclopedia’s worth of comments in our logbooks about BMW’s M Carbon Bucket seats, and if I were being generous, I could say the buckets certainly are conversation starters. Unfortunately, that conversation starts with, “Be careful when you get in so you don’t break your ass.” I have heard from people of greater height and slender thighs that these seats are comfortable, but for anyone short, hippy, or thick like the steering wheel, the carbon centerpiece is a bruise-maker, and the sides (even though the bolsters are adjustable) are unforgiving. I found myself continuously slipping down and then running afoul of the twitchy steering when I tried to pull myself back up into position. They do look awesome, and the tricolor upholstery is almost worth the pain of entry. At least the front seats are heated so you can make amends to your sciatica. I understand if you want the carbon seats for track use or future collectibility, but make sure you test-drive them first. This is too good a car to be ruined by uncomfortable chairs.
For 2025, BMW moved to the 8.5 iDrive operating system, which integrates climate controls into the 14.9-inch touchscreen. The screen is crisp and responsive, and even as someone who prefers physical switches, I had no issues navigating the temperature controls or seat heaters. The tech that did give me an issue was phone connectivity. My phone mirrored just fine, but the steering-wheel controls for skipping songs didn’t work well, and the optional charging pad was so finicky about contact that it mostly didn’t work at all. I had the same issue with both M2s that I drove.
One last complaint, so you don’t think I’m in the pocket of Big BMW. The shifter in the automatic is designed to make sure that no previous muscle memory of anything you’ve ever driven will be of use to you again. Reverse is to the side. Drive is to the other side, and to that side again if you want manual paddle shifting. Park is a tiny button on the shifter and not, as almost everyone who got in believes, the larger “P” button on the console. That’s for the automated parking assist. Owners may adapt to this weirdness quickly enough, but may I point out that the manual shifter has a standard H-pattern? No additional learning required.
Despite the car’s small footprint in a parking spot, the trunk will hold 14 cubic feet worth of stuff, which is ample for all but the biggest of big-box store runs. A pass-through between the trunk and the back seat offers flexibility for longer, skinnier items.
If your back seat isn’t full of ski equipment, there is room back there for two adults. It’s even comfortable room, if the front-seat passengers aren’t six-footers. Getting in the back takes some contortion, but once ensconced, the seats are soft, and the headroom is more than acceptable. There are no amenities, though—no charging ports, cupholders, or even a middle armrest, so the M2 is unlikely to be the most popular ride in the office carpool—which might not be a bad thing.
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With a starting price of $66,675 and as-tested at $80,825 for the auto and $82,675 for the manual, the M2 is not an entry-level sports car, but the tab seems worth it, given this BMW’s twin talents as track star and everyday car. The M2 also stands as a reminder that certain parts of the status quo are worth holding on to.
Specifications
Specifications
2025 BMW M2 Automatic
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $66,675/$80,825
Options: Carbon package (carbon-fiber roof, trim, bucket seats, and the M Driver’s Package), $9900; Live Cockpit Pro with head-up display, $1100; Vegas Red metallic paint, $650; Lighting package (adaptive LED headlights and auto high beams), $650; active cruise control, $500; M Alcantara steering wheel, $500; M Shadowline lights, $250; heated steering wheel, $200; parking assistant, $200; inductive device charging, $200
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 in3, 2993 cm3
Power: 473 hp @ 6250 rpm
Torque: 443 lb-ft @ 2700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.0-in vented, cross-drilled disc/14.6-in vented, cross-drilled disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
F: 275/35ZR-19 (100Y) ★
R: 285/30ZR-20 (99Y) ★
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 108.1 in
Length: 180.3 in
Width: 74.3 in
Height: 55.2 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 54/34 ft3
Trunk Volume: 14 ft3
Curb Weight: 3813 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.5 sec
100 mph: 7.6 sec
1/4-Mile: 11.6 sec @ 124 mph
130 mph: 12.9 sec
150 mph: 18.3 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.3 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.8 sec
Top Speed (mfr claim): 177 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 149 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 294 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.02 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 21 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 19/16/23 mpg
Specifications
2025 BMW M2 Manual
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $66,675/$82,675
Options: Carbon package (carbon-fiber roof, trim, bucket seats, and the M Driver’s Package), $9900; Java Green metallic paint, $3000; Live Cockpit Pro with head-up display, $1100; Lighting package (adaptive LED headlights and auto high beams), $650; M Alcantara steering wheel, $500; M Shadowline lights, $250; heated steering wheel, $200; parking assistant, $200; inductive device charging, $200
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 in3, 2993 cm3
Power: 473 hp @ 6250 rpm
Torque: 406 lb-ft @ 2650 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.0-in vented, cross-drilled disc/14.6-in vented, cross-drilled disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
F: 275/35ZR-19 (100Y) ★
R: 285/30ZR-20 (99Y) ★
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 108.1 in
Length: 180.3 in
Width: 74.3 in
Height: 55.2 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 54/34 ft3
Trunk Volume: 14 ft3
Curb Weight: 3755 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.9 sec
100 mph: 8.5 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.1 sec @ 120 mph
130 mph: 14.1 sec
150 mph: 20.3 sec
170 mph: 30.9 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.8 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 8.0 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 7.3 sec
Top Speed (mfr claim): 177 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 153 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 308 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.00 g
Interior Sound
Idle: 53 dBA/8 sone
Full Throttle: 91 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 75 dBA/33 sone
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 17 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 19/16/23 mpg
Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story “A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2.” In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story “In Washington, D.C.’s Secret Carpool Cabal, It’s a Daily Slug Fest” was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club.
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