There’s still no four-wheel-drive option, though, because engineers were committed to offering a “purist” and traditional experience in keeping with the original M-car formula.
In line with that purist focus, the M2 is also offered with a manual gearbox. And unlike the stick-shift M3 and M4, this will be available in the UK, given that the M2 will be sold globally in just one guise from launch – unlike the previous car, which was offered here only in Competition form from 2018.
Van Meel said he had to have some “intense discussions” within BMW to offer the M2 with a manual, because – taking into account its inferior efficiency and performance compared with a modern Steptronic automatic – “it makes no sense any longer”. The manual adds 0.2sec to the 0-62mph sprint time, but M still has a lot of customers who “want to be one with the machine, to be directly mechanically connected”, which makes an auto gearbox a less attractive option.
The M2 will be one of just two BMW models still offered with a manual in the UK, the other being the 1 Series hatchback.
It is 219mm shorter than the M4, at 4575mm from bumper to bumper, but 114mm longer than the previous-generation M2.
BMW highlighted the 2747mm wheelbase and near 50:50 weight distribution front to rear as a “particularly prominent contribution to its fingertip agility” before adding that the extra 54mm of space between the axles provides a boost in leg room for both rows of seating, enhancing usability over the previous car.