The 2025 BMW M2 Coupe is a precious moment in time

BMW has been caught in this moment for a long time now – past and future. The smell of gasoline, the sound of electric silence. What we want, as in enthusiasts, will never change. You cannot build the Ultimate Driving Machine for us if you’re only doing it with one hand, while the other works on…what exactly? An electric M3?

The moment I speak of is embodied in this car – the 2025 BMW M2 Coupe. And if you think old BMW is dead, keep reading.

The 2025 BMW M2 Coupe Overview

I think I’ve proved a point by now – BMWs that cost six figures are not worth it. They are always expensive, usually heavy, and will depreciate faster than you can say “Oh nein!“.

But what if we keep the price on the other side of that six? Surely we’ll lose some features, some speed. Some of that vaunted driving experience? Maybe ten years ago, when the M2 made its debut with an N55 that breathed heavy after a brisk walk and had the front seats from a 335. It said M, but it wasn’t the full M experience.

And now? You already know I love the G87 from my initial review two years ago. This new one has minor tweaks – 20 more horsepower, 37 more lb-ft of torque if you stay with the automatic. Some new (and brilliant) color options, iDrive 8.5. It’s a minor LCI (I’m not even sure I’d consider it one), and it simply makes a great car even just a tiny bit better. We also have some options here that also help to make this BMW’s most engaging drive.

Speaking of options, this M2 has almost $20,000 worth of ’em. And yet I might say it’s a terrific deal. Remember as we go through this car that the M4 CS cost almost double.

Performance Score: 10. M2 + 2

Curb weight for the M4: 3,830. This M2: 3,814. That’s heavy for a coupe, and really heavy for a small and supposedly nimble sporty car. But the M2 literally defies physics in a way its barely bigger bothers can’t match.

Engine

No, twenty more horsepower doesn’t transform this car into a destroyer of worlds, because the M2 was already very fast. I’m sure it makes more than the advertised amount given BMW’s propensity to underrate the power figure of their cars. I can’t really tell a difference between my M3 Competition (503) and this car.

There is simply power everywhere throughout the rev range, and the S58 only runs out of steam at the very top of the tach where that giant tub of torque runs out. If we take the M engine sommelier approach, it seems to be tuned ever so slightly more aggressively than the 3 and 4. I’ve no proof of this aside from the fact that it’s the first M car I’ve had to take out of Sport Plus because the throttle was too jumpy in traffic. Such minutia is all I have left to critique.

Fake engine sounds are an unfortunate part of owning a modern BMW, but I know from experience that it’s easy to unlock the full roar with an exhaust. Stock, the car is pretty quiet unless you’re unleashing hell in Sport Plus. Pops and cackles are there if you listen.

Maybe that’s coming from me.

Transmission

The ZF eight-speed remains undefeated – you won’t regret getting it because it’s so smooth, so quick to respond, and so transparent in daily operations.

BMW’s manual transmission comes with a penalty of losing 37 lb-ft of torque, but you won’t miss that. We know it’s just an average transmission, but I’d honestly consider it here. Yes, the M2 is about speed as much as the M4 is, but you might have more fun because the rest of the car is much more engaging.

Chassis and Steering

Perhaps BMW has taken a sneak peak at Toyota’s homework.

I’ve driven so many by now that they all tend to blur together, but the M2’s steering rack feels ever so slightly better than before. Could BMW have snuck in some CS tuning? Maybe it’s the tires – Pilot Sports compared to the Pirellis that some M cars escape with, including mine.

They help with the chassis too. It’s the same front strut and multi-link rear, but the M2 responds much quicker to inputs. The front end is so willing to turn, and though no M car is difficult to drift, the M2 seems especially keen on the idea. Hell, the drift analyzer app even encourages you to burn some rubber.

Can we do it again, dad?!

Because the wheelbase is shorter (108 vs 112.5) the ride on this car is choppier. When you combine the carbon bucket seats and a long road trip, the ingredients will equal a sore back and fatigued body. So there you go, some buying advice – get the M4 if you’re going to drive it very far very often.

Brakes

Another way BMW holds you back from making the M2 more is by not allowing carbon ceramic brakes as an option. Fun fact: they can cost $20,000 to replace. I’m good with the steel discs, thanks.

There’s nothing different here – an adjustable brake pedal allows you to perfectly modulate each stop, and they always inspire confidence. If you’d like to track this car, they will eventually fade because of the M2’s weight, but hey, you can always retrofit those $20k carbon ceramics if you want.

Lifestyle Score: 7. Smaller, yet larger

It would be impossible for me to properly time road trips and life events with appropriate press cars. That means sometimes, I’m driving a Yukon alone on a sunny beach day, and I’m using the M2 as a road trip car to Westchester with family in tow.

And yet, the M2 is surprisingly capable as a road trip warrior. I admit that the optional carbon bucket seats can be fatiguing after a long drive, but they do hold you in place much better than the standard buckets. After multiple BMWs landing in my driveway with them, I admit I am beginning to soften my stance.

Take a look at the M2 from the side…

Notice the stubbier look compared to an M4? That’s great for back seat space because you can leave your head attached and still fit in the back. My daughter happens to be particularly tall for her age, but she still fits back there for longer road trips. If you really need the room, go for the M3. Otherwise, the M2 is packaged quite well.

Trunk? It’s slightly more shallow than its brothers, but still among the more practical for sport coupes. What a great one-car solution.

Fuel Economy: 4. The diet coke of M

As you’d expect, the M2 falls in line with other M offerings for fuel economy: 19 combined MPG.

Let’s bring back that M4 CS – 543 horsepower and all-wheel drive, up sixty horses, and yet that car manages just one MPG less combined – 18. Sixty horsepower is a lot, and no doubt the M4 feels stronger, so you’d hope for something a bit better than one extra mile per gallon in the M2.

A majority of M enthusiasts just aren’t going to care about getting two more miles per gallon than an old E92 M3, so the entire turbocharged exercise seems pointless to me.

Features and Comfort: 7. Ah, that’s where they cut the cost

Obviously, you must lose things in the M2. It’s cheaper, it’s down market, and it’s two less than four. But I think BMW did it the right way…

Merino miss

Many years ago, Nissan decided that the 350Z would come with everything you need to go fast, thus keeping the base model price under the all-important $30k mark. To achieve this, they left out all the lux on that base model. It worked, and they either upsold you on equipment, or sold you a car that was as fast as advertised.

BMW M does the same thing here. The LCI model gets iDrive 8.5 like in my M3, along with a revised center stack with new HVAC vents. You can spec items separately, but for $9,900, BMW will give you the Carbon Package with a roof, carbon trim inside, and those bucket seats. You get cool backlit M flags on the door, minimal ambient lighting, M stripes on the seat belts, even the flat-bottom Alcantara steering wheel – you’re not exactly roughing it.

As for iDrive 8.5 – I’ve gotten used to it. Again, I live mostly in Apple CarPlay. But I will say that the HVAC controls in the screen are really unbearable, requiring multiple touches to get to where you need to be. I’m hot! Or in the case of this shoot, cold and wet! Give me my conditioned air!

But it’s clear you aren’t in an M3. Interior color choices are limited to black with various M highlights. No Galvanic controls, and no extended Merino leather options or dash. The M2 isn’t nearly as expensive, but it’s still expensive. Doesn’t feel like an $82k car in here.

It simply drives like one.

Don’t @ me

New this year are some additional BMW Individual color options, like this VooDoo Blue shade, for $3,000. No, you can’t paint it any color you want like other M cars, but they take off $1,000 for it. You also get new wheels options (all silver), and it’s pretty clear that BMW had me in mind when they spec’d this M2. It’s exactly how I’d want it.

BMW was right to remove the M2’s look from the M4 – I thought the F87 always felt a bit “awkward teen” as a scaled down 4 Series. Aside from the M8, no BMW is truly beautiful, but the M2’s stubby Lego looks fit its Bulldog personality.

This car is actually made in BMW’s new Mexico factory, and if there’s any difference in build quality from German-built Beamers, I sure couldn’t tell.

Others sport coupes to consider

• Lexus RC-F Track Edition
• BMW M4 CS
• Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
• BMW Z4 M40i
• Toyota GR Supra

 Ignore the haters, this 2025 BMW M2 Coupe is still the real deal

Did you get the M2 before this update? You’re fine – nothing here on the 2025 BMW M2 Coupe is truly transformative.

So why is this a ten, and the last one a nine? Maybe experience – look at how many new cars I’ve driven. An M4 CS is an absolutely wonderful car, but this M2 can be had for half the price with most of the performance. Will you miss all-wheel drive? Maybe, but this is the perfect excuse to drift around every turn. Remember that sometimes the fast way around a turn isn’t the same as the fun way around.

What will BMW make next? It’s unknown. We see electric M3s and hybrid M5s, but this is the kind of car M enthusiasts want. It offers the comfort, speed, and (most) of the feedback that we crave, all for a reasonable price.

Relish this moment in time. Before you know it, the G87 will be twenty years old and we’ll all be lamenting about how good we had it back then.