BMW M2 Competition 2018 UK first drive

On the evidence of the launch event in Spain, the BMW M2 Competition is the BMW M2 we’ve been waiting for. The original model, which you can no longer buy, was always a charming and entertaining sports coupé, but anybody who drove one with any degree of enthusiasm across a cresting or undulating road will know that it wasn't blessed with brilliant body control. There were times when the M2 would frighten the life out of you by apparently trying to unstick its rear tyres from the road surface entirely whenever you popped up over the top of a sharp brow.

It was a handling trait the lBMW arger M3 and BMW M4 that arrived before it were similarly afflicted by, and the reason why the M2 was never quite as rewarding to drive as a Porsche 718 Cayman S. Just as Competition and subsequently CS versions of the M3 and M4 were far better to drive than earlier models, the M2 Competition is a huge step on from the M2.

For this most recent version, the M Division has fitted a front strut brace, retuned the steering map and dropped a handful of rose joints into the rear suspension in a bid to make the car altogether more cohesive and responsive. The spring rates and damper settings (now passive only) have been adjusted too.

Up front, meanwhile, the twin-turbocharged straight six from the M3 and M4 replaces the old single-turbo unit, although it has been detuned to 404bhp and 405lb ft for this installation. The new motor contributes to a 55kg weight increase, which means at 1625kg the M2 Competition is a good deal heavier than its compact dimensions would have you believe. 

Those revised suspension settings do make for a tighter and more unyielding ride quality at low speed around town, but in every other respect they are a huge step forward. Even on a bumpier road at higher speed, there’s enough sophistication in the damping of this car that the wheels can rise and fall individually over the shape of the road without the body being skipped or jolted about. The M2 Competition is so much more settled and composed than the M2 that it feels like an entirely new car rather than an updated one.

Body control over crests and undulations, meanwhile, has gone through the roof. No longer does it feel as though the car might bounce itself clean off the Tarmac. The steering is keener and more intuitive, too, all of which means you drive along a winding road with a level of confidence that the M2 driver could only dream of.

The old M2 strong points are still very much in evidence, notably a sweet natural chassis balance that allows you drive right up to the car’s limit of grip, as well as a transition from neutral balance to power oversteer that’s as smooth as cream pouring from a jug. The M2 Competition is every bit as happy being driven neatly and with precision as it is playing the tyre-smoking hooligan on circuit.