2019 BMW M2 Coupe

2019 BMW M2 video

2019 BMW M2 | First Drive

[MUSIC PLAYING] JONATHAN ELFALAN: That's a 2019 BMW M2 Competition Coupe. And it's replacing the standard M2 for the near future. Now the M2, it belongs to a small but ultra competitive segment I like to call the super subcompacts. And that includes the Audi RS3 and Mercedes CLA 45 AMG. This new M2 Competition Coupe, it's raising the bar. It's got a new engine making a ton more power and a number of other go fast tweaks, which can make it the new leader of the pack. [MUSIC PLAYING] t Oh. So let's talk about this engine for a second. It's the high performance version of the previous engine. They call it the S55. And it's in both the M3 and M4. So what are the differences between this and the old engine? It's got a stronger block, for one. It's got a lightweight forge crankshaft and stronger pistons, which allows it to handle more boost. So it makes 405 horsepower and 406 pound feet of torque. [ENGINE REVS] So that's 40 more horsepower over in the old engine and 63 pound feet of torque more as well. That's game-changing horsepower for me. All it needed was a little bit more power. I thought that it didn't quite have as much power as it could have handled with the chassis. BMW thought that too, because they haven't really changed anything about the suspension here. You've got the carbon fiber brace up front, which significantly increases the structural rigidity of the front. So they had to do a little bit of tuning with the steering and everything, but they left the rest of the suspension the same. And so this thing handles like a dream. And now, it has the power to back it up, which is incredible. Aw, , man. I love this car so much. So the M2 Competition Coupe, just like the previous car, you have two options for transmission. So we have the six speed manual, which I'm driving here, and you have the seven speed dual clutch automatic. Manual doesn't feel any different from the previous car. In fact, I know it's a different transmission, but if you didn't tell me that, I wouldn't have guessed. It's got automatic rev match function, as you can hear, which works perfectly. So if you're one that likes to drive down in the canyons and you're going for a downshift, well, the engine is going to blip the throttle and match the revs automatically. So you don't have to know how to heel tow downshift. Some people, the purists, have issues with that. I don't. You can turn off the feature if you don't like it. But the fact of the matter is it does a perfect job of rev matching the downshifts. Now if you get the seven speed transmission, that's, I would say, equally as fun. You don't get to stir your own gears, but you get to go quicker because you don't have to think about shifting. You have your gear changes at the tips of your fingers. So I don't know what I would prefer. The seven speed DCT is going to be the faster car because it's going to be able to shift quicker than you could ever hope to. That and you have launch control. I think they place it a couple tenths quicker with the DCT than with the manual. So something you have to accept if you decide to go with the manual. But that being said, this is a very good manual. It's got a really light clutch throw, real easy engagement, and the gearbox is effortless. Now as far as road comfort goes, the M2 is a pretty good compromise. The suspension isn't adaptive, because BMW said that if they went that route, that they couldn't keep the price low enough to be competitive. That said, I don't think it needs an adaptive suspension. If you're somebody shopping in this segment, somebody that cares about performance and driving and this is probably the best driver's car in the segment-- I would actually say it's definitely the best driver's car in this segment-- then you're going to be able to put up with a little bit more stiffness in the ride quality. We had a pretty bumpy road on this drive. It was punishingly bumpy. We had an M5. I mean, the M5 competition out on that road as well. And both cars-- I mean, this car was no less comfortable on that road than the M5, which says something. You know, this doesn't, again, doesn't have adaptive suspension, and so it's set to one setting. But it works. It works great on the track, as we drove on earlier. And it works right on the street. I could easily do hundreds of miles in this thing in a single pass, as long as I'm not in rush hour traffic. So I think if you're somebody that's planning to buy this car as your daily driver, you could totally do it. If you've seen the interior of an M2 before, then you might recognize that they haven't really tried to reinvent the wheel here. Everything looks pretty much like the standard car. You've got the carbon fiber trim along here, you've got the contrast stitching all throughout the interior, which you can get in blue or orange, I believe. And you've also got the M striping detail along the steering wheel as well as the seat belts. By far, the biggest upgrade for this interior has to be the new M sport seats. They feel great. They have a ton more lateral support here at the thighs as well as at the sides. You also have this integrated headrest, which kind of mimics a one-piece race seat, as well as the logo here, which illuminates. Because who doesn't like a little bling? All right guys, that is the 2019 M2 Competition Coupe. I think BMW did a knockout job with it. And you know what? I think it's probably the one I would go without of the super subcompact trinity. Yeah, I think I'm in love. But that's my thoughts. We'd love to hear your thoughts down in the comments. And if you like this video, be sure to subscribe to Edmunds on YouTube.

Edmunds Road Test Manager Jonathan Elfalan flies to Spain to test-drive the new 2019 BMW M2 Competition. The Competition is a new stand-alone model that is replacing the standard M2 for 2019. On paper, it's set to give the Audi RS 3, the Audi TT RS and the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 a run for the subcompact title. But is it as good as the specs say?