2023 BMW M2 Review

Here's the simple five-step recipe to create an entry-level high-performance BMW coupe: 1) Take one rear-wheel-drive 2 Series; 2) fortify the chassis with extra stiffening; 3) add a wallop of power by using the engine from the M4; 4) let BMW's M division engineers sort it all out; and 5) add some heroic fender flares. Boom, you've got yourself the new 2023 BMW M2.

While the previous-generation M2 was light and athletic and packed serious midrange power, it took some real skill to explore its limits. On a less than perfect back road, it was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. The new M2 is much more buttoned-down and composed on pockmarked roads, partially thanks to its adaptive suspension dampers (which weren't available for the previous M2). Even the firmest setting allows the M2 to really dig into the pavement without being so easily distracted by crown, camber and bumps.

BMW stuffs its latest M division twin-turbo inline-six into the new M2. The 3.0-liter engine, known as the S58, belts out 453 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque and revs out to 7,200 rpm. The engine makes a not insubstantial 48 more hp than the 2019-2021 M2 Competition, but it comes up 20 ponies shy of the base version of the M4, which has this same engine.

Inside, the new M2 is more modern than its predecessor. Literally front and center are a digital instrument panel and touchscreen living side by side under a single curved display panel. The 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system dwarfs the previous 8.8-inch unit and features a next-generation iDrive 8 operating system. The screen is bright and attractive, but some of our editors preferred the older model's analog instrument panel and relatively basic design.

We're all in agreement that the old car looked better. But when you're behind the wheel of the new M2, you won't have to worry about that. When your biggest gripes are the loss of analog gauges and disjointed styling, you know BMW has cooked up something special. Stay with Edmunds for our full instrumented test of the new M2 as well as our Expert Rating of this likely future classic.