First drive: 2016 BMW M2

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BMW's two-door coupe is small but fierce. Part of that is a neat point of differentiation. Cars like the Audi TTS and the forthcoming Porsche 718 Cayman have gone for the new wave of four-cylinder engines. Yet the M2 sticks with the tried and trusted straight-six turbocharged unit which gives it performance and power, delivered in a desirably different way.

The twin-turbo 3.0-litre unit gains some updates from M3 and M4 siblings, all of which up power to 365bhp. Peak torque rises to 343lb ft yet that can go to 369lb ft for a brief period of overboost. With a six-speed manual box that should give a wide spread of power, although there is a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission as an option ? one we went for on the test car.

All that power goes to the rear wheels, and to keep it more or less under control there is an Active M Differential, as seen on the M3 and M4. Small, powerful, wide, gets the power down ? a picture should be emerging.

And that picture should involve some sound. That turbocharged straight six has always sounded glorious, but now much of the competitors are switching to turbo'd four-pots, it leaves the stage clearer for us to revel in the sound and power delivery of the straight six. There's masses of grunt low down but it rises sharply with the revs, soaring towards max power at 6500rpm. It must be said the auto box works fractionally better than the manual, but you'll delight in either.

That power goes down remarkably smoothly. The chassis feels so strong and buttressed that it allows a pliant if passive suspension system to deal with both handling and ride with some aplomb. It's perfectly comfortable and composed at lower speeds but really hunkers down into that wide contact patch when you want to pull the pin.

The traction control is perhaps a little keen to come in, but otherwise it's all exemplary, whether you're commuting, caning a B-road or spanking it round a circuit.

Whatever happens outside, inside it's not exactly a luxury palace you're in. It's noticeably noisier than in an M235i thanks in part to the loss of 10kg of sound-deadening material. The dials are more 1 Series and generally it doesn't feel quite on a par with the rest of the car. But it has plus points. It can seat four in some comfort for a start, which puts it ahead of the Audi TT and others, and there's even a decent boot at 390 litres.

In comms and tech it's right up there, with a fine 8.8in infotainment screen, along with, as standard, Professional Navigation, Professional Media and Real Time Traffic Information. Add in iDrive's really useful connectivity and you're only going to get lost if you choose to. With this car you might choose to.

It may be the smallest M car. It may not have the endless options of active dampers, driving modes and so on of others in the BMW range and M range. But we think it's the best. And it is the cheapest, with prices starting at ?42,800 with 33.2mpg claimed. Cheapest and best is a winning combination.

It's very tech, yet it shows what can be done with steel and aluminium to create a great sporting car with the joyful delivery of that straight-six 3.0-litre turbo engine. We'd rate it ahead of competitors like the Lotus Elise Cup 250, the Audi TTS and the Jaguar F-Type. It's that good.
 


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