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BMW’s high-performance M branch had a banner year in 2025, posting record sales totaling 213,457 vehicles. For all the ways BMW loyalists, including your author, lament the ways that the M brand’s expansion has diluted and muddied its core character, the business is thriving. The motorsport-driven BMW M of the early 1990s in no way resembles the SUV-ified, computer-shifted, all-wheel-drive, hybridized, and luxury-packed M division we have today. Yet there is a silver lining, for ye purists: the best-selling full-fat M car last year was the M2, the lightest, simplest, most agile car in the roster.
When we drove the then-new M2 in early 2023, we praised it as the purist’s choice in the BMW lineup: rear-wheel drive, six-speed manual transmission, and a studly straight-six, all crammed inside a relatively compact two-door coupe. “The M2’s chassis mostly kept up with its fabulous engine,” said Hagerty Media Managing Editor Eddy Eckart. “Through the thick steering wheel we got a clear sense of the car’s copious front-end grip and quickly trusted the M2’s nose.”
One thing the M2 did not need: more power. But will we complain that BMW coaxed an extra 20 horses out of its 3.0-liter twin-turbo six for 2025, totaling 473 hp? Nein. The extra output slices a tenth of a second from the manual M2’s zero-to-60 mph time, down to 4.1 seconds. Eight-speed-automatic examples also get an extra 40 lb-ft of torque for this mid-cycle update, and all M2s enjoy subtle styling tweaks inside and out.
That said, the M2 we sampled for this review was anything but subtle. The car’s hulking proportions and squat stance are aggro from any angle, and the $3000 Java Green paint does nothing to mollify this effect. M aluminum-alloy wheels, a multispoke pattern BMW dubs Style 930M, are as of 2025 available in the silver finish shown here. That sounds like a minor change, but the more traditional wheel appearance gives the M2 a stylish, modified Euro look that stands out amid today’s ubiquitous black or two-tone wheels. The interior is a chorus of BMW M tricolor details, from the door cards to the blue leather trim on the M Carbon bucket seats. A flat-bottom steering wheel—in this case wrapped in $500 of optional Alcantara—was also new for 2025.
Our week with the M2 reminds us that it may well be the best balanced, most sophisticated, most capable sports car starting under $70,000. True, it doesn’t scratch your lizard brain the same way the primal Mustang Dark Horse does, and the Nissan Nismo Z’s razor reflexes yield a sharper response to input. But the M2 offers competitive, approachable performance in a thoroughly modern package. Layered on top of it all are all the creature comforts and premium touches that BMW owners demand.
Specs: 2025 BMW M2
Price: $66,075 / $82,075 (base / as-tested)
Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Horsepower: 473 @ 6250 rpm
Torque: 406 lb-ft @ 2650–6130 rpm
Layout: Rear-wheel drive, two-door, four-passenger coupe
Weight: 3814 pounds
EPA-rated fuel economy: 16/23/19 mpg (city/highway/combined)
0 to 60 mph: 4.1 seconds
Top speed: 155 mph (177 mph with M Driver’s Package)
Competition: Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Nissan Z Nismo, Audi RS3
We tested the six-speed manual version. Torque in the low gears is outstanding, smooth, and consistent all across the mid-range, and there’s punch right up to the very limit of the tach. BMW says it has revised the throttle for increased response in all driving modes, and the max 406 lb-ft of torque is now delivered across a wider threshold—from 2650 to 6130 rpm, rather than the previous drop-off at 5870 rpm. The inline-six sounds healthy and willing, especially at the 7200–rpm redline. No doubt, this S58 3.0-liter will go down as one of the all-time-great Bavarian mills. Winding out this engine is deeply addicting. The clutch has a natural weight, and the shifter is typical for BMW: throws are medium-length, with a somewhat rubbery feel accompanying each gear change. The Tremec six-speed in the Mustang Dark Horse has a notchier, more mechanical character that some drivers may prefer.
As we pointed out in our M2 piece three years ago, front-end grip is astonishing. Washing out the nose on your average back road requires either deliberate shenanigans, a low-traction surface, or supremely poor judgement. The adaptive suspension is nicely tuned, though we agree with Eckart’s prior commentary that the car could feel more planted if the rebound over undulations were better controlled. The flip side is that the M2 is reasonably comfortable in a city context—more pleasant and polished than the Audi RS3, for sure. That’s true even on Michigan’s broken roads, and you don’t need to brace yourself before entering construction zones. I particularly appreciate that the nose is high enough to easily clear most driveways and parking blocks.
While the first-generation M2, sold from 2016–2021, had a fairly classic, sober interior, the current-gen M2 relies far more on splashy theater. The door cards come standard with BMW tri-color graphics. The big, 12.3-inch cluster display and 14.9-inch center display dominate the visual experience from the driver’s seat, and practically every vehicle function and control happens via those screens. BMW updated the infotainment software to iDrive 8.5, which gives major functions such as temperature control or seat heating a permanent fixture at the bottom of the screen, rather than burying them in menus. Still, physical buttons would go a long way here to prevent distraction.
The switch to a flat-bottom steering wheel for ‘25 represents an interesting change, which at least visually helps the M2 cabin immediately stand out from the lesser M240i and 230i. It remains almost comically thick and fat, but the Alcantara is soft and the rim is well cushioned, which makes the whole helm pleasant to grip when cornering.
The carbon bucket seats—part of the $9900 Carbon Package that also includes several interior trim pieces, a carbon roof, and the M Driver’s Package that increases top speed from 155 mph to 177 mph—are a mixed bag. They’re super snug, which is nice as long as your body is not too wide, at least on shorter trips. The seatbacks are somewhat firm and flat, which gets tiring on longer hauls. Ingress and egress could be more fluid, impeded by the chunky hip bolsters. For a regular or daily driver, we’d probably stick with the standard thrones.
BMW seems to recognize the M2’s broad appeal for modern sports car fans. For 2026, it went hardcore with the fabulous M2 CS for track rats. For 2027, it hopes to cast its net even wider: the M2 adds optional all-wheel drive. That puts it more in direct competition with the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA45. But at the same time, it suggests yet another departure from the purist formula that makes the M2 so special in the first place. At BMW M, like everywhere else, the only constant is change.
2025 BMW M2
Highs: Exquisite chassis balance. Phenomenal powertrain. Stout brakes and reasonably livable ride quality.
Lows: Exterior and interior design will be shouty for some. Screen-focused interface could use more physical controls.
Takeaway: BMW’s best-selling M car is popular for a reason. The M2 gives traditional BMW owners the performance flavor they’re accustomed to, while wrapping it in a flashy modern package for new audiences. Whether you admire the styling or not, that’s what a win looks like.
