Remember Mini Cooper S kid? Who before that was Hyundai Genesis Coupe kid? Well, look who finally got their automotive shit together. Behold, ladies and gents, consumers of content, and loyal MSIMA reader: what Lockheed Martin does to a motherfucker!

I’ve driven a non-competition M2 before. It was similar to this one, except it had BMW’s dual clutch transmission. And the outcome of that was the age old automotive adage of “never meet your hero” coming true. Because the worst thing a sports car can do to you, is be boring. And that M2, just drove like a faster version of a friend’s old F30 gen 328i. So away it went, as an unfortunate disappointment, onto the list of cars I’ve driven and into my memory. At the time, I had more pressing things to tend to (like a degree, work, and blowing up an STI).

But, two years, two internships, and two ej25’s later, I’m back in the seat of a non-competition M2. But this time, it’s a stick! I’m sure that’ll make all the diff- it’s the most fun I’ve had in a new car in long ass time.

Yes, that includes the nd2 Miata, F82 M4, c8 z51 and is right there with the Mustang GT350, except it’s smaller so it’s even easier to drive. Pound sand.

Well, the interior is certainly- no fuck this. WE IN THE M CAR AGAIN ASSHOLES! I didn’t spend 6 months of my life working in Bavaria to tell you about car interiors. It’s a 2018 m2, it’s fine. It’s perfectly modern BMW in there: iDrive works, the heated seats make your ass as hot as the sun, and the seats, which are strangely enough out of an M2 Competition, hold you firmly in place. The only complaint I’ve got to throw at you is the bizarre use of un-lacquered carbon trim in there. I don’t know why it’s used, to me it feels unfinished. And it also physically feels wrong.

People complained about the cabin feeling cheap for an M car. Well, you bought the “cheap” M car schmucko. And 6 years removed, it’s a perfectly fine place to be. Oh well, it’s not lathered in glossy carbon and alcantara. It doesn’t feel cheap, it just feels “midrange BMW” sometimes. And I don’t care, and I’m not talking about it anymore. You and I both care about how the baby Bimmer feels.

This car rips. It rips like I rip ass: loud and hard. That original M2 I drove sounded dull. This one has a Dinan axle back (so basically just a muffler) that lets the car sing and shout and backfire in Sport+ mode, then shut up and cruise in comfort. That old m2 drove like a fast regular car. This one doesn’t.

Those clever lads back in Garching even managed to make the steering good in this one! Yea, it’s not dull like the m4 then gets really artificially weird the sportier you configure the car. It’s got some weight, but what you have is quick response and genuinely good steering from model year 2018 car that didn’t use a hydraulic unit.

And then the steering magic kinda wore off when I stepped into the driver’s seat of my 2018 STI.

Oh boy fellas, looks like we’ve got a hot for 2018 comparison on our hands.

An STI can be had for between the high $20’s to around $45,000 for a type RA, with my year still hovering around the upper 30’s (not that I got mine for that high). This M2 was around $40,000. So, you could buy a Subaru and have some cash to spare on Öhlins coilovers or a bit more power and grippy tires, to try to bridge the gap. Mine’s an odd mix, with a 345hp s209 motor and type ra suspension, on paper this car should be even. Hell it’s only 10ft-lb down on torque. But the lap times (thanks Car & Driver) between an s209 and base M2 leaves you with a 1.5s gap, presumably made up by the Bimmer’s secret extra horses and aggressive (and wide!) rubber, and the weight of the Motorsport devision making sure this little guy actually corners right. As the time difference between the base M2 and Type RA is even greater (note, that car has makes 310hp).

They’re two different approaches to a similar problem. Both are aggressive, both have a 0-60 in the 4’s, both make similar-ish numbers (yes, I’m stretching here between mine and a stock STI), both seat at least 4, both a stick, both have leather and Alcantara adorning their interiors. Hell they aren’t even that far off with weight. So….

Keep this in mind, let’s put a lil pin in it, and come back to the STI later!

Right, so back to the steering, putting aside that STI for now. Compared to the M4’s mess, this is amazing. You can feel what the front is doing, the weight in sportier modes doesn’t feel overbearing, the regular feedback isn’t really numb, and the turn in is immediate. You might not have the best road feel, older hydraulic racks are better here, but you feel what the front wants to do, and the car talks well. It’s a car that communicates like you wish you and your ex could’ve.

And cornering with this thing. You quickly see how it’s 1.5s quicker than the Subaru. This car lets you enter a turn a too fast, go flat out at the apex, and exit going too damn fast. This car won’t give, and it won’t flash TC either. It just hooks up, fucks off, and doesn’t elaborate. It’s almost scary in how it finds grip, because you feel it rip your face fat to the side, you feel confidence in the seat of your pants as it keeps going, not sliding or pushing just going. Once you get to the apex, you can mash the gas and sit back in amazement at just how much grip the rear has. There’s maybe a hint of rear slip but not enough to be concerning.

It attacks corners with a confidence that not even its big brother M4 could muster up. The M4, while being an absolute powerhouse, didn’t feel this planted or eager to turn in. This little nugget of an M car feels like it can run circles around it’s larger sibling at small to medium sized tracks. And you aren’t really missing the extra punch from the “real M motor” in the M3/M4/M2 comp and CS. Hey that seems like a way to segment into this thing! Behold:

Ah the N55B30T0. What a name, what a password. Legend says, with the right cypher, arranging BMW engine names in chronological order will reveal the ultimate recipe for kaiserschmarrn. Anyways, the not an M motor. Oh woooow, it has lighter pistons. It had an “M” not an “S” in front of its name, LAAAAMMMEEE. FAKE M CAR! FUC-

Look, it’s “not an M motor”. It’s an N55. Not the S55 out of the f80/2 gen M3/M4. If you want l 405 instead of 365 horsepower, the M2 competition is waiting for you, although even the comp is detuned compared to the M3. The M2 CS at $80,000 gets you the real, unrestricted “M Experience”, and an M4 is still cheaper. Anyways, the motor is fine. It builds boost nicely, punches you in the ass and makes a good noise.

As good as the motor is, it does tend to blow up charge pipes. Kinda like this:

You know, this happened to my friend within 20 minutes owning the car!

Anyways, it’s a fine motor. Buy a $200 aluminum charge pipe, and have fun. Sure the competition is faster, but:

A. Shut up.

B. I never really felt like I needed more in the normal M2.

C. Put me in an M2 Competition and I’ll gladly change my mind! (Or give me a few years and I’ll put myself in one)

And with a stick, it revs quick making rev-matching a breeze. Shame about the shifter…

Right, the all familiar BMW knob, how nice it fits in my hand and yet how vaguely phallic in its appearance. To get right into the meat of this, the throws are long, it’s kinda light, there’s a bit of a rubbery feeling. In short, it kinda feels like a slightly nicer regular BMW shifter. It’s not terrible, but compared to other sports cars, you do feel like you’re missing something. More weight, more “click” or “notch”, less of a dull feel when it engages a gear. There’s no mechanical feeling of it clicking onto a gear, just a “thud” that people describe as rubbery (it kinda is). It’s effortless to use day to day, but it takes away from some of the engagement you get when beating the hell of the car. WE IN THE M CAR NOW, MAKE ME WORK FOR IT DAMN YOU!

And that’s not all. The M2 has your standard assortment of BMW driving modes. Comfort makes it drive like a normal 2 series, sport “tightens it up” (more sensitive throttle and brake pedals, stiffer ride, more “oomph” down low, bit more steering weight), and then sport+, which is like sport mode, but plus. And like that premium subscription service, sport+ is the most fun. So you’ll find yourself skipping sport usually, because why go half way when you bought the full car? Except for the fact that traction control and therefore auto rev-matching can’t be turned off unless you’re in sport! I couldn’t tell you why, because the base Corolla hatch, Veloster N, and 118i all had a button to shut it off whenever you wanted. Hell, I think the M2 competition has that. So in the M2, if you want to rev-match your self, you need traction control off, but only in the “mid” mode, where throttle response isn’t at its most sensitive. But also it you want the full fat, balls deep M experience, you can’t turn off driver aids completely while also being in the car’s most aggressive setting.

Sport+ does offer you a degree of wheel spin and yaw before trying to keep you in check, but there’s also no way to modulate just how far the intervention goes. GM managed to implement multi-level traction control in 2014. Porsche still offers an “All off” mode, hell, Rivian has an “all off” mode, and that’s an EV.

And the rev matching works really well 90% of the time, especially under hard driving, it’s fun. But in comfort mode, just driving around and lazily shifting, you find that the car expects you to shift quick. And if you don’t, you’ll wind up driving like a schmuck who’s still learning to drive. Also it mistakes putting the car into neutral as a down shift, and blips. But I just find that funny.

Then like a certain flawed Alfa Romeo (ok, which one isn’t), you then step out and look at it. Clean lines, no fussy hood, bulging fenders filled with wide rubber. It’s a stubby little car, and it looks phenomenal.

Oh that car behind? Right, so about that comparison form earlier.

The STI and an M2. You can buy an STI (or now even a Type RA) for a bit under M2 prices. They fit a similar niche, but prioritize different things. The M2 is a “more refined driving experience”, the STI has an updated 20 year old engine. If you want some nicer materials here and there, better speakers, a better ride, better fuel economy, and easier access to power, go BMW. But what the STI lacks in human comfort, it makes up for in feeling. The hydraulic power steering talks better than an M2, the ej25 shouts an angrier note, the shifter is mechanical, the brakes can bite just as hard, and you can turn off TC in its most aggressive driving mode. It’s a more “analog” experience.

The M2 hits you upfront with BMW torque, the STI had a bit of lag and then yells at you to rev. I’m not going to sit here and treat this like some sort of world shattering revelation, then the BMW M2 is a better car, while the Subaru WRX STI is the more raw car to drive hard. It’s about what you prioritize I guess.

If I could, I’d have both. They’re two different answers to the “sports cars that can fit 4 people” problem (without being a 911), but both equally one hell of a good time.

It’s kinda rare, that something I’ve reviewed on MSIMA winds up being a car I’ve liked enough to genuinely want. Granted, I’ve always liked the M2, so I’m biased, but it really is a good little nugget. And if the M2 Comp is even more of this, then fuuuck me dude why bother with an M4? If you don’t need the space of the M3, get this, it’s more than enough car and a more usable fun experience than the M4. And with the new generation out, prices are probably gonna keep falling for a little longer, so don’t be bore and buy one.

They aren’t perfect (the rev matching thing does bother me) but for a modern M car, this might just be it. Anyways, I’m gonna look for an M2 Competition now.