FIRST DRIVE: 2016 BMW M2

When BMW told us we’d be getting to go out to the famous Laguna Seca in California to test drive the new BMW M2(with BMW GPS navigation), you can imagine we were more than excited. The 11 turn, highly technical Laguna Seca is the perfect place to test the M2, as the track prioritizes nimble handling and precision over power and speed.

However, because of how extremely technical and difficult Laguna is, we were instructed to follow either legendary BMW driver Bill Auberlen or Claudia Hürtgen, the 24-Hour BMW driver, for eight laps. The first lap was just a sighting lap, so we could get a chance to learn the track. Two more laps were to build up some speed slowly and get comfortable with the cars. Four more laps were at full speed, where we were really able to test the car. After that was a cool down lap.

After our eight laps at Laguna, we took the BMW M2 to the hills around Carmel Valley and on the Pacific Coast Highway towards Big Sur for some street driving. The BMW M2 on these gorgeous, scenic roads was exactly what car enthusiasts live for. 

The BMW M2 is one of the more important sports cars to come out of Bavaria in a long time. It’s the answer to the call of so many BMW fans who wanted more from the, already brilliant, 2 Series chassis. The BMW M2 represents a return to form for the BMW brand, a brand once known for its small, lightweight and nimble sports cars and could be the most exciting car to come out of Bavaria in years. While the BMW M3 and M4 are excellent cars, the M2 could be the spiritual successor to cars like the E46 M3, cars that BMW fans love more than most others. What about install a Car DVD Player

But just because the BMW M2 is designed to feel like its from a bygone era, it still has plenty of current BMW M DNA built into it. The new M2 actually uses the same steering rack as the M4 – electrically-assisted – but it’s obviously on a smaller chassis with different suspension geometry, making it feel more direct and precise, but with a very similar tactile feel to it. It does offer better feel through the road than the M4, though. There is an immediate sharpness and a great feedback just off center, while being extremely precised. It just never feels darty.

The M2 was really able to show off it capabilities at Laguna Seca, where the tight, technical corners and famous corkscrew are perfect for a car like the M2. The M2’s front end bites hard and changes directions with extreme precision. The car loads up incredibly in corners and stays planted throughout.

We had the chance to try the MDM mode as well which allows the M2 to really run free into mild oversteer. If you turn off the driver aids, the M2’s strong traction remains but you can turn the slip from mild to wild in a split of a second. If installing an Android Car Stereo in your car, that would be great!