BMW M2
BMW M2 FROM $89,900
BMW’s M division cars have been hit and miss in recent years — epic on a track, but not so enjoyable in day-to-day driving, where their overreliance on electronics produces a remote, uninvolving driving experience, amplified by artificially weighted steering, constipated twin-clutch gearboxes and an inability to get power the ground.
Well, BMW may havefinally seen and remedied the errors of its ways with its latest model, the M2.
It starts at $89,900 for the sixspeed manual “M2 Pure” edition and $98,900 for the seven-speed twin-clutch auto, fully-fledged M2.
Aside from the transmission (said to trim 0.2 seconds from the manual in the 0–100km/h dash, to a claimed 4.3 seconds in launch mode), the $10,000 premium also buys electrically adjustable heated seats, a sensor key, richer audio and adaptive headlights.
The M2 is not exactly cheap — it’s at least $10,000 dearer than the Audi RS3 and Mercedes A45 AMG — but it’s still the most affordable model in the BMW M range. And, quite possibly, the best. At last, here is a M model in which you can access all of its performance.
The M2 gets a single turbocharger version of the 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder found in the M4, with less power and torque: 272kW/465Nm versus the M4’s 317kW/550Nm.
The M2 has a power-toweight ratio deficit to the M4 too, because, surprisingly, at 1595kg the M2 weighs only 17kg less than the equivalent M4 coupe, despite being much smaller.
But it certainly doesn’t feel slow. We got repeatable 4.8-and 4.9-second times in the 0–100km/h dash on normal road surfaces.
The other ace up the M2’s sleeve is its agility and perfect weight balance 50:50 front to rear. Performance-car makers talk breathlessly about weight distribution even though they could be telling us a pile of bunkum. But the BMW M2 is thefirst car in which I could truly feel what they were talking about. It’s like a giant sled with a lot of grip and a lot of power.
It gels superbly with the precise steering. Go a little too hot into a corner and you can feel it start to run wide long before you’re in any trouble. Back off the throttle just a fraction and the nose tucks in immediately, without upsetting the rear of the car. It’s beautiful.
The brakes are super-sensitive in stop-start traffic. But they’re absolutely glorious when you need them most. The cabin has a high-quality feel. The seats are snug and adjust every which way. The faux carbon-fibre weave in the trim on the doors and dash make you want to run yourfingers over the texture.
If I were to be nit-picky, it needs a bigger digital speed display (it’s as tiny as the odometer reading and a head-up display is not available), the sun visors need to extend to stop side glare on the long doors, radar cruise control would help take the grind out of long trips and there’s no automatic emergency braking.
If they’re the harshest criticisms I can come up with, it’s safe to say the BMW M2 is close to performance car perfection. Insert “future classic” cliché here. By Joshua Dowling
THINGS WE LIKE
✔ You can use all the power you have paid for
✔ Superb balance and mindboggling grip
✔ Precise steering
✔Looks like a real M car
✔ The price is right
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
✘Digital speedo display is too small
✘Needs longer sun visors to block side glare
✘No automatic emergency braking or radar cruise control
SPEX (M2)
●Made in Germany ●3.0-litre six-cylinder turbopetrol/seven-speed DCT/rear-wheel drive 272kW of power at 6500rpm/465Nm of torque from 1400– 5560rpm 0–100km/h in ●4.3 seconds (claimed) 6.4L/100km highway; ●10.5L/100km city; 98 octane premium; CO2 emissions are 185g/km Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometres ●Standard: Six airbags, stability control, Bluetooth with voice control, navigation, digital radio, rear camera, mechanical limited slip differential, bi-xenon headlights, leather upholstery, 19-inch alloys with 245/35 front and 265/35 rear tyres, tyre pressure monitoring, alarm ●Redbook future values: 3yr: 56%; 5yr: 40%
compare with... Audi RS3, Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, BMW M3, Porsche Cayman
BMW Z4 FROM $79,900
The Z4 Roadster kicks off with the 130kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo sDrive20i at $79,900. The 180kW version in the sDrive28i is priced at $89,900.
A six-speed manual is standard. An eight-speed auto is a no-cost option option on the 20i and 28i.
At $118,685, the 35is runs an M-tweaked version of the twinturbo six that produces 250kW and up to 500Nm of torque with an overboost function.
It’s also got the M Sport package and the seven-speed automated manual gearbox as standard.
If you drive the Z4 for what it has now become — a luxurious, GT-style roadster — then it works.
However, at 1.6 tonnes, the Z4 is not the light, agile roadster its soft-top predecessor was, and has moved closer in character to the Mercedes SLK.
It feels nose heavy, pushes the front tyres hard and, under power, the back end also struggles to convert all that grunt into forward progress.
That said, when you lean on the pedal in the 35is, that long bonnet does head for the horizon very quickly.
The trick to enjoying the Z4 is to ease back into the sumptuous seat and go cruising.
The sheer opulence and 1930s-style elegance of the cabin make every drive an occasion. It’s one of the most beautiful interiors in the business, possibly because it’s one of the few designed by a woman.
The folding metal roof means the Z4 is also as quiet as a coupe if you want to stay indoors.
THINGS WE LIKE
✔Spot-on styling
✔Quick
✔Comfortable
✔A coupe and convertible in one
✔Beautiful interior
✔Fuel-efficiency gains
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
✘Won’t see which way a
✘Boxster or Audi TTS went through corners
✘Tight cockpit restricts elbow room
✘So-so resale values Back end can struggle for traction
SPEX (sDrive35is)
●Made in Germany ●3.0-litre twin-turbo in-line sixcylinder/seven-speed automated manual/rear-wheel drive 250kW of power at 5900rpm/450Nm of torque from 1500–4000rpm 0–100km/h in 4.8 seconds 6.9L/100km highway; ●12.6L/100km city; 95 octane premium; CO2 emissions are 210g/km Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometres ●Standard: Four airbags, stability control, leather, front and rear parking sensors, bi-xenon headlights, Bluetooth, heated seats, CD/DVD player with USB interface and hard disc audio storage, navigation, voice recognition, 18-inch alloys, run-flat tyres ●Redbook future values: 3yr: 48%; 5yr: 34%
compare with... Audi TT; Mercedes SLK, Nissan 370Z Porsche Boxster
BMW 6 SERIES FROM $177,900
BMW’s top-of-the-line luxury coupe is priced from $177,900 for the 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol six 640i and $231,900 for the twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 650i, both with an eight-speed automatic and stop/start as standard.
The convertible, with the same drivetrains, costs $193,900 and $247,900 respectively. The fourdoor Gran Coupe is $184,900 and $283,900; the 3.0-litre turbodiesel 640d is $184,900.
The M6, with the same 412kW twin-turbo 4.4 V8 as the M5, costs $292,600 with a hard roof, $299,600 with four doors and $308,600 as a convertible.
The convertible’s rakish profile is complemented by a poweroperated soft-top, buttressed at the rear in old-world style.
It’s a four-seater, though tall front seat occupants will use most of
