The BMW M2 Competition | Chris Harris Drives | Top Gear

normally when bmw adds a

competition

badge to an m car it unnecessarily ruins the suspension and adds some ugliness to the wheels but with the m2

competition

it has done something different, something better because the m2 competition actually gets a new engine, m3 unit s55. It's now wedged in there and you even get the original carbon strut, you also get a new chassis, new brakes and a decent percentage of a new cabin. You now have 410 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque, big increases over the old car, but you also get 55 extra kilograms, but BMW loves its traditions, so it added some uglier wheels just to stay true. to the inheritance of competition.

Did you have a good summer vacation? I had them, but the way to get back to work is the new BMW M2 Competition. BMW has very kindly given us an M2 with an M3 engine, but it's not that simple because the old M2 engine was eliminated by the latest emissions regulations, so either the M2 had to die or BMW had to bolt this engine. so we get a load, more power, a little more height, we also get a little more weight, and that's what bothers me a little bit. The power to weight ratio of this car is not much better than a normal m2, so let's see. what is the circuit like the last m2 was always quite complicated what do we have here so we are in claremont because it is one of the great circuits I haven't been here before I have no idea why I didn't know because it is excellent, the elevation changes They are amazing, dct

gear

box on this one, it's really very sharp.

I think the changes are much faster. It's raining a little right now, so I'm losing a little traction. The engine pulls like a horse does. I don't feel as angry as in the m3 and for me there has always been a personality in the m2 that was missing in the m3 and it comes from that short wheelbase, the car changes direction very aggressively but also feels a bit a little pointy, there's an element of danger, like it's a 2002 turbo, if you know what I mean, and I love that about these things, the balance is good, we have a little bit of understeer in the middle of the corner and we have oversteer on the road. get out as much as you want, let's show that here we go, so we step on the gas and get a little bit of that on the way out, you drop the arm if you want it, very controllable, typical BMW cockpit.

I quite like these new instruments. They have some sort of new M5 style instrument package that looks pretty funky and really cool technical brakes. I said the brakes are actually quite prominent for this. This car still doesn't have the agility of a Cayman, but what I like is that, even though it's a complete idiot when you actually want to do a lot more work than the Cayman, it can now draw a straight line a lot more than could, so it's a fast car, it really is a fast car if you wanted to. something to run every day doing a little occasional work on the track I would never have advised the last m2 was not up to the job this one is certainly just as we tested it this car still breaks specs pretty normal inside it weighs 49,000 pounds , that's a lot for a two series car, but I don't know what else this will do for the money, of course the main competition for the m2 really is a used m3, isn't it?

You can buy one of those for about 40 thousand dollars. do you have a used m3 or m2 i think my money is on the m2 competition there's something about this it's pretty pointy it's pretty fun there's a personality here that I really enjoy yeah I'm going to grab one of these let's slide some stuff in here check this out , why do BMW engineers just know how to make cars feel super super planted when they slide? It's partly the way they let them go to the limits of grip and the tire never gets really sharp on the fall. the grip is always consistent also the power steering the electric power steering in this car is a little lifeless however the assistance remains constant until the lock stops there you have it someone useful information for the consumer this circuit wow what a place yeah , there's a little bit of deadness in the steering, you know, it's a little bit lifeless, but I don't know, all steering systems tend to be like that.

The seating position is still too high for me. I don't know why BMW likes that nowadays. but they seem to be oh what a thing oh it's slippery there nile yes slippery today it's slippery today hold on to the wheel crazy uh you