I've been SO excited to drive this! It's the all-new BMW M2. While the looks may not be to everybody's tastes, the drivetrain surely is. Paul Maric checks out the latest pocket rocket from BMW's M division.
Hardness tester, noise and lane keeping results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE
More BMW content: https://www.carexpert.com.au/bmw
More BMW M2 content: https://www.carexpert.com.au/bmw/m2
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:49
Interior: 03:26
Infotainment: 04:58
Safety Tech: 06:30
Practicality: 07:17
On the Road: 09:56
Performance: 16:50
Drift mode: 20:51
Verdict: 28:14
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
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#bmw #m2 #review
Hardness tester, noise and lane keeping results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE
More BMW content: https://www.carexpert.com.au/bmw
More BMW M2 content: https://www.carexpert.com.au/bmw/m2
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:49
Interior: 03:26
Infotainment: 04:58
Safety Tech: 06:30
Practicality: 07:17
On the Road: 09:56
Performance: 16:50
Drift mode: 20:51
Verdict: 28:14
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
Paul Maric:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMaric
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric
#bmw #m2 #review
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00 G'day, I'm Paul.
00:01 Today we are checking out what I reckon is
00:03 probably the last pure sports car on the market.
00:07 It is rear wheel drive, six speed manual
00:10 in this particular spec.
00:11 It's the new BMW M2,
00:13 and I've been very much looking forward to driving this
00:15 for quite some time now.
00:17 This competes with things like the Mercedes-AMG 845S,
00:21 the Audi RS3, but it is worth keeping in mind
00:23 both of those are all wheel drive,
00:25 whereas this is just rear wheel drive.
00:27 It's priced at just over 120 grand,
00:28 so it has snuck up in price very rapidly.
00:32 Today we're gonna do a detailed review of this,
00:33 so if you do wanna skip ahead to other parts of this review,
00:35 you can use the time codes on the screen,
00:38 or if you are on YouTube,
00:39 you can scroll down and use the chapters below.
00:41 But if you haven't done so already,
00:41 subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon,
00:43 so you can find out every single time
00:45 we play with variable traction control.
00:47 So it's not a big car, but it has had a big reaction
00:51 when it comes to external design.
00:54 It's available in a number of colors.
00:55 This one here is called Zandvoort Blue.
00:57 They name all of their colors after racetracks,
01:00 and this is a racetrack called Zandvoort.
01:02 Now, what do we think of the design?
01:04 Let's start off with things I like.
01:05 So I love this power bulge up the top here.
01:08 It reminds me of the XR8 Falcon.
01:11 Couldn't fit the engine in,
01:12 so they had to make the bonnet a little bit bigger.
01:14 I do also love the fact that some of the BMWs
01:17 delivered this year in Australia
01:19 get the anniversary logo there as well,
01:21 which I think is really cool.
01:22 Look, I'm not gonna lie,
01:23 this has some interesting proportions,
01:26 and I don't think this color is overly flattering.
01:28 I've seen one in red,
01:29 and I think that really makes it pop
01:30 with some of the darker colors.
01:32 This color, I just don't know
01:33 that it's going to date all that well,
01:34 but personal opinion,
01:36 some people may love the look of this.
01:37 I don't know, just don't love this color.
01:39 So you've got big air intakes over here,
01:41 M2 badge just there,
01:43 and then Piano Black down the bottom there as well.
01:46 You have full LED headlights
01:48 with parking sensors integrated off to the side there.
01:50 This one actually has the optional package
01:52 called the Carbon Experience,
01:54 and as a result of that,
01:55 it ups the top speed from like 250 to 280 kilometers an hour.
01:59 Also add some carbon seats inside the cabin.
02:01 I'll show you what they look like later on.
02:02 Down here, you've got a set of 19s up the front here.
02:06 You have cross-drilled rotors
02:07 with enormous six-piston calipers.
02:10 The rotor is 380 mil, so it is nice and big.
02:12 So 19s on the front with that Piano Black finish,
02:15 and they go to 20s on the rear, 275s on the front.
02:18 It is a really nice and meaty setup,
02:20 and that brake fits in there nicely as well,
02:22 so it looks very confident.
02:25 Up the top here, love this design with that M mirror,
02:28 how it's carved out on the side there for aero.
02:30 You have an indicator built into there.
02:32 Have a look at this side skirt as well.
02:33 That really chisels in nicely
02:35 down the side of the vehicle there.
02:36 Flush door handles,
02:38 like we're seeing in a lot of new BMW models.
02:41 Have a look at these rear wheel arches as well.
02:43 They flare out a little bit too,
02:44 because when you get to the back,
02:46 you are going up to a 20-inch wheel,
02:48 and in terms of the width,
02:49 they come out to 285, so slightly bigger.
02:52 You have a smaller rotor up the back here,
02:54 only marginally smaller,
02:55 but it isn't a super heavy car,
02:57 so these brakes are going to do the job nicely.
02:59 Come around to the back with me.
03:01 Should also mention as well,
03:02 this carbon roof looks bloody unreal.
03:05 Now, over here, M2 badge.
03:06 You got that anniversary badge there as well.
03:09 Little bit of a boot lip spoiler there too
03:11 to help with downforce.
03:12 Quad exhaust pipes,
03:13 mighty big diffuser down there,
03:14 and these big chiseled rear sections as well.
03:17 So let me know what you reckon.
03:19 Outside of the 86 BRZ,
03:21 can you think of any other quintessential sports car setups
03:23 like this with rear wheel drive and manual?
03:25 Let me know in the comment section below.
03:27 Okay, so we are inside the cabin.
03:29 We'll start off with the key.
03:31 Here it is.
03:31 So you've got unlock, lock, boot,
03:34 and then you have the diamond.
03:36 Over on the side there, you have the M colors.
03:39 This kind of an old school BMW key,
03:41 but it's all pretty simple and straightforward.
03:43 You got a push button start once you're inside,
03:46 and proximity sensing for those door handles.
03:48 Look at this, manual transmission,
03:51 which should be a bit of fun.
03:52 Haven't sort of used one of these in a little while,
03:54 but we'll see how that goes.
03:56 Now, in terms of what this looks like here in person,
03:59 I think they've done a great job
04:00 just bringing tech to the M2.
04:02 Look, the M2 was never sort of terrible
04:04 in terms of the technology,
04:05 but this really has stepped it forward.
04:07 You get that curved display ahead of the driver,
04:09 carbon everywhere as part of the carbon package
04:12 this has fitted, including these seats,
04:14 which look absolutely incredible and hug you in nicely.
04:17 They really have just gone to town
04:18 on making this look and feel quite special,
04:21 and they kind of need to, $120,000 odd.
04:24 It is a lot of money for a car
04:25 that was never really this expensive.
04:27 So yeah, I do think that it does feel
04:29 like it represents that price.
04:31 In terms of your touch points, not too bad there,
04:33 and pretty good on the door there as well.
04:35 How firm are they?
04:36 We've got our durometer.
04:38 We've tested the main surfaces in this cabin.
04:40 If you want to see how this car compares
04:42 to others that we've tested before,
04:44 have a look at the link in the description below.
04:46 Now, build quality.
04:47 That is all very, very solid, which is good,
04:52 and this is what the door sounds like.
04:54 (door thuds)
04:56 Now let's talk about infotainment.
05:00 I'm gonna keep this pretty high level
05:01 'cause we've covered this infotainment
05:03 in a number of our BMW reviews,
05:05 but it is a curved display,
05:07 and that means that from here to here,
05:09 it's all one join, but then it curves around.
05:11 So it is all kind of just facing towards the driver.
05:13 This is almost 15 inches over here,
05:15 and this features the latest version
05:17 of BMW's OS iDrive operating system.
05:21 It is actually almost the latest version.
05:23 There is one update they've just done to this
05:24 that has just rolled out in the new 5 Series,
05:26 but this is all configurable here.
05:28 You can move things around as well
05:30 if you just push and hold,
05:31 and you can shift them around the place
05:33 and pop them sort of wherever you like.
05:35 Then you also have a menu here
05:36 that gives you all of the other shortcuts as well.
05:40 Now with M2, they've kind of just jam-packed it full.
05:43 The only option you have is that M Carbon Experience,
05:46 which is like a $15,000 option.
05:47 Everything else is standard.
05:48 So you get the Harman Kardon branded sound system.
05:51 You also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,
05:55 AM/FM, DAB, digital radio.
05:57 This is what Apple CarPlay looks like.
05:58 So it's a wireless setup.
06:00 Nice full-screen integration.
06:02 All works nice and smoothly.
06:03 And this is Android Auto.
06:05 So again, full-screen integration.
06:07 Very nice and crisp as well.
06:09 Head of the driver, you've also got a display here
06:12 that is configurable using your controls here.
06:14 It's actually not a bad setup with the M modes as well.
06:17 And I'll show you this when we go for a drive.
06:18 You can actually dive through normal through to track
06:21 where it just minimizes everything
06:22 and just allows you to concentrate on the road.
06:24 So I do love that functionality,
06:26 and they really have thought about this
06:28 as a potential track car.
06:30 Let's check safety.
06:31 So you have autonomous emergency braking.
06:33 You have an auto-dimming rear vision mirror.
06:36 Blind spot monitoring built into the wing mirror.
06:37 You have cruise control.
06:39 Unfortunately, it's not radar cruise control.
06:40 That's on the automatic version of this only.
06:43 Rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors,
06:47 and then a reverse view camera.
06:49 Show you what that looks like.
06:50 There it is.
06:51 So yeah, look, quality is okay.
06:52 Nothing sort of too special.
06:53 You can see what it says there on the suitcase,
06:55 but yeah, could be a little bit better.
06:57 But you do have the reversing assistant,
06:58 which I reckon is a fantastic feature.
07:00 It's able to basically map out the last,
07:03 I think, 50 meters of travel.
07:05 So if you are down like a narrow street,
07:07 all you do is hit that and it will map your reverse path
07:10 almost perfectly, which I think is a great feature.
07:13 This is what the horn sounds like.
07:14 (horn honking)
07:17 Let's chat about practicality,
07:18 and we'll start off with your connectivity.
07:20 So you have a USB-A port down the front here.
07:23 You have a 12-volt outlet just there.
07:25 You've also got a USB-C port
07:27 and a wireless phone charger in there.
07:30 In terms of storing your phone and other bits and pieces,
07:33 it can kind of just live around here somewhere.
07:37 There's plenty of room for it.
07:38 And then your coffee cup, look at this,
07:41 fits perfectly in there without any dramas.
07:44 Little teeth to hold it in place as well.
07:47 Same with your water bottle,
07:48 fits in without any dramas there,
07:50 and fits into the door too.
07:51 We'll try the big water bottle inside the door as well.
07:54 Oh, that fits as well.
07:57 Not bad in terms of storage.
07:58 Very impressed with that.
08:01 You have a center console here
08:02 that's kind of reasonably sized.
08:04 That wireless phone charger eats into
08:06 a little bit of that space.
08:07 And then you have a glove box down here
08:09 that is positively small.
08:11 Now, on your comfort front,
08:12 you have dual-zone automatic climate control,
08:14 but you've got to go into this climate menu to make changes.
08:18 You can adjust the temperature without going into this,
08:21 but that extra step is a little bit clumsy, I reckon.
08:24 I've removed all the buttons and stuff,
08:26 but anyway, it is in there.
08:28 You have heated seats for the front row as well,
08:30 heated steering wheel, and just on the steering wheel,
08:33 look at this, it just sits really nicely in the hands.
08:35 You've got carbon there, the M1 and the M2 buttons,
08:38 which I'll explain when we go for a drive.
08:40 In terms of adjustment,
08:41 steering offers both tilts and reach adjustability.
08:44 Electric seat adjustment for the driver and front passenger,
08:46 so you can go forwards or backwards.
08:48 Your backrest can go forwards and backwards.
08:51 You have lumbar adjustment.
08:53 You can also adjust the height of the seat as well.
08:56 The other cool thing with the seats too
08:58 is you can actually remove these headrests.
08:59 So if you take those screws out,
09:01 the headrest comes out and gives you a little bit more room
09:04 if you are wearing a helmet.
09:05 These seats hug you in so tightly as well,
09:08 so you're not gonna move anywhere
09:09 when you go for a bit of a fang.
09:10 Just on the back seats,
09:12 I was actually surprised how much room there is
09:14 in the back there, so I had plenty of room to sit there.
09:16 There is not as much headroom effectively,
09:19 but I think if you did need to put adults in the back there,
09:21 it definitely would not be a stretch.
09:24 And then on our reach test,
09:26 all of this stuff is easy to reach while you're driving.
09:29 Now let's talk cargo space.
09:31 Look, it's not an SUV, so I don't expect a great deal,
09:34 but I think it's okay.
09:35 So just under 400 litres of cargo space.
09:38 There is no spare tyre, you just have a tyre repair kit
09:40 and there's nothing under that floor.
09:42 So bag fits into there,
09:45 suitcase fits into there as well.
09:48 Look, it's actually not that bad.
09:49 When it's not the end of the world,
09:50 you probably get a set of golf clubs
09:51 or something like that in.
09:52 And then you can fold the seats down as well
09:54 if you want a little bit of extra space.
09:56 (car engine roaring)
09:59 Okay, we've just hit the road in the M2.
10:04 Murphy's law, it has just bucketed down.
10:07 This is gonna be very interesting,
10:10 but I'm very much up for the challenge.
10:12 So powering this three litre turbocharged
10:15 six cylinder petrol engine,
10:17 it is one of my favourite engines in the world.
10:20 It is just such a smooth, raucous,
10:22 it really just goes to town on power delivery
10:25 and just making a big old bracket while it does it.
10:28 It has become quieter in recent years
10:30 because of noise restrictions
10:33 and all that sort of nonsense emissions controls,
10:35 but still actually sounds really meaty.
10:37 And they do plumb a little bit of sound
10:38 into the cabin as well,
10:40 but it is matched by a decent amount of note outside too.
10:43 (car engine roaring)
10:46 So it produces 339 kilowatts of power
10:54 and 550 new metres of torque.
10:56 So it's a really decent slab.
10:58 And it means that when you are just tootling along
11:00 like you're in fifth gear, 60 K's an hour
11:02 and you lean on the throttle,
11:04 it just starts delivering torque.
11:05 It's really responsive and it's not a lazy engine.
11:09 You are able to call on it to give you a punch in the back
11:12 whenever you need it.
11:13 Let's talk about this gearbox.
11:15 So look, I don't know if this is me just being nostalgic,
11:19 but one of the best manual transmissions
11:21 in a modern sports car was the six speed manual
11:24 in the last generation of the Holden Commodore.
11:27 It was so tight and just a really fun shift.
11:31 And every single time you had to go through the gears,
11:34 it was just a really enjoyable experience.
11:36 I don't really get that vibe here.
11:38 This one's just okay.
11:39 It kind of feels like what a six speed manual
11:42 would feel like in a base sort of three series or something.
11:45 It doesn't really feel all that exciting or engaging.
11:48 I also really dislike just the pedal box.
11:51 I'm a size 12.
11:52 It's not exactly the world's biggest shoe.
11:54 Every time I go to use the clutch,
11:56 I have to put my foot in a very specific position.
11:59 Otherwise it gets caught up the back there.
12:01 And when you're trying to drive quickly,
12:03 you really just don't have the ability to be very accurate
12:06 with that clutch pedal at all.
12:07 And I think that that is a massive thing
12:09 that needs to be addressed.
12:10 And I don't know if it's just a right hand drive thing,
12:12 but it is pretty frustrating to live with.
12:14 So outside of that, there's enough room for heel towing
12:16 and that kind of thing.
12:17 But I just think that clutch positioning
12:19 could be a little bit better
12:20 and perhaps just delete the foot rest here
12:22 to make way for it all.
12:24 So there are my gripes aside.
12:26 How does it all feel once you actually lay into it?
12:28 So this is third gear, very wet.
12:30 Get on that throttle.
12:32 Very nice.
12:33 Just pushes you in the back
12:35 and everything just feels really good here
12:37 from behind the wheel.
12:38 Now let's check fuel economy.
12:40 So we are currently averaging 11.9
12:44 and the official figure is somewhere in the vicinity of 10
12:47 or thereabouts.
12:48 So I think that's probably about as good
12:51 as it's gonna get.
12:52 And I actually don't mind that.
12:53 This is turbo six.
12:55 You're gonna expect it to use a bit of fuel
12:56 and it uses significantly less fuel than my Ranger Raptor,
12:59 which is good news.
13:01 Now, sunwave time.
13:02 So we will pop the speed up to 130 Ks an hour,
13:06 which is the maximum speed here in Australia.
13:09 So dial these revs up.
13:10 There it is there.
13:13 Look at it in the comfort setting, it's all perfectly fine.
13:18 Body control's great simply
13:19 because it is a fairly firm setup.
13:21 Just speaking of that, this uses adaptive damping.
13:24 So as you progress through the different chassis modes,
13:27 it becomes progressively firmer
13:29 and there is a lot of firmness in it.
13:30 If you go to the Sport Plus chassis setting,
13:34 it really is quite firm.
13:35 And then you do notice a quantum difference there
13:37 when you pop it back into comfort.
13:38 So I am glad that you do actually notice that.
13:40 Now let's talk drive modes.
13:41 You can change everything from the engine
13:44 through to the gear shifts, the chassis, the steering,
13:46 even the brake pedal feel.
13:48 So with the engine, you go efficient sport, Sport Plus.
13:50 With the gear shift assistant,
13:52 you can actually make it so that it does rev matching for you
13:55 so you can see there, as I go through the gears,
13:57 it's actually doing all of the rev matching for me,
13:59 which I think is a pretty cool feature.
14:01 And variable traction control,
14:03 which I'll run you through shortly.
14:04 But let's pop this into the Sport mode.
14:06 Now I've put it in MDM,
14:07 which is like a limited stability mode.
14:09 It is very wet out here at the moment.
14:11 There really isn't a great deal of traction.
14:14 So it's going to be entertaining at the very least,
14:17 but we'll see how we go here around the track.
14:20 You'll also have to take my...
14:21 (LAUGHS)
14:23 You'll also have to take my word for it when I tell you
14:25 that earlier today, when it was dry around here,
14:28 this thing was an absolute hoot.
14:30 It was actually still a little bit wet,
14:37 but I was surprised at how much traction these tyres had.
14:40 Even though it was damp in parts,
14:47 it still gave me all of the confidence I needed.
14:50 Here where it's properly wet and they're not very warm,
14:52 you don't get that confidence behind the wheel,
14:54 and it's very happy to sort of snap oversteer.
14:57 It is all quite progressive, though,
14:59 so when you do feed in the throttle and it starts to step out,
15:02 it's actually not too bad in terms of how it feels behind the wheel
15:05 and how much it wants to actually rotate.
15:07 So I guess you're not really sort of learning much from this discussion,
15:11 but, yeah, I can tell you that it is an absolute weapon around here,
15:15 so much so that I'd love to line it up against something like an RS3.
15:19 While an RS3 has one less cylinder, this, I just think, has more legs,
15:23 and it just hooks up so nicely at the rear there with those 285s.
15:27 So, yeah, it is incredibly impressive,
15:29 and I love the sound, love the torque delivery.
15:32 Really just puts a smile on your face,
15:34 especially when you're in charge of it all here
15:36 with the six-speed manual transmission.
15:38 Now, bumpiest road in Australia.
15:40 We do this one at 90km/h.
15:42 Let's see what it's like here.
15:45 In the M2.
15:47 Alright, it is bumpy, even in comfort mode, it's quite bumpy,
15:51 but it's only to be expected.
15:53 But it is actually doing a decent enough job.
15:55 I was expecting it to be far worse than this,
15:58 but, yeah, look at that.
15:59 On our condensed sine wave,
16:00 it is falling into every single one of those dimmits, which is great.
16:03 Yeah, look, it is definitely bumpy,
16:04 but at the end of the day, that is what you expect
16:07 if you find yourself on a corrugated road.
16:09 So what's it like in terms of road noise?
16:11 Unfortunately, there is a lot of road noise,
16:13 and that is one of the downsides of having such a sporty tyre.
16:16 It is going to emit a lot of road noise into the cabin.
16:19 Look, it's just a compromise you're going to have to make
16:21 if you go down the path of a sporty vehicle like this.
16:23 And I guess it's a compromise you've got to be willing to make.
16:25 Good sound system, though, so it kind of solves all those issues.
16:28 And on the visibility front,
16:30 I can see clearly down the front of the car there,
16:31 the envelope out the back's not too bad.
16:33 Winger is a decent size as well,
16:35 and it's fairly straightforward to park too.
16:37 It even has some clever features.
16:38 If you're up on a hill and stuff like that,
16:40 it will actually hold the vehicle for you.
16:42 You don't need to manually apply the park brake.
16:44 So I think all of that stuff just makes it easy to drive as a manual.
16:48 (ENGINE REVS)
16:50 OK, you're about to witness the most pointless thing you will see today.
16:54 But before we get to that, I want to tell you about Help Me Car Expert.
16:58 Car Expert's a massive company.
17:00 It's not just me, Igor, and Sean on video doing fun stuff all day.
17:04 We are a big company.
17:05 We have a stack of vetted dealers
17:07 that will help you get the best deal on in-stock cars.
17:09 We actually have a stack of BMW dealers that work with us as well.
17:12 So just Google 'Help Me Car Expert'
17:15 and that'll take you to a page that explains everything.
17:17 Now, the reason I say this is pointless
17:18 is because, yes, it looks nice and sunny outside,
17:21 but it was bucketing down about 10 minutes ago, and it is very wet.
17:24 This is rear-wheel drive, and I suspect we're not going to get anywhere.
17:27 But I will use launch control first for our performance run,
17:30 and then I will try without launch control.
17:33 So we're going to go all the way through to 120km/h.
17:36 So to enable launch control, you've got to put it into MDM mode.
17:39 And then you select first gear, throttle all the way down.
17:42 It'll say launch control active.
17:44 And then it says to release the clutch quickly.
17:46 So I'm not going to feather, I'm just going to dump the clutch.
17:48 And then it lights up here with all our gear shifts.
17:51 So let's give this a shot and see how we go.
17:55 OK, so there's launch control preparing, launch control active.
17:59 Let go of the clutch.
18:00 (ENGINE REVS)
18:02 (CHUCKLES)
18:07 (CHUCKLES)
18:08 Oh, that is fun, but...
18:12 (ENGINE REVS)
18:14 Not in the type of way that you'd want to be near anything,
18:23 'cause it is snappy as, and that is with MDM on.
18:27 So that was exciting.
18:28 All right, let's see how we went then.
18:31 The official time just for the record is 4.3 seconds,
18:33 and I don't think we'll get anywhere near that.
18:35 5.99, that's actually not bad for sopping wet.
18:38 So that's 0-100 and then 80-120, 3.45 seconds.
18:42 Again, amazing because we didn't have any traction there at all.
18:45 So let's go back again.
18:47 We'll try that one more time, except with everything switched off,
18:50 and we'll see how that goes.
18:53 OK, so this time around, I'm going to switch stability control off.
18:58 I think this is going to be all over the place,
18:59 but we will see what happens anyway.
19:01 So I'll load up a bit of throttle.
19:03 I'll slip the clutch a little, and we'll go all the way through to 120.
19:06 Oh, that's wheelslip city.
19:09 All right, there's 120.
19:18 (CHUCKLES)
19:19 (ENGINE REVS)
19:21 It is really hard to get this off the line in the wet.
19:28 You have to have a whole lot more skill than I have to make that happen,
19:30 but let's see how we went anyway.
19:33 So it was 5.99 with launch control, 6.85.
19:37 So it shows you either you need a whole lot more skill than I have
19:40 or you just trust in launch control even when it's wet,
19:43 which is pretty cool, and then 80-120, 3.47.
19:47 So pretty nice.
19:48 All right, now we're going to go back and stop from 100km/h,
19:53 which will be entirely pointless given how wet it is,
19:55 but again, let's just log the time anyway
19:57 just so we can say that we've done it.
19:58 So...
19:59 (ENGINE REVS)
20:01 There's 100. Here we go.
20:03 (ENGINE REVS)
20:05 Oh!
20:07 (CHUCKLES) We stopped eventually.
20:09 All right, let's have a look.
20:12 So 100 to zero, 3.48 seconds, 48.29 metres in the sopping wet.
20:19 So, yeah, I'd love to come back here one day
20:21 when it is actually dry to see how that went.
20:22 Hey, if you do want to see more about the app
20:24 that we use for performance testing,
20:25 have a look at the link in the comment that I've pinned.
20:28 And if you do want to see how the M2 has stacked up
20:30 against other cars that we've tested,
20:32 have a look at the link in the description,
20:33 but do keep in mind it was wet, obviously.
20:35 OK, how quick does the M2 go in reverse?
20:38 Here we go.
20:40 (ENGINE REVS)
20:42 (ENGINE REVS)
20:44 (ENGINE REVS)
20:46 (CHUCKLES)
20:48 73km/h. Not bad.
20:51 So it is time to do something a little bit fun.
20:54 So I want to run you through M Traction Control
20:57 and also the Drift Analyser.
21:00 They're just some fun tools you have access to here in the M2.
21:04 So what we'll do, we'll start off with just MDM,
21:07 which is the limited slip mode
21:09 that I think personally is fairly safe to use on a public road
21:12 because it gives you just a little bit of slip there
21:15 and sort of everyone's pretty happy with how everything goes.
21:18 So what we're going to do, we're going to come around our cone here
21:20 and then on the exit of the cone, I'll just accelerate
21:23 and then you'll just be able to see the back end step out a little bit
21:26 and then we'll see how the car manages that.
21:28 So I've got my foot flat to the board there.
21:30 All I had to do was put in a little bit of steering input
21:33 and then all it does is sort itself out.
21:35 And it is sopping wet outside, so we're doing this because...
21:38 Obviously, it's not going to destroy the tyres, but, yeah,
21:40 so you can just get on the throttle...
21:42 (ENGINE REVS)
21:43 ..and it will just step out a little bit and everyone's happy.
21:46 But what you can do then is take it one step further
21:49 and use Variable Traction Control.
21:51 So to access that, you go to Stability Control Off
21:54 and then go to M Traction Setup.
21:56 As you can see there, I've got Sport Plus
21:58 and everything else in the Comfort setting except the brakes.
22:01 What I'll do, I'll put Variable Traction Control on, like, 8
22:04 and then I'll come around that same corner
22:06 and use the same sort of healthy amount of throttle
22:09 and just show you how much that will step out.
22:11 Now, keep in mind, Stability Control is off.
22:13 It's just Traction Control that is limited now.
22:16 So hard on the throttle...
22:17 (ENGINE REVS)
22:18 ..you can see it steps out,
22:20 but Traction Control is always ready to bite
22:22 and the harder you push the throttle, the more it's going to bite.
22:25 So in the 8 setting, for example,
22:27 you can be quite gentle with the throttle to have it step out
22:31 and just keep riding it
22:32 and then it will just keep letting it step out a little bit.
22:35 So we'll go down to Lower setting.
22:37 Let's go to 5 now and see what that feels like.
22:40 So here's 5.
22:42 We turn in, give it a bit of throttle.
22:44 As I can see there, I had a little bit more sideways action there
22:50 because I can feed in more throttle.
22:52 It's letting the wheels turn a little bit more before it bites
22:55 and you're getting about 50% of that Traction Control biting there.
22:58 And you can see it's just very easy to control.
23:01 So we'll drop that down to 2 now.
23:04 I think this is going to get progressively more sideways as we go.
23:09 So feed in that throttle, let it come around.
23:11 You can actually see out the back there
23:16 the wheels are really lighting up nicely,
23:19 but we're still getting control over the car.
23:22 It's not going too crazy
23:23 because part of the reason people crash
23:27 is because they hold the throttle in so hard
23:30 with Traction Control off and Stability Control off
23:33 that the wheels are spinning so quick
23:35 that when they actually do need a bit of control
23:37 and they let off the throttle,
23:38 the wheels have so much momentum that they're not actually slowing down.
23:41 Whereas this system here will let the wheels spin up,
23:43 but it doesn't let them go too crazy
23:45 and it means that you do have proper control over the car.
23:48 Let's go down to the least setting, which is 1.
23:52 That is the least amount of Traction Control input.
23:55 So again, we'll turn in.
23:58 Get on the throttle there.
24:00 You can see we can get fairly sideways there,
24:04 but still have control over the vehicle.
24:06 So, all right, now it's time to go back.
24:08 We'll switch everything off entirely.
24:11 I was having a bit more fun here.
24:15 And then I'll show you what that looks like.
24:16 So that is everything off now.
24:19 So it's all in the hands of...
24:22 the driver.
24:25 And it means that you can get properly sideways
24:32 and have some fun with the car.
24:35 I really love the fact that when this is off,
24:37 it is properly off.
24:39 So...
24:40 you can be fully sideways
24:43 and actually be having a lot of fun with it.
24:45 Now, I did mention that driving this day to day
24:47 is a bit of a chore,
24:48 but being a manual, you can do some fun stuff
24:50 like a clutch kick to...
24:52 to initiate a donut.
24:56 That's the thing I love about this just being rear-wheel drive.
25:04 Manual, you can do silly stuff like that.
25:06 And then, you know, go home at the end of the day
25:10 and park it up.
25:11 Now, before we jump over to the skid pan
25:13 so I can show you Drift Analyzer,
25:15 I will mention here that when you have
25:17 variable traction control on...
25:19 so we'll stick it on there...
25:21 stability control is still off.
25:23 So if you do overcook it,
25:25 it won't stop you spinning out.
25:26 So I'll show you what that looks like.
25:28 So you can see there that I just fed in the throttle
25:33 and even though we still had a level of
25:35 variable traction control,
25:37 it still spun out because stability control
25:39 is totally switched off.
25:40 So do keep that in mind.
25:41 If you are going at a faster speed or
25:43 in, you know, confined conditions
25:45 where there's walls and stuff,
25:47 you do still have stability control off.
25:49 So keep that in mind.
25:50 Alright, let's head over to skid pan
25:53 so we can try Drift Analyzer.
25:55 Okay, now it's time to play with the Drift Analyzer.
25:58 So, love this feature.
26:00 What it does...
26:01 that gives you a warning telling you
26:02 impending doom...
26:04 So what it does is it basically allows you
26:06 to set your variable traction control,
26:08 but it also measures what your drift is like
26:10 and it will give you a rating from 0 to 5.
26:12 It'll tell you the level of traction control
26:14 on drift duration, drift angle, and the drift distance.
26:17 So, let's pop the variable traction control to 1
26:20 and I'll just use 2nd gear here
26:22 and we'll just use our skid pan
26:24 and we'll see how it goes.
26:25 So, yeah, you basically line up
26:28 the line that you want to take.
26:30 Yeah, and then...
26:32 tip it in and...
26:34 start using the throttle.
26:39 And I love when it's in this variable traction mode.
26:43 You can be quite generous with the throttle
26:46 knowing that it's not going to have any issues.
26:49 And then once you're done,
26:51 you just pull out of that.
26:52 You've got it on the head-up display as well.
26:54 It'll give you a rating.
26:55 So there you go.
26:56 5 stars on level 1.
27:00 Drift duration, 18 seconds.
27:02 Drift angle, 31.4 degrees.
27:03 Drift distance, 212 metres.
27:05 So, quite impressed with that effort.
27:07 I'll show you what it looks like now with everything off,
27:10 where it's just up to my skill.
27:11 Hopefully I'll be able to replicate this.
27:13 Okay, so...
27:14 switch variable traction control off.
27:18 And we'll see if I can replicate that result.
27:22 Here we go.
27:23 Alright.
27:24 This is the thing I love about this car.
27:31 It is so easy to do this.
27:33 I'm just resting on the throttle,
27:35 feeding it in when I need it.
27:36 And even though we have sort of wet patches around here,
27:40 it's actually doing a remarkably good job just all on its own.
27:45 So, I'll pull out of this.
27:47 See what that ended up looking like.
27:51 5 stars again.
27:52 That's awesome.
27:54 Yeah, this is so much fun.
27:55 And I just love the fact that
27:57 you just have all these toys to play with.
27:59 This isn't like an all-wheel drive car
28:01 where they try and, you know, fake a drift and stuff.
28:03 You are rear-wheel drive.
28:05 You are at the mercy of skill
28:07 and at the mercy of electronics
28:09 if you do want to go down that path as well.
28:10 So, sensational job BMW on all these fun little toys.
28:13 So, BMW M2.
28:18 Firstly, I just want to apologise for not being able to give you the value
28:21 that we normally do when it comes to these videos.
28:23 You've probably wasted like 20, 30 minutes of your time watching this.
28:26 It was just so wet today
28:27 and it's about to get even wetter.
28:29 Have a look at that cloud.
28:30 So, we just couldn't get a dry patch.
28:31 But I can tell you,
28:32 based on the driving that I got to do when it was dry,
28:34 this is in just another world altogether.
28:37 It's rear-wheel drive but it doesn't feel like that.
28:39 It actually feels like it's all-wheel drive
28:40 and I don't know how they've done that
28:41 but it just puts a massive smile on your face.
28:43 It sounds good.
28:44 It's everything that an M car needs to be.
28:46 Didn't love the manual transmission.
28:48 So, if you are tossing up between the manual and the auto,
28:50 just go the auto.
28:51 It works perfectly with this driveline
28:53 and it just gives you all the smiles that you need.
28:55 Plus, it's quicker to 100 k's an hour as well.
28:57 I know that it's not pure but just get the auto.
28:59 You'll prefer that.
29:00 Now, have you bought one of these?
29:02 Let me know the colour that you went for.
29:03 Do you find it good-looking?
29:04 Let me know in the comments section below.
29:06 If you did enjoy this video by any chance,
29:08 please make sure you like it and you share it with your mates.
29:10 And if you haven't done so already,
29:11 subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon.
29:13 But, until next time, stay dry.