First Road Trip 2016 BMW M2 Coupe By Henny Hemmes +VIDEO
Prepared for speed
By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel
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Colleague Ian tried to make things up and have me pay a ticket by showing his (real) Singapore Police badge. No way, I behaved!
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In the model that we drove at the race track, the motor worked together with the optional 7-speed double clutch transmission (DCT) with Drivelogic (3 driving modes), launch control, gradient assistant and hill detection as well as low speed assistant. Since there are still a lot of enthusiasts who prefer to shift manually, BMW offers the M2, just like the M3/M4, with a 6-speed gearbox, which was the one we took for our road trip.
Heart beat
Even if we would not have had the track experience yet, I would instantly have fallen in love with the compact high-performance coupe.
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The rear wheel drive, the precise steering, the engine power all add to an extra heart beat, as well as the winding roads near Monterey.
Shifting the manual transmission goes naturally, without thinking. The shifts are short and direct and the clutch pedal is firm but not too heavy. Throttle and brake pedal are close enough for operating them with one foot at the same time, something that is called ‘heel & toe’ in race terms. When you often drive a fast car with a stick shift, it can become a habit, but it is not really necessary to use this technique in the BMW M.
The M-engineers have applied a speed control function that blip-blips when you shift down and at the same time lowers the engine revs when shifting up. It should also make gear changes smoother and provide extra stability during hard driving on a track. I think the blips are a bit overdone, but I bet that lots of drivers love it.
Driving fun
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The suspension is well set up to deal with bad roads and speed bumps and when we ask the car to match a dynamic driving style, it does so without hesitation and without body roll. You may linger to take the M2 to the race track, but it also offers a lot of driving fun on not too busy open roads.
Manual or DCT?
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Would I order the DTC transmission? If I would have the extra $ 2,900 available, yes! Even though I like a manual, and especially the purists M driver would do so, the automatic is brilliant and shifting with the paddles at the steering wheel is as fun and easy as it is with the stick.
A nice advantage is the somewhat lower fuel consumption of the DTC transmission. It may be less relevant today, but when gas prices rise again, it is always welcome to be able to drive 2.7 miles longer on one gallon.
The new M-model is expected to arrive at dealerships in April.
Technical Details BMW M2 Coupe
Engine: 6-cyl. turbocharged. Capacity: 2,979 cc. Power: 272 kW/3760 hp @ 6,5000 rpm. Torque: 465 Nm/343 lb-ft @ 1,400-5,560 rpm. (369 lb-ft. with overboost) Transmission: 6-speed manual Tyres fr/rr: 245/35 ZR19 – 265/35/ZR19 Acceleration 0-62 mph (100 km/h):4.5 sec. Top speed: 155 mph/250 km/h. Fuel cons. average (Eu cycle): 8.5 liter/100 km, or 27.03 mpg. CO2-emission 199 g/km. Price: from $ 52,695 (MSRP).
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