One problem with being a writer is that it’s immensely easy for others to throw your words right back in your face. They’re literally right here for the taking. A few months ago, when the BMW M2 earned our 2024 Performance Vehicle of the Year award, I wrote, “The 2024 BMW M2 is everything enthusiasts say they want. Small, well balanced, engaging, and just plain fun whether you’re at Road America or on America’s roads. It’s a serious performance car yet one that requires little to no compromises.”
Worth the Wait
It’s been nearly a year since we awarded the M2 our Performance Vehicle of the Year calipers, but there’s a good reason we waited for our new yearlong review car—the 2025 M2 ought to be even better than the ’24 model.
For 2025 BMW updated the M2 by giving it the same full-bore 3.0-liter twin-turbo I-6 tune as its M3 and M4 big brothers. Power rises from 453 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque to 473 hp and, in cars with the eight-speed automatic, 443 lb-ft of twist. The allure of BMW’s great manual transmissions, however, saw us forgo the extra torque, opting for the M2’s six-speed stick instead. Other changes for 2025 include the extraordinarily pretty Twilight Purple Metallic paint we chose for our car, and an infotainment upgrade that includes BMW’s new OS 8.5 running on the car’s 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 14.9-inch center screen.
It didn’t take long for the emails and social media comments to come in—focusing on those last five words. “You’d put your parents in the back of that thing?” “The M2 can’t even carry a week’s worth of groceries—the Ioniq 5 N is a way better choice!” “A two-door four-seat performance car is the very definition of ‘compromise’—you should’ve picked the Ferrari.” Well, time to put up or shut up: I’ll be living with MotorTrend’s new 2025 M2 for the next year and, boy, do I look forward to proving you all wrong about this shockingly practical and inspiring-to-drive sports car.