Significantly, though, the new M2 matches that car’s front and rear track widths to the millimetre. The chassis, meanwhile, has a longer wheelbase than the old M2’s, but at 2,747mm, it’s still 11cm shorter than the current M4 Coupé’s.

Toyota GR86 vs BMW 230i: 2023 twin test review.BMW M2 vs BMW M3 CSL: 2023 twin test review.BMW M2 vs Porsche 718 Cayman GTS: 2023 twin test review.This is our first chance, then, to see if what could well be the M2’s final chance stacks up on the road. But the basic principle probably holds true: just like its rivals Mercedes and Audi, BMW is not immune to the need to stick complex hybrid and pure-electric powertrains into its cars, and its M performance sub-brand can’t avoid that trend forever either. And there’s bound to be at least a hardcore M2 CSL between now and ‘the end’ – possibly even a CS too. Of course, nobody will confirm that this is the case explicitly. If the new BMW M2 really is to be M division’s ultimate sign-off for pure-petrol power in a compact sports-car package, then blimey, they’ve nailed it. It’s the one you hold on to, capable of taking you from 10mph all the way to 90mph (or even slightly beyond) – by which point your ears will be fizzing with six-cylinder noise and your grin will fill the space between them. Stick with the auto, enjoy it and spend the manual-gearbox option cash on unleaded. We’re not about to call a £66,000 car cheap, but the M2 is such a wonderfully pure distillation of M’s magic, and BMW six-cylinder power, that we feel obliged to say it appears remarkably good value. More than any of its predecessors, it fully assumes the original M3’s brief by offering supercar-baiting cross-country performance, along with astounding handling, agility and involvement, in a compact package. With only the teeniest caveat about how its ride will hold up on UK roads, the new M2 is an absolute triumph.

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