As soon as I saw this parked in the driveway, my mood suddenly lifted, having sat through a couple hours of shit traffic to get home. A bittersweet feeling, though, not any part of the car's doing but more knowing that this could be one of the last 'Let Me Ride' experiences I'll have. The roomie is leaving Motor Trend, off for much greener pastures, joining Toyota as part of their PR team. What a perfect note to end on than with BMW's latest M car: the 2016 M2.
Time was short with this, I almost titled this 2 Minutes with the M2 because that's all Nate could spare, already running behind to do some testing with the MT crew. Badges taped up, it's not like anyone wouldn't know it's an M2 if they knew what to look out for but it went largely unnoticed in a section of town saturated with M5s and M6s.
The M2 is largely an M4 but in a smaller package, mostly in the form of suspension components, standard 19-inch forged wheels (that come optional on the M3/M4) and brakes. Sorry, the monster M3/M4 twin-turbo S55 didn't make the cut but the M235i's 365 hp single turbo N55 did. Cruising through the 'hood, the M2 sounds strong, that quad tipped exhaust loves to roar.
As soon as I could get more comfortable with the M2, it was sadly, time to part ways. We quickly made another short run of easy driving before giving up the driver's seat. Tiny but tough, the M2 would be an excellent gateway to the M family until it's time to step up to an M3/M4.