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THE invigorating BMW M2 might look like a tempting proposition for people who pine for an M3 or M4 but can’t afford one.
But its $89,900 Pure-spec, manual-gearbox, entry point, and more realistic $98,900 paddle-shift price, do not stack up so well against its direct competitors.
Audi’s RS3 (pictured below) is a much cheaper proposition at $78,900 and it matches exactly the BMW M2’s 4.3-second 0 to 100km/h time. It also offers four doors and far more usable rear-seat space.
BMW spokeswoman Lenore Taylor argues that neither of these cars is a genuine competitor for the new M2 – because they are hatches, offer smaller and allegedly less exciting engines, and lack rear-wheel-drive purity.
“You have to remember that a coupe is always seen as more premium and that the M2 has a six-cylinder engine against the four-cylinder offerings in those cars,” Fletcher says.
“You’re also talking about a vehicle that features a lot of technology from the M3 and M4, which sit in a different category, so we think that the price is very reasonable.”
“Our customers are telling us that we’ve got the spec level and the price right,” she said.
Whether the M2 can match its German rivals on the road is something Wheels will endeavour to find out as soon as possible. The M2 goes on sale locally in April.
