Excuse me BMW Malaysia but you forgot the third pedal with the new BMW M2 here

Its looks might be divisive but there’s no denying its performance and purity on the road. That’s the new BMW M2 and BMW Malaysia today announced its arrival here, coinciding with BMW M GmbH’s 50th anniversary.

As their line-up has grown in girth, the M2 now fills the gap of a compact, high-performance coupe, an area that was once the domain of the now-beefier M3/M4.

While it does divide opinion on its design, all grovels about its looks will ceases once that nuclear powerplant of an engine fires up. The S58 twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six is taken from its larger M3 and M4 siblings. However, output here is a little lower at 460 PS though torque remains identical at 550 Nm.

Performance can be attributed to key optimisations such as a new lightweight crankshaft, a racetrack-designed oil supply/cooling system and high-pressure injection at 350 bars.

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That’s good for a century sprint of 4.1-seconds and ad restricted top speed of 250 kph. Owners can add on for the M Driver’s Package that increases the top speed to 285 kph.

The only disappointing part comes next; BMW Malaysia seems to have forgotten to install a third pedal in the driver’s footwell. Instead, there are some weird paddles on the steering that supposedly control an 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission that sends power to the rear wheels.

However, we suspect special orders will get you that third pedal but probably at a heftier price tag. Not having a manual here is a little disappointing for what is arguably the purest driving machine from Munich that isn’t a special edition or limited run model. In other markets, the M2 can be had with a 6-speed manual.

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BMW’s marketing fluff describes the M2’s façade as a “commanding appearance.” Most people would call it “designed by a ruler.” Regardless, the important exterior bits include a reduced height and lower roof line (11mm) although other dimensions create a larger footprint than its predecessor.

The traditional kidney grille is unframed, leading to most dubbing it a pig’s nose. Add in the square shaped air intakes and you can begin to see why people are split over the looks. The distinctive power dome on the bonnet is back and a very welcome aesthetic addition. Adaptive LED headlights complete the front end.

Rulers were the predominant tool of choice in the design studio and was used extensively on the sides as well. Rectangular shapes create a classic 3 box design that accentuated by the flared arches.

Handling is sharpened via new axle kinematics that’s courtesy of the newly designed chassis that Munich claims is almost redeveloped from scratch. The front end is held up by double-joint spring strut front axle and the wishbones are now made of aluminium. At the rear, it’s a five-link. An Active M Differential and M Adaptive Suspension round it up.

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Stopping power comes from a set of blue 6-piston fixed-caliper brakes at the front. Opt for the Pro Package and the brakes are swapped for M Compound Brake units in a Red High-gloss finish.

Standard for the M2 is the M High-gloss Shadowline, with extended contents available exclusively with the Pro Package. Also exclusive with the Pro Package are the M Carbon Roof and M Lights Shadowline.

Holding the lucky driver in place are fully-electric M Sport seats with specific side bolsters. Of course, shifter paddles are standard but taking centre stage on the steering are the red M Mode buttons. The extra money for the Pro Package are the M Seat Belts and carbon fibre M interior trim pieces.

Seeing as the M2 is meant to be equally at home doing the daily commute, ADAS features comprise Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Warning, Front Collision Warning with brake intervention, Rear Crossing Traffic Warning and Rear Collision Prevention.

There’s also M Drive Professional. Developed for the track, it helps the driver with improving lap times and drift angles via the M Drift Analyzer. It records the duration, distance covered, line and angle of a drift. The M Laptimer helps further expand your performance by providing a comprehensive performance overview shown on your instrument cluster or optional head-up display. There’s also a live display of lost or gained time over the fastest lap of the day.

You can have your M2 in shades of Zandvoort Blue, Alpine White, Brooklyn Grey, Black Sapphire and Toronto Red.

Pricing is estimated and as follows:
BMW M2 - RM 598,800
M2 with Pro Package - RM 642,800