PONTIAC, Mich. — The BMW M3 and M2 are not just the brand’s performance halos, they are the latest inductees to the supercar club. With 450-plus horsepower and handling from the gods (not to mention entries from Rahal Letterman Racing in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship GT class), they deserve consideration alongside rear-engine coupes like the Corvette C8 and Porsche 911.
But how different are the Bimmer siblings from one another?
For 2024, compact-class M3 (and its M4 coupe twin) vs. subcompact-class M2 are instantly distinguishable by their radically different design experiments. But under the skin, they appear separated at birth. Same manual/automatic gearbox options, similar twin-turbo inline-6 engines, same mono-pane dash display, same Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.
Is the smaller M2 still the better driver’s car? I took an automatic, all-wheel-drive 502-horse M3 Competition and manual, rear-wheel-drive 453-horse M2 to Hell and back (and to M1 Concourse’s Champion Raceway and back) for a taste test of these meaty dishes.
Both M3 and M2 have spent a lot of time at the dinner table, bucking up to nearly two tons. Yes, the M2, too.
Enthusiasts lamented that the G80 generation M3 not only gained front kidneys the size of Tweedledum and Tweedledee — but the girth to match. The M3 tipped the scales 230 pounds more than its predecessor. For 2024 M2 designers resisted the big kidneys for a chiseled, square look, but it, too, has porked up by 250 pounds over the last-gen coupe to 3,814 pounds—just 70 shy of big brother. Oof.
Credit bigger dimensions, bigger screen, bigger everything (except, lamentably the miniature backseat). Happily, the latest-gen cars have spent a lot of time in the gym to maintain their coordination. Supercar coordination.
The 2023 BMW M3 Competition is heavy at nearly 4,000 pounds, but its sophisticated suspension and sticky tires made it a blast around M1 Concourse.
Over the daunting, undulating roads of Hell, Michigan, in Sports Plus mode, the M pair were stupid quick. Gulping ribbons of asphalt, they stuck to the road like black on asphalt. Lack of body roll at (speed deleted to keep my license) recalled the precision of a Corvette C8 — if not quite the Porsche 911’s poise.
A big asset of the M3/M2 is M MODE, which turned the head-up display into a horizontal, digital engine tachometer. Every performance car should have this feature to keep your eyes on the road when using a stick-or-paddle-shift at speed. Add optional all-wheel drive and 503 horsepower for the M3 Competition trim and it delivered impressive acceleration numbers.
Engage launch control and the sedan explodes out of the blocks to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds — a comparable number to the 911 and ‘Vette. The M3 Comp’s sticker price is a lofty $83,595 with all-wheel drive (the first-ever M3 so offered) — nearly double the price of the standard $45K 3-series. But as a supercar, that it is a bargain on par with the Corvette C8 ZR2, and $20K cheaper than a 911.
The M2’s stick shift (also available in the M3) gave me more control, if less raw acceleration. The visceral thrill of rowing the 2’s box to redline was complemented by a much-improved, notchier shifter than previous generations. At $20K less than an M3, advantage to M2.
But with four doors and more rear legroom over the tight M2, the M3 is a supercar you can pack the family in. Advantage M3.
After a day in Hell, the M killer whales had outgrown their rural pond. I would routinely flirt with triple-digit speeds before backing off to avoid attracting attention. Like their supercar peers, there is more performance here that can only be explored on a race track.
On M1 Concourse in Pontiac, the Bimmers were nimble despite their girth. The chassis have multiple cross braces to add rigidity while suspension tuning keeps the cars hunkered down in high-speed turns. Accelerating out of M1’s Turn 6 hairpin in second gear in the M3, the aforementioned head-up tach flashed yellow lights when it was time to shift at 7,200 RPM. BRAP! I upshifted into third with the right, steering-wheel-mounted paddle. BRAP! Into fourth. Beautiful.
Though BMW uses a single-clutch transmission, it’s as buttery smooth as Porsche’s famed dual-clutch boxes. I hit 120 mph at the end of the straight in the M3 — 114 mph in the M2 — before giant 15-inch brakes brought the missiles back to earth. My M3 tester had ceramic brakes optioned for $8,500 (cough), but steelies will do just fine.
Don’t get the $4,500 carbon-fiber competition seats either. They are the most uncomfortable I’ve sat in. They keep you planted on track, sure — but so do plastic go-kart seats. After my 3-hour round trip to Hell and back, my back was barking so loud I had to lay down. Stick with the standard bolstered leather thrones.
Onlookers lamented the mild external sound of the Ms at speed, but inside they’re satisfying. The twin-turbo inline-6’s acceleration is ballistic, exploding from its 2,750 torque peak all the way to redline (thus the importance of that head-up tac). Upshifts crackle, downshifts burp like Godzilla enjoying a good meal. Standard are the Sport 4S tires, but super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber (or slicks) are preferred for track days.
Interiors use identical tech with a lovely curved screen encompassing a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen. Voice commands are inconsistent.
“Go to Hell, Michigan,” I said. The BMW routed me to Hillman, MI. Sigh. I switched to Android Auto.
Other tech upgrades hit their mark. The M3’s automatic mono-shifter (also available in the M2) was tight, intuitive. The touchscreen meant I never had to fool with the rotary iDrive. And I could scroll through radio stations on the head-up display using steering-wheel controls so my eyes never left the road.
Styling is subjective, but I think the M3’s big maw will wear better than M3’s Lego blocks — as will its four-door utility. Um, assuming you have a extra 20 grand in your pocket. Which M to recommend? Let me tease a third option.
At 3,489 pounds, the last-gen 445-horsepower M2 CS is the best handling BMW driver’s car I’ve piloted. With a better power-to-weight ratio and armed with a stick, it’s more tossable than the heavy 2024 model. The stick shift is rubbery but time behind the wheel begats familiarity.
Styling is timeless — no trendy, art school design experiments here. Wide kidneys and a sleek, muscular body. The trick is to find one since the 2020 CS was only built for one model year. See you in Hell.
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2023 BMW M2
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-passenger sports coupe
Price: $62,200 base, including $995 destination charge ($75,345 as tested)
Power plant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, inline 6-cylinder
Power: 453 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.8 seconds (Car & Driver, manual as tested)
Weight: 3,814 pounds (manual)
Fuel economy: EPA 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway/19 mpg combined (manual); EPA 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway/19 mpg combined (automatic)
Report card
Highs: Improved six-speed manual shifter; M MODE head-up display
Lows: Overweight; polarizing design
Overall: 3 stars
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2023 BMW M3
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear and all-wheel-drive five-passenger sports sedan
Price: $75,295 base, including $995 destination ($109,695 Competition as tested)
Power plant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged inline 6-cylinder
Power: 503 horsepower, 479 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic (only auto in Competition model)
Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds (Competition model, Car and Driver)
Weight: 3,929 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway/18 mpg combined
Report card
Highs: Explosive all-wheel-drive acceleration; roomier second-row than M2
Lows: Gets pricey; polarizing grille
Overall: 4 stars
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