M2 and M5 Competition Unleashed

Could the sequel to a great story be better than the original? In most cases, the 2nd time is hard to fall in love but as the saying goes…there’s an exception for every rule.

You know when performance car Companies like BMW add “competition” to their M Power models, it’s going to be good. Such words feel like adding “double” to your favourite sandwich… expect awesomeness taken to the next level.

The M2 and the M5 were already great cars in their “normal” trim. The M2 could have been the perfect BMW M car, with its short wheel base and its well balanced , and the M5…well that was insane in every possible way. But, the M people being the M people, they decided to kick things up a couple of notches and released something more powerful, more agile and…better than before.

Surely this track test is just a quick glimpse of something that will soon be “escaped” the proper way. The Monza track offers the ideal proving ground to sample the potential of the new Competition range: extremely long straights and tight and slow corners, a perfect mix to test acceleration, heavy braking and traction.

Needless to say that the M2 was the most impressive, offering a 410 hp from its updated twin turbo 3 litre straight 6 engine and the same chassis of the M4. It eats away the straights and offers a better balanced behaviour in the corners over the previous M2: it feels happier when you drive it like a racecar, bringing the braking well into the apex and flooring the throttle gradually to the exit. The behaviour is typical BMW, with a slight and delightful oversteer behaviour under heavy acceleration. Characterized by precise cornering and confidence-inspiring traction, it surely feels like the perfect tool for a satisfying canyon-carving session.

The M5 is the real surprise: with its reworked dynamics (stiffer springs and an engine sitting lower by a few mm) it behaves like a lighter sportscar. Oh and it’s more powerful too: with 25 hp more, totalling in a whopping 625! Well, the least thing it needed was more power…but since it always comes in handy, let it be! The new M5 is agile and gets into the corners with such eagerness that it defies the laws of physics. The M X Drive system, paired with a new set up increased the level of confidence you have in the car, giving you more room to push it forward and reach its limits. It’s always a surprise, a big saloon capable of playing games with the faster and more powerful supercars, almost twice as expensive.

So, this event was a first, exciting glimpse to what’s to come and we’re ready to put these M Power babies to the test with some nice escape in the next months.