The Mighty 2025 BMW M2 Is Even Mightier With More Horsepower

Like its bigger siblings the M3 sedan and M4 coupe, the two-door BMW M2 is getting a power increase for 2025. The current high-performance 2 Series model is the most capable and comfortable M2 ever, a hugely fun car that's worth every penny of its surprisingly reasonable starting price. When a car is that good it’s probably best not to deviate from its fundamentals very much. BMW is well aware of this which is why the 2025 M2 doesn’t fix what isn’t broke—though we'll never turn down more power...

More Power and More Torque

Often cars that receive a mid-life refresh from their maker get some revised styling, maybe a new feature or two, and some new paint colors—but it's less often big power upgrades are part of the deal. Fortunately, BMW has bucked the trend, giving us something under the revised M2's hood to talk about.

The 2025 BMW M2’s 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine gets a 20-hp boost to 473 hp; torque holds firm at 406 lb-ft with the standard six-speed gearbox. However, buyers who opt for the eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission—a no cost option—can look forward to more torque, a stouter 442 lb-ft.

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BMW doesn’t explicitly point out where it found the increased power, but chances are the engineers worked their magic on the 2025 M2’s engine and transmission software for the boost.

Because of the extra power, the manual transmission 2025 M2 is said to cut 0.1 seconds off its zero-to-60-mph time, bringing it to a claimed 4.1 seconds. BMW says the added torque and quick shifting of the eight-speed automatic transmission can get the M2 to 60 mph in as little as 3.9 seconds. Both figures seem wildly conservative, however, given how we've clocked the pre-update stick-shift M2 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds, and an automatic-equipped example in only 3.6 seconds.

Top speed is still limited to 155 mph unless the M2 is equipped with the optional M Driver’s Package, which ups the limiter to 177 mph.

New Drip, New Kicks

The 2025 BMW M2 will have fourteen different paint hues available, twice the number offered previously. Frozen Pure Grey metallic and Frozen Portimao Blue II metallic are the only returning colors; highlights among the rest include Sao Paulo Yellow, Vegas Red metallic, Portimao Blue metallic, and Skyscraper Grey metallic. The 2025 M2 has the option of four “BMW Individual” paint colors, too: Java Green metallic, Voodoo blue, Grigio Telesto Pearl Effect metallic and Twilight Purple Pearl Effect metallic.

The 2025 M2 will come standard with BMW’s M alloy style 930M wheels with jet black finish in a staggered fitment (19-inch diameter in front and 20 inches in the rear). They can be had in a bi-color finish or a bright silver finish which is new for this model year. The exhaust pipes are finished in black standard and the exterior badges are blacked out with silver boarders by default now.

Interior Refresh and Software Updates

With the exterior remaining largely the same, we’re not surprised to see that the interior design remains the same as well. Though BMW does give the cabin a few updates by way of materials and user software. Like the 2025 M3, the 2025 M2 gets a new flat-bottomed leather steering wheel with red center stripe. An Alcantara wheel is a new option for 2025. Both wheels can have an available heating function option.

The M Sport seats have a new black with red highlight option and carbon fiber bucket seats are now available as a standalone option or part of the Carbon Package.

The curved screen featuring the 12.3-inch information display and 14.9-inch control display returns in the 2025 M2 but most of the user software has been upgraded. The infotainment and UI are all running on BMW OS 8.5 in the new M2. Part of the update means that the climate control system is now also operated digitally. That could prove to be slightly annoying depending on how easily accessible it is from the touchscreen. We’re going to take this opportunity to remind all OEMS that climate controls should be as easy and intuitive to use as possible.

For the driver, the 2025 M2 gets BMW’s “Augmented View” on the control display. Essentially the function overlays navigation instructions on a live video stream of the driver’s view with contextual real-time information. For example, if the driver reaches a confusing intersection, an animated directional arrow super imposed on the live video can help out.

2025 BMW M2 Price and Release Date

The 2025 BMW M2 has a starting base MSRP of $66,075, which is $1,880 more than the 2024 model (which works out to about $94 per extra horsepower!) and $2,880 more than the 2023 model year before that. One of our positives about the M2 when we tested the 2023 model year was that it felt like the price was a huge bargain, and we don't think that impression changes much, if at all, with another $3,000 tacked on.