Much have been said, lots of it negative, about the exterior design of the new BMW M2. The incongruously boxy design makes the new car look like a Chinese knock-off of the old one. You know it’s not a winning design when people have to caveat it with, “It looks better in person!” Beautiful objects look good no matter if it’s in person or on photographic medium.
To test out the hypothesis that the new M2 looking better in the flesh, I got an opportunity to stare at one when I took my own M2 (previous generation) to the dealership for service. The copy in the showroom is in Black Sapphire Metallic, which helps to camouflage the bulbousness of the lower half. In person, the front end of the new M2 looks rather decent. I wouldn’t call it cohesive, but it’s effective in translating the latest BMW design language. Again, the color black really helps to hide some of the awkward shapes.
What black cannot hide is the hideousness of the new M2’s rear end. The rear bumper design is as atrocious in person as it is in pictures and videos. Why the need for so many elements that jut out? Like warts on an otherwise pristinely smooth face. If I were in a car following this new M2, I would want to pass it as soon as possible so I don’t have to keep looking at that rear end design. It’s simply awful.
The service advisor asked me if I were looking to upgrade - from my old M2 to the new one. I had to be diplomatic about it (instead of laughing out loud ) and said the new car’s exterior is too polarizing. Obvious bias aside, the F87 generation BMW M2 Competition will go down in BMW’s rich history as one of its classic designs. Elegantly aggressive is how I would describe it.
The only good angle.