BMW has finally revealed the G87 M2 to the masses, and if you listened very closely on October 11th, 2022, you could hear the collective sighs of relief from enthusiasts echo around the globe. The M2 did not receive the controversial front end that the G80 and G82 M3 and M4 got, and looks decidedly, well, normal. Even better, it does shares a lot of running gear with its big brothers. That means lots of power, rear-wheel drive, and a six-speed manual. Not a bad deal for a base price of $63,195 after the $995 delivery fee and before ADM.
All good things, right? Well, yes. Especially the bit about the nose. But there’s another car that makes a very compelling case for enthusiasts looking for a reasonably affordable, RWD, manual coupe: the Toyota Supra. That one starts at just $53,595, very nearly $10,000 less expensive. Let’s take a closer look and see what a hundred c-notes get you.
Generating 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque from its BMW-sourced B58 inline-six, the Supra scoots from a standstill to 60 mph in about four seconds. It’ll continue to pull all the way to an electronically limited speed of 155 mph. Stopping power comes from 13-inch rotors front and rear, with big Brembo 4-piston calipers up front and a single-piston floating rear caliper in the rear.
Utilizing the S58 engine from previous M offerings like the X3 M and G80 M3, the G87 M2 makes do with 453 ponies and 406 pounds of twist. BMW claims the manual car will accelerate from 0-60 in around four seconds, and it will continue to pull all the way to an electronically limited speed of 155 mph. You get six-piston calipers up front and – stop me if you’ve heard this – single-piston floating rear calipers. They measure 15.6 inches and 14.6 inches in the front and rear, respectively.
They both have 13.7-gallon fuel tanks, they both get limited-slip differentials, and their overall width is between an inch of one another. To say the vehicles are similar would be the understatement of the century.
Despite seemingly sharing a lot, there’s an elephant…
