The Germans are no strangers to underquoting power figures for some of their vehicles, with the latest example of this being some dyno results on the latest generation BMW M2.
The evidence comes from IND Distribution, who were one of the first (if not first) to put the G87 M2 on the rollers to find out whether BMW was being optimistic or conservative with its power and torque figures for the M2’s S58 engine.
For reference, in stock form BMW claims the M2’s S58 powertrain produces 338kW and 550Nm, at the engine crank. Following dyno tests, the team found that their non-competition M2 was pushing out 342kW at 6910rpm, accompanied by peak torque figures of 559Nm. And that’s at the wheels.
Once you factor in the drivetrain loss, usually a factor of about 15 per cent for a rear-wheel drive vehicle, you’re looking at around 402kW at the engine. That’s some serious power for a tight little sports coupe.
The BMW M2 comes powered by the same 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged inline-six you’ll find in the M3 and M4, in a slightly detuned state. It launches the car from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds in the automatic variant. BMW also offers the new M2 with a manual transmission that can hit 100km/h in 4.3 seconds.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time BMW has under-quoted power figures for one of its M cars after dyno tests showed a stock 2021 BMW M4 laid down 347kW at the wheels, translating to over 405kW at the engine.
