Can we fix the new 2023 BMW M2 with a bumper that doesn’t look like a dumbbell?

October 16, 2022

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This story includes renderings of alternative BMW M2 bumper designs created by Thanos Pappas for CarScoops that are not affiliated with or endorsed by BMW.

The the all-new BMW M2 debuted earlier this week, and like most of the Bavarian automaker’s current designs, it sparked a bit of controversy in our comments section. Our reader’s criticism focused on the front bumper, so we decided to try to fix it while staying true to BMW’s design language.

To begin with, the BMW 2-Series Coupe is offered in three different guises – the entry-level 220i with a less aggressive bumper M240i with triangular water intakes and st full-fledged M2 with box water intakes. The latter also boasts version-specific grilles and unique headlights, further distinguishing its face from lesser models.

Three different bumper designs from the 2-Series Coupe family – 220i (left), M240i (centre) and M2 (right) compared to our M2 alternative (below) using Z4 bumper elements.

For our redesign, we took the front bumper from BMW Z4. The recently updated two-seater roadster seemed like the most appropriate choice, as its appearance is quite sculpted and sporty enough, but not as controversial as the M2 or Duet M3/M4. Grilles with illumination, such as on XM aren’t our cup of tea, so we kept ours LED-free.

As you can see, we’ve chosen the M2-specific headlamps as they look better in our eyes compared to the more complex lighting units of the standard 2 Series. We’ve also kept the original M2 grille, trying out different options, including the slimmer-looking 2-series kidney and wider kidneys Z4 (you can check them out in the gallery below). The rest of the body remains unchanged, including the wide fenders, bulging hood and M-style mirrors simply because they look cool.

Our imaginary BMW M2 from an alternate universe retains the version’s signature headlights, grille and wide fenders, but pairs them with less controversial bumpers.

The end result looks more subtle in terms of sportiness than the brutal face of the standard M2, which is full of horizontal and vertical lines. Although some would say that our rendering is more like a M240i xDrive than a full-scale M2, we mustn’t forget that a few years ago it probably would have been just as wild. BMW was once famous for its clean and elegant interface designwith the M models looking slightly sportier thanks to minor changes earlier the design center has gone mad.

We don’t know if we will succeed in making the new BMW M2 easier to digest, or if our mashup will turn out to be less interesting than the original. Let us know in the comments section below how you’d like your M2 to look in an ideal world – it was the previous generation M2 CS peak in terms of sex appeal?