Manual Gearboxes Live On: A Love Letter to the Latest M2
In an age of paddle shifters and EVs, the manual-equipped M2 keeps the three-pedal dream alive.
It feels almost miraculous, but in the current landscape the latest M2 can still be ordered with a proper six-speed manual gearbox. In a world racing toward automatics and electric motors, that clutch pedal is a small act of defiance we are deeply grateful for.
The joy of the manual M2 is not about lap times; a dual-clutch would be quicker every day of the week. It is about involvement. Rev-matching a downshift before a corner, feeling the weight of the shifter, timing that perfect clutch bite. The car makes you part of the process.
Paired with the muscular S58 engine and a compact, rear-drive chassis, the M2 becomes a genuine driver's car. It rewards commitment and punishes laziness, and that honesty is exactly what so many modern performance cars have lost.
So here is our love letter: thank you, BMW, for keeping three pedals alive. Buy the manual while you still can, because we may not get many more chances like this one.