Track-tested: The 2021 BMW M2 is a lightweight special of the little German street fighter.

Buying a BMW M2 means you like driving by yourself. It's loud, cramped, and as uninviting to new guests as a mean housecat. BMW fans know why the M2's big straight-six engine and small footprint make it the most thrilling new BMW in ages. Everyone else doesn't want a coupe that costs as much as the mid-engine 2020 Chevrolet Corvette and looks like a cheap rental on oversize wheels. That's been clear since its 2016-model-year debut, and despite some upgrades, BMW doesn't market the M2 to anyone outside the BMW fold. That is why the 2021 BMW M2 Competition now costs upwards of $75,000 Canadian, an absurd ask against so many prettier sports cars and sedans. But the M2 is everything BMW, polished to a mechanical perfection unlike very few of those other cars. We discovered this early on, after taking the first M2 to a racetrack. Now, after a test drive lapping last year's M2 CS, we've seen how perfect the M2 can be.