What’s with the gauge cluster?
As the new BMW M2 debut creeps closer, the frequency of teasers has ramped up. BMW showed off some spy photos of its own a while back, and we’ve spied the M2 testing on numerous occasions. There’s also been a number of teaser videos and social media posts. This is one of the latter, and it’s left us confused.
See, our spy shots of the new BMW M2 show it’ll have BMW’s latest iDrive 8 infotainment software. Great, we love iDrive 8. It integrates both the gauge screen and central infotainment screens into one large panel. Which is nice, but also where the confusion begins. BMW’s latest teaser showed a physical gauge cluster, not a digital one.
BMW
BMW
BMW
BMW M/Instagram
In the images and video above, you can clearly see a tach needle (or speedo) crossing over the M2 logo. But iDrive 8 is all digital. So what’s up? Obviously, this footage could be from an older M2. Previous models did come with physical gauges, after all. So perhaps BMW just threw that in there to throw us off the scent.
But why not show the new M2’s gauge cluster for a split second? Even at .25 playback speed, it’s basically imperceptible, so it’s not like you’d be giving much away. We already know it’s got a digital dash. The one in the video clearly isn’t, and you can see the needle sweep across the logo, implying that the needle takes up physical rather than digital space. So again, what gives? Perhaps it’s just a simple marketing ploy to keep us talking about the new model.
Either way, we do get a little peek at what appear to be the headlights of the new M2. Again, we’re a little perplexed. Out of context, this light design doesn’t look anything like the M240i’s. And it’s a little too flowy to be consistent with what we know about the M2’s new design, which appears to borrow heavily from the M240i. Perhaps BMW has kept more of the older M2’s softer body lines than we thought. Or, maybe the new design will simply clash with the lights. With BMW design these days, who knows?
Either way, the new M2 is shaping up to be the M car to get. It should, in theory, pack a manual transmission, if only for the US market. BMW’s perennial S58 inline-six out of the M3 and M4 is expected to motivate the car, likely through the rear wheels. It should also have somewhere in the ballpark of 450 hp, which is enough power for us to forgive any design fumbles. To a point.
BMW
BMW
BMW M/Instagram
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