BMW enthusiasts can’t seem to get enough of the BMW M2 Competition at the moment. It’s being tested and reviewed by almost every journalist and YouTuber on the planet. For good reason, too. It’s being considered one of the best M cars in ages, probably since the BMW 1 Series M. Now, we know that was also said about the regular BMW M2 but this new M2 Competition is even better than that car and sort of replaces it. So what do the guys from The Straight Pipes think of it?

Well, they seem to like it quite a bit. In fact, they can’t seem to stop waxing lyrical about it. It’s hard to argue them, though. The BMW M2 Competition is a genuinely incredible car and there are a few reasons why. One of which is that it’s a lot more powerful than the standard car. With its new engine, the S55 engine from the BMW M4, it makes 405 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. That’s quite a bump up from the standard M2’s 365 hp and 343 lb-ft.

The result of that power bump is speed. The new BMW M2 Competition is actually about as quick as the BMW M4, despite being less powerful. With the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, BMW claims a 4.2 second 0-60 mph time for the M2 Comp. Though, we suspect it to actually be a bit quicker than that, as BMW is always conservative with its power and performance figures. Still, that’s pretty damn fast.

Another big reason as to why the M2 Competition is so great and better than the standard car is its tuning. The standard M2 was a bit sketchy to drive quickly in anything other than great conditions, as it liked to kick its tail out. So you’d expect that BMW stuffing it with a more powerful engine, one that already easily overwhelmed the rear tires of the M4, would only make it worse. However, BMW took great care to change its power and torque curves, making them more linear, and bringing the power on in a more subtle manner. That’s helped make the M2 Competition far less scary to drive than either the regular M2 or the M4. In fact, the guys from The Straight Pipes say it’s one of the more controllable and predictable cars they’ve driven in a long time.