The M2 is based on the BMW 2 Series Coupe, which in turn is a derivation of the 1 Series Hatchback, and that scored a maximum five stars in the Euro NCAP crash-testing programme back in 2012.

Standard safety features on board include:

• Airbags: front on both sides, curtain front and rear, seat-integrated side front

• Adaptive cruise control

• Brake pad wear indicator

• Electronic stability control

• Hill-start assist to prevent rolling back while pulling away on an incline

• Rear parking sensors

• Automatic headlights and wipers

• Halogen headlights

• Two ISOFIX child seat lashing points for the outer rear seats

• Tyre-pressure monitoring system

You’ve got a number of optional safety features to choose from too. The Visibility Package includes headlight washers along with adaptive xenon headlamps including an automatic high-beam function. You can specify a reversing camera, and keyless entry and ignition is available under the name Comfort Access.

The Driving Assistant package would be useful if you’re doing a lot of motorway miles, comprising a lane-departure warning system as well as a forward-collision warning, low-speed automatic braking and a fatigue-detection system.

The BMW M2’s practicality is almost exactly the same as the 2 Series it’s based on, so you’re in for a 390-litre boot, 60:40-split rear seats that are relatively cramped with poor headroom thanks to the sloping roofline, loads of space in the front of the car and the option of a rear armrest that contains two cupholders but folds away allowing longer items to be through-loaded into the cabin from the boot. That latter system also converts the rear seats to a 40:20:40-split.

In the front you get a pair of cupholders, decent-sized bins in the doors to hold bottles and a centre console storage area with USB connection.