Pontiac, Michigan — The BMW M3 and M2 are not just the brand’s performance halos, they are the latest inductees to the supercar club. With 450-plus horsepower and handling from the gods (not to mention entries from Rahal Letterman Racing in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship GT class), they deserve consideration alongside rear-engine coupes like the Corvette C8 and Porsche 911.

But how different are the Bimmer siblings from one another?

For 2024, compact-class M3 (and its M4 coupe twin) vs. subcompact-class M2 are instantly distinguishable by their radically different design experiments. But under the skin, they appear separated at birth. Same manual/automatic gearbox options, similar twin-turbo inline-6 engines, same mono-pane dash display, same Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

Is the smaller M2 still the better driver’s car? I took an automatic, all-wheel-drive 502-horse M3 Competition and manual, rear-wheel-drive 453-horse M2 to Hell and back (and to M1 Concourse’s Champion Raceway and back) for a taste test of these meaty dishes.

Both M3 and M2 have spent a lot of time at the dinner table, bucking up to nearly two tons. Yes, the M2, too.

Enthusiasts lamented that the G80 generation M3 not only gained front kidneys the size of Tweedledum and Tweedledee — but the girth to match. The M3 tipped the scales 230 pounds more than its predecessor. For 2024 M2 designers resisted the big kidneys for a chiseled, square look, but it, too, has porked up by 250 pounds over the last-gen coupe to 3,814 pounds—just 70 shy of big brother. Oof.

Credit bigger dimensions, bigger screen, bigger everything (except, lamentably the miniature backseat). Happily, the latest-gen cars have spent a lot of time in the gym to maintain their coordination. Supercar coordination.

Over the daunting, undulating roads of Hell, Michigan, in Sports Plus mode, the M pair were stupid quick. Gulping ribbons of asphalt, they stuck to the road like black on asphalt. Lack of body roll at (speed deleted to keep my license) recalled the precision of a Corvette C8 — if not quite the Porsche 911’s poise.

A big asset of the M3/M2 is M MODE, which turned the head-up display into a horizontal, digital engine tachometer. Every performance car should have this feature to keep your eyes on the road when using a stick-or-paddle-shift at speed. Add optional all-wheel drive and 503 horsepower for the M3 Competition trim and it delivered impressive acceleration numbers.

Engage launch control and the sedan explodes out of the blocks to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds — a comparable number to the 911 and ‘Vette. The M3 Comp’s sticker price is a lofty $83,595 with all-wheel drive (the first-ever M3 so offered) — nearly double the price of the standard $45K 3-series. But as a supercar, that it is a bargain on par with the Corvette C8 ZR2, and $20K cheaper than a 911.

The M2’s stick shift (also available in the M3) gave me more control, if less raw acceleration. The visceral thrill of rowing the 2’s box to redline was complemented by a much-improved, notchier shifter than previous generations. At $20K less than an M3, advantage to M2.

But with four doors and more rear legroom over the tight M2, the M3 is a supercar you can pack the family in. Advantage M3.

After a day in Hell, the M killer whales had outgrown their rural pond. I would routinely flirt with triple-digit speeds before backing off to avoid attracting attention. Like their supercar peers, there is more performance here that can only be explored on a race track.

On M1 Concourse in Pontiac, the Bimmers were nimble despite their girth. The chassis have multiple cross braces to add rigidity while suspension tuning keeps the cars hunkered down in high-speed turns. Accelerating out of M1’s Turn 6 hairpin in second gear in the M3, the aforementioned head-up tach flashed yellow lights when it was time to shift at 7,200 RPM. BRAP! I upshifted into third with the right, steering-wheel-mounted paddle. BRAP! Into fourth. Beautiful.

Though BMW uses a single-clutch transmission, it’s as buttery smooth as Porsche’s famed dual-clutch boxes. I hit 120 mph at the end of the straight in the M3 — 114 mph in the M2 — before giant 15-inch brakes brought the missiles back to earth. My M3 tester had ceramic brakes optioned for $8,500 (cough), but steelies will do just fine.

Don’t get the $4,500 carbon-fiber competition seats either. They are the most uncomfortable I’ve sat in. They keep you planted on track, sure — but so do plastic go-kart seats. After my 3-hour round trip to Hell and back, my back was barking so loud I had to lay down. Stick with the standard bolstered leather thrones.

Onlookers lamented the mild external sound of the Ms at speed, but inside they’re satisfying. The twin-turbo inline-6’s acceleration is ballistic, exploding from its 2,750 torque peak all the way to redline (thus the importance of that head-up tac). Upshifts crackle, downshifts burp like Godzilla enjoying a good meal. Standard are the Sport 4S tires, but super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber (or slicks) are preferred for track days.

Interiors use identical tech with a lovely curved screen encompassing a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen. Voice commands are inconsistent.

“Go to Hell, Michigan,” I said. The BMW routed me to Hillman, MI. Sigh. I switched to Android Auto.

Other tech upgrades hit their mark. The M3’s automatic mono-shifter (also available in the M2) was tight, intuitive. The touchscreen meant I never had to fool with the rotary iDrive. And I could scroll through radio stations on the head-up display using steering-wheel controls so my eyes never left the road.

Styling is subjective, but I think the M3’s big maw will wear better than M3’s Lego blocks — as will its four-door utility. Um, assuming you have a extra 20 grand in your pocket. Which M to recommend? Let me tease a third option.

At 3,489 pounds, the last-gen 445-horsepower M2 CS is the best handling BMW driver’s car I’ve piloted. With a better power-to-weight ratio and armed with a stick, it’s more tossable than the heavy 2024 model. The stick shift is rubbery but time behind the wheel begats familiarity.

Styling is timeless — no trendy, art school design experiments here. Wide kidneys and a sleek, muscular body. The trick is to find one since the 2020 CS was only built for one model year. See you in Hell.2023 BMW M2

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-passenger sports coupe

Price: $62,200 base, including $995 destination charge ($75,345 as tested)

Power plant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, inline 6-cylinder

Power: 453 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.8 seconds (Car & Driver, manual as tested)

Weight: 3,814 pounds (manual)

Fuel economy: EPA 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway/19 mpg combined (manual); EPA 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway/19 mpg combined (automatic)

Report card

Highs: Improved six-speed manual shifter; M MODE head-up display

Lows: Overweight; polarizing design

Overall: 3 stars

2023 BMW M3

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear and all-wheel-drive five-passenger sports sedan

Price: $75,295 base, including $995 destination ($109,695 Competition as tested)

Power plant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged inline 6-cylinder

Power: 503 horsepower, 479 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic (only auto in Competition model)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds (Competition model, Car and Driver)

Weight: 3,929 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway/18 mpg combined

Report card

Highs: Explosive all-wheel-drive acceleration; roomier second-row than M2

Lows: Gets pricey; polarizing grille

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne

St. George, Utah — When I was a kid in West Virginia, my friends and I would play in a sandbox with Tonka trucks and Matchbox cars. Six decades later, not much has changed.

But the toys are better.

Bouncing through the red sand of Sand Hollow State Park in Utah, I floored the 470-horsepower V-8 in the 2024 Jeep Wrangler 392 Rubicon and the rear-end sluiced right, my passenger hanging on to the “Oh, crap!” bar on the front console for dear life. WAUUURRGGHHH! went the V-8. HAHAHAHA! went my media colleague. Jeep knows where our inner children live.

The off-road sandbox has become more crowded in the last few years as Americans have gone bonkers for SUVs, trucks and their performance counterparts. Chevrolet has introduced more ZR2 off-road trucks, GMC its AT4 brutes and Toyota its TRD models, but the marquee matchup — the toys all the cool kids want — are the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, which have locked horns in a death match that is better than Holyfield vs. Tyson. I’m pretty sure ears will be bitten off.

With the muscle-car segment shriveling between the approaching walls of low consumer demand and government emissions edicts, Wrangler vs. Bronco has replaced Camaro vs. Mustang as the new American toy war.

Ripping its shirt — er, doors — off just like Wrangler, the muscular upstart Bronco has revealed innovative class features like a rotary transfer-case dial, independent front suspension, dash-mounted controls and 37-inch all-terrain tires. It’s awesome. King Jeep hasn’t taken the competition lying down.

For 2024, the off-road world’s pioneer has responded with an army of updated, high-tech assault Wranglers that would send shivers down a foreign army’s spine.

From the two-door, $33,690, manual Sport to the athletic Willys, the posh Sahara, plug-in hybrid 4xe and my loaded $96K 392 Rubicon, the Wrangler lineup spans a luxury vehicle-like $65,000 price-spread that sweeps up customers from Moab marauders to green geeks.

Like muscle cars, Jeeps don’t come cheap, especially as you load these bots with the latest off-road weaponry to conquer sand, mud, rocks, boulders, streams and — um — Utah obstacles like Hot Tub on Hell’s Revenge (jeez, all we track guys gotta deal with is asphalt).

So allow me to recommend one of the more affordable mutts of the litter: the two-door Willys. My tester was $47K, but ditch the auto tranny and Safety Pack option — who needs blind-spot/park monitoring off-road? — and it’s yours for under $40K.

Call ‘em mutts because all Wranglers are mixed, retro/modern breeds. True to its name, my Willys tester traces its roots to the original Willys WWII Jeeps with two doors, stick shift, “Sarge” green military paint and drop-down front windshield. What, no machine gun in back? But my modern Willys would run circles around the ol’ man with its armored underbody plating, locking rear differential and yuuuuge all-terrain 33-inch BF Goodrich KO2 tires.

Add a bullmastiff-like charcoal face (exclusive to Willys) and my mutt was cute as a puppy and as playful to boot. With the soft roof peeled back, we flopped around town, my cap blowing off somewhere along State Route 7. Willys looks tough with its outsized 33s, but its short, two-door configuration meant it was easy to park while still offering a healthy back seat for friends.

More mutt? Like every 2024 model beginning with the Sport and Sport S models below Willys, mine came equipped with a handsome horizontal dash housing a 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen right out of a top-breed Wagoneer. Wranglers equipped with navigation get an “Adventure Guide” so you find long trails and navigate them with your screen. Man, these off-roaders are getting’ fancy. Next, they’ll have showers.

Along the north rim of Sand Hollow, I grunted across trails and scrub before coming upon a gaggle of ATVs plowing through sand to a rocky plateau.

Easy, Payne. Your knobby tires are still aired up to 40 PSI.

To go deeper into Mother Nature with more cargo room, air your 33s down to 20 PSI. Or get a four-door, four-wheel-drive Rubicon with twin-locking differentials and detachable front rollbar like my High Velocity White $60,350 tester (delete the WARN winch and steely bumpers and the sticker drops to $55K). With traction at all four corners, 11-inch ground clearance, and 44-degree approach angle, this beast can climb Devils Tower.

Shift into neutral, yank the T-case shifter back to four-wheel-low, detach the sway-bar on the lower console and you’re ready to go. Bronco drivers will recoil at this antique dance, which the Ford has updated with a console dial and high-dash buttons. Wrangler prides itself on old-school controls — including its signature solid front axle. Want some ear biting? Get Wrangler and Bronco dudes to debate axles.

On our media test trip, Rubicons crawled all over the landscape at impossible angles (aided by forward-facing cameras). But where the trail ends and the asphalt begins, my Rubicon soft top is more civil than its forebear. Connected to the car by Bluetooth, I called Mrs. Payne 2,000 miles away in Michigan and she came through as clear as if she were sitting next to me. Credit laminated glass and interior insulation — plus a seven-microphone array — that’s lowered interior noise by 15 decibels.

Will it work with the top down and doors off? No, silly. Neither is Wrangler as smooth on road as the independent-front-suspension Bronco.

Where Wrangler got smoother was in the $76,000 4xe plug-in model — which reaches out to green buyers who will find Jeep’s growly, gas-fed V-6 immoral, yet still need a gas engine to get them to the remote havens of Utah or Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With 21 miles of battery range on tap, I drove silently around St. George — the electric motor even regenerating extra miles when the range hit zero.

The 4xe will also regenerate $7,500 of the 4xe’s $10,000 premium back to your wallet if you lease the 4xe — no matter the price tag, no matter your income. Call it green for greenies.

I doubt 4xe and 392 owners will go to the same cocktail parties. But they may wind up at the same off-road parks like, say, the white sand of Silver Lake on Michigan’s west side. Imagine a 392 — WAUUURRGGHHH! — slinging sand past a silent 4xe — SSSHHHHH!

That’s my kind of sandbox.

Next week: BMW showdown – M3 or M2?

2024 Jeep Wrangler

Vehicle type: Front-engine, ladder-frame chassis, four-wheel-drive four-passenger SUV

Price: $33,690 base, including $1,795 destination ($47,675 Willys, $60,350 Rubicon, $67,935 Rubicon X 4xe and $95,945 Rubicon 392 as tested)

Power plant: 3.6-liter V-6, 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 cylinder, 2.0-liter turbocharged plug-in hybrid with turbo-4 mated to 14 kWh battery and electric motor, 6.4-liter Hemi V-8

Power: 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque (V-6), 270 horsepower and 295 pund-feet of torque (turbo-4), 375 horsepower, 470 pound-feet of torque (hybrid), 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque (V-8)

Transmission: Six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.0 seconds (Rubicon 392, Car and Driver); 5,000-pound tow capacity (turbo-4 and V-6)

Weight: 4,044 pounds (Willys) and 5,268 (392) as tested

Fuel economy: EPA est. 20 mpg city/21 mpg highway/21 mpg combined (turbo-4 2-door); 13 mpg city/16 mpg highway/14 mpg combined (6.4L V-8); 49 MPGe, 20 combined (4xe); 3.6L V-6 NA

Report card

Highs: Broad lineup of drivetrains, body styles, features, tires; upgraded tech

Lows: T-case takes some muscle; gets pricey

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne

Chelsea — Sleek, simple and sophisticated, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 takes direct aim at the Tesla Model 3.

And that’s rare for an industry that has answered Tesla’s stunning one-two punch of the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV with …  a single SUV jab. Think about it. Ford Mustang Mach-E, Volkswagen ID.4, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevy Blazer EV, Toyota bZ4X, Subaru Solterra, Nissan Ariya, Mazda MX-30, Audi Q4 e-tron, Genesis GV60, Fisker Ocean, Lexus RX, Kia EV6 — automakers have entered the EV segment by taking on the Model Y while largely ignoring the compact $41,880 sedan that changed the EV game.

Yeah, yeah, I know, the sedan is kaput. Finished. Soooo 15 minutes ago. Which is why manufacturers rushed to fill the most popular segment in autodom — the compact SUV — with their first EVs. But being a low-slung sedan didn’t deter the Model 3 from selling like hotcakes.

So, determined to make its mark in the electric world, Hyundai has followed the master: it has (like everyone else) created an Ioniq 5 SUV to take on the Model Y, and an Ioniq 6 to chase the Model 3.

I flogged the sexy 6’s top-trim, $58K all-wheel-drive Limited model over the twisty country roads of Washtenaw County. It follows the Model 3 formula but with significant differences.

Bury the throttle out of a corner and 6 surges forward, its front and rear electric motors offering instant thrust. But it’s not as eager as the — ZOT! — all-wheel-drive Model 3 (a fact borne out by an all-wheel-drive Model 3’s 0-60 mph time, which is a full second quicker than my AWD Ioniq 6 tester) due to carrying another 600 pounds over the 4,086-pound Tesla.

That extra weight comes with benefits. Ioniq 6 feels more substantial than the Tesla’s tinnier construction quality. The Hyundai is heavy, like it’s been carved from oak, and doors close with a satisfying THUNK. Ioniq 6’s wheelbase is also three inches longer than Model 3, which translates into a significant four more inches of rear legroom — and six more cubic feet of interior space.

When I wasn’t enjoying the Hyundai’s smooth ride behind the wheel I was sprawling comfortably in the back seat. All that interior space, however, steals from cargo room, which is just 11 cubic feet compared to the Tesla’s 19 — a subtraction exacerbated by Hyundai declining to offer a frunk (front trunk) as Tesla does.

Consistent with Tesla, Ioniq 6’s cockpit is dominated by a big horizontal screen — though the Hyundai’s screen sprawls across the dash, splitting in two to offer an instrument display behind the steering wheel and infotainment display over the console. Tesla, of course, stuffs all its controls into a single 15-inch tablet. Both Hyundai and Tesla further unclutter the cabin by placing gear shifters on the steering column.

Like its Silicon Valley foe, Hyundai delights in wowing with new digital toys.

Ioniq 6 boasts multi-step regenerative braking (to my preferred one-pedal driving), multiple drive modes including SPORT, artificial propulsion sounds, self-parking — even the ability to remote park the Hyundai from outside the car. These features are also available on Hyundai’s similar luxury Genesis GV60 model, which begs the question: why would you pay 10 grand more for the Genesis than the Hyundai? Or pay more for a BMW i4 EV sedan, which has specs very similar to the Ioniq 6? Indeed, if you close your eyes (please don’t if driving), these EVs all are virtually identical in feel.

The answer, of course, is brand. Who’s going to pay nearly 60 large for a Ioniq 6 when you can have a $60K Genesis GV60 or BMW i4? Or a $60K Tesla? The Ioniq 6 is priced right on top of Tesla’s icon with a $42,715 entry-level, rear-wheel-drive model all the way up to a $56K AWD model (Tesla’s Performance model is $55,630).

Hyundai’s answer is style, something that has benefited Tesla all these years. The Ioniq has undeniable 6-appeal.

Its design language is simple like the Model 3, but with more flair. I particularly like the signature black mustache that underlines the headlights — and hides irregularities like the sonar sensors (for self-parking, etc.). It’s a feature that Tesla could learn from. My friend Anne loves her Model Y — but for its spooky black, Voldemort face.

The elegance continues with a beautiful, uninterrupted arc under the greenhouse to the boot, which tapers into a swan tail. It’s a fuselage that reminds of a Mercedes S-class or CLA. Not bad design company to be in. And it’s why you do an EV sedan. It gets noticed. As utilitarian as the Model Y is, it can’t match the Model 3’s racier shape.

That shape is what distinguishes the Ioniq 6 from the Ioniq 5, too. But unlike Tesla — the Model Y is essentially a jacked-up Model 3 hatchback — Hyundai has chosen an entirely different shape for its Ioniq 5 SUV. The 5 is angular, retro. It matches the brand’s “chess piece” philosophy that every model should look different even as the pieces conform to the Hyundai philosophy (the twin Ioniqs have nearly identical interiors, screens, features, price).

So Ioniq 6 stands apart from 5, and from its Tesla EV peer. The larger question is: does it make a case for EV adoption? Here, my Ioniq 6 struggles against another familiar sedan competitor: the gas-powered Hyundai Sonata.

For $20,000 less, a loaded $37K Sonata Limited is also an attractive chess piece. Stunning fascia, sleek lines, distinctive tail. Similar dual-screen interior, tech features, self-park assist. For 2024, the Sonata Limited model reportedly even receives the same remote self-park assist the Ioniq 6 boasts.

The Sonata also more than doubles Ioniq 6’s range — to 588 miles — while not requiring you to install an expensive 240-volt charger in your home. Ioniq’s stiff price premium and charging demands mean EVs are a niche segment — even with a $7,500 tax credit, which the Ioniq models don’t quality for since they are made in Korea,

The Tesla twins quality for the federal largesse, making it tougher for the Hyundai twosome to compete against America’s most successful domestic EV maker. But if you’re an EV buyer and you want something different than the same ol’ Model 3 your green pals drive, then Hyundai has a sedan for you. It’s different, and the same.

Next week: 2024 Acura Integra Type S

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, rear- and all-wheel-drive five-passenger sedan

Price: $41,715, including $1,115 destination fee ($57,425 long-range, AWD Limited as tested)

Powerplant: 53-77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery with single or dual electric-motors; 800-volt charging, 10-80% fast charge in 18 minutes (mfr.)

Power: 149 horsepower, 258 pound-feet torque (standard range, RWD); 225 horsepower, 258 pound-feet torque (long range, RWD); 320 horsepower, 446 pound-feet torque (long range, AWD)

Transmission: Single-speed direct drive

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.1 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 116 mph

Weight: 3,935-4,616 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA MPGe 103 (as tested); range, 240-361 miles (RWD), 305-316 miles (AWD)

Report card

Highs: Sleek styling; roomy cabin

Lows: Limited cargo room compared to Model 3; more expensive/less range than Sonata sedan

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne