It suits a driver who wants a sporty BMW without wrestling a long body through narrow streets and underground car parks. The M2 is the shortest M car Masons offers for car hire, which makes it the easiest to park outside a hotel in Malá Strana or next to a mountain chalet. It is for people who are happy with two front seats, a smaller boot and a dry road.

What the M2 is good for

The typical case is a long weekend for two. You take the car on Friday afternoon, put two soft travel bags in the boot, and throw jackets and a camera bag on the rear seats. Around Prague the M2 is stress-free: the short coupé threads through the narrow one-way streets of Vinohrady and slots into a hotel garage where a longer car would need several goes to get in.

The second common reason is a first go in a BMW M car. If you have only driven everyday cars, it makes sense to start with a smaller BMW whose width is easy to judge. The head-up display puts speed and navigation in your line of sight, and the 360° camera keeps an eye on your surroundings when you park. Spend the first hour on familiar roads with stability control on, and only then head out of town.

The third scenario is a day trip to the mountains: leave Prague in the morning, drive mountain roads before lunch, eat at a chalet and come back in the evening. It works best from May to October, when the roads are dry. In winter, do not take a rear-wheel-drive car up to snowy ridges; choose one with all-wheel drive instead.

In practice: seats, luggage and drive

The M2 is a two-door coupé with four seats, but only the front two are full-size. You get into the back by folding the front backrest forward; an adult will manage a short hop across town there, but on a longer trip the rear row is better used for bags, coats and shopping. The boot takes luggage for two for a weekend, and soft bags pack in more easily than hard suitcases. Equipment includes M sports seats, keyless entry and a Harman Kardon sound system.

Power goes to the rear wheels only. On wet cobbles, tram rails and fallen leaves, be gentle with the throttle and keep stability control switched on. The short body is an advantage in the centre: the M2 fits a normal parking space, and it is easier to manoeuvre on the spiral ramps of underground car parks than a longer car. The 360° camera and parking sensors help around pillars and kerbs. It runs on petrol.

Where to take the M2 from Prague

For a full day out, head to the Jizera Mountains (Jizerské hory). Take the D10 motorway and continue towards Liberec to reach Jablonec nad Nisou, where the Mšeno reservoir is worth a stop for a walk along the dam. From Jablonec the road climbs to Bedřichov, and the drive then continues by way of Tanvald and Kořenov to Jizerka, a small settlement with peat meadows below Bukovec hill. From Prague up to the ridges takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. The roads are narrow, with frequent bends and oncoming traffic, and the short M2 tucks in easily to let others pass and squeezes into the small car parks by the chalets. At weekends, arrive in the morning before the car parks fill up, and have lunch at one of the chalets in Jizerka.

M2 or M4 Competition?

Both cars are four-seat coupés, and the back is tight in each. Take the M2 if there are two of you, you will mostly drive in the city and on dry country roads, and you want a car that is easy to park and turn round in a narrow street. The black M4 Competition is longer and has all-wheel drive, so it is better suited to a longer trip, to rain, and to autumn or winter. If you are mainly planning a fair-weather outing for two, take the M2; if you have more kilometres ahead in changeable weather, go for the M4.