Five-hundred-and-twenty-three horsepower going straight to the rear wheels. Lightweight carbon parts. Stiffer, less forgiving suspension and drivetrain mounts. CS (Competition Sport to the uninitiated) has always included some of this treatment, but this latest G87 M2 CS has something more. It has the magic of the M cars that have made it into the history books.<\/p>\n
Precise handling
\nFerocious power
\nImproved looks<\/p>\n
High skill required
\nNo cupholders
\nExpensive (for a 2 Series)<\/p>\n
The CS Treatment<\/p>\n
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Photo by: Chris Rosales \/ Motor1<\/p>\n
What the numbers don\u2019t tell you about the stiffer suspension, lighter weight, and increased horsepower is how BMW mixed it all together. Any schmuck could (theoretically) do similar modifications with aftermarket parts, and for a lot less money than the heart-attack-inducing $111,275 price tag of my particular M2. But what can\u2019t be purchased is the careful, considered cohesion of the whole package.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s how it drives and feels, but I\u2019ll get to that later. Visually, the M2 CS is almost entirely fixed compared to the fugly standard M2. A carbon decklid with a huge M3 CSL-style ducktail adds aggression to the M2\u2019s silhouette, while a full-width rubber lip and CS-specific carbon intake grilles reduce the business of the front end.<\/p>\n
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Photos by: Chris Rosales \/ Motor1<\/p>\n
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Photos by: Chris Rosales \/ Motor1<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t get a carbon hood, oddly, but at least the roof is carbon as standard. You also get a set of CS wheels with BMW-spec Michelin Cup 2 tires.<\/p>\n
Inside, the door cards are trimmed in carbon with ambient lighting that says “CS.” Of course, the seats are the M carbon buckets, and the center console is the same carbon piece as the M3 and M4 CS, which features zero cupholders. It\u2019s a beautiful ornament, but even a single cupholder wouldn\u2019t be too much trouble to ask for.<\/p>\n
Controlled Chaos<\/p>\n
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Photo by: Chris Rosales \/ Motor1<\/p>\n
The exciting stuff happens once you fire the CS to life. Immediately, there\u2019s a lovely vibration, an awareness that an engine is running and breathing. This sensation is rare in a modern car, and highly deliberate; M specced harder mounts for the CS.<\/p>\n
That little detail goes a long way to making it feel more special. Its 523-horsepower engine is borrowed from the M3 Competition xDrive, but it only drives the rear wheels, and it breathes through a titanium exhaust.<\/p>\n
Then, there\u2019s all of the CS specific calibration and tuning. Everything is sharpened to a finer point, with the throttle calibration featuring unbelievable sensitivity to input. It\u2019s so sensitive that it\u2019s genuinely difficult to drive smoothly in its most aggressive mode, and even puts the entire drivetrain in a rubberbanding, walloping resonance.<\/p>\n
The exciting stuff happens once you fire the CS to life. Immediately, there\u2019s a lovely vibration, an awareness that an engine is running and breathing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A steady stream of road texture provides a lovely backing track to the overall aggression of the thing. Pavement textures murmur through the cabin, while the steering features just a whisper of that texture. The gearbox tune is comically aggressive, banging shifts off with huge spikes in torque even while driving around town. Of course, it can all be turned down, but who wants that?<\/p>\n
This initial aggression, however, gives way to a precise suppleness. The dampers don\u2019t fall into the same trap as the rest of the car. In practice, they feel softer-edged than the standard M2\u2019s, though their responsiveness is increased substantially.<\/p>\n
If anything, the M2 CS has incredibly exacting body control, with large bumps dispatched with only the slightest sensation, while still maintaining the athleticism of a much lighter car. It\u2019s simply better, with no compromise.<\/p>\n
As the speed builds, so does the CS\u2019 sophistication. It is shockingly talkative, but it is also a car with two personalities. It\u2019s part Bavarian Hellcat, with its monstrously powerful engine blowing through the tires up to fourth gear, but it is also a delicately difficult machine to master near its limits. Where every other BMW M car I\u2019ve driven has a nice, gentle limit, the M2 CS has a cliff edge, and it’s all down to the fact that BMW lets it rotate like a bastard.<\/p>\n
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Photos by: Chris Rosales \/ Motor1<\/p>\n
Photos by: Chris Rosales \/ Motor1<\/p>\n
Clambering up to the edge is one thing, but staying on it makes the CS an addictive exercise in driving discipline. It is genuinely difficult to keep on the ball, with incredibly high limits and tiny mistakes punished with huge pushes of understeer or armfuls of oversteer.<\/p>\n
The steering, which is typically numb in M cars but otherwise precise and weighty, communicates every tiny change in the car\u2019s attitude, with a lightning-fast ratio that adds to the alertness. It\u2019s the only M car of the current generation that will find more grip with careful manipulation of the brake and throttle, but it also punishes slightly timid inputs like no other M car.<\/p>\n
Keep it on the wave, however, and you will find magic in this bulldog. It starts feeling like the modern idea of an old M car, with the engine\u2019s resonances singing through the cabin, and the titanium exhaust carrying a strong echo of the sharp, raspy M cars of old. And the fact that it propels out of corners with a ferocity rivaling a McLaren helps too\u2014523 hp hits harder here than it ever did in an M3 xDrive.<\/p>\n
In many ways, it\u2019s built for fans of M cars, not necessarily for fans of sporty cars in general. Sure, anyone could appreciate that it’s fast, fun, and lively. But those who have driven many M cars will feel something different in this car. It\u2019s almost like the ultimate E46 M3 made real rather than a massively improved M2.<\/p>\n
Verdict: One Of The Great M Cars<\/p>\n
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Photo by: Chris Rosales \/ Motor1<\/p>\n
This M2 CS will go down as one of the great M cars, without a doubt. It\u2019s spectacularly edgy to drive, and I\u2019d caution anyone who isn\u2019t experienced with powerful rear-drive cars to not turn the stability systems off. But the bald truth is that the CS comes to life when the electronics overlords go to bed.<\/p>\n
Sure, it\u2019s hideously expensive for a 2 Series ($111,275, remember?), but it isn\u2019t really built for anyone except the biggest M nerds on earth. Unfortunately, it is as good as the price tag commands.<\/p>\n
BMW <\/p>\n
Make: BMW
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\n BMW <\/a><\/p>\n