BMW M2 CS 2026 review

While not everyone loves the second-generation BMW M2’s boxed guards and bullish visage, what cannot be disputed is just how well-suited this ball-tearing German performance coupe is to the ‘CS treatment.’

Signifying ‘Competition Sport’, what this new CS version brings to the already-rapid G87 M2 is a decent jump in engine outputs, a modest reduction in overall weight, completely retuned suspension and chassis-control systems, and a bunch of visual enhancements that not only add additional muscle to the M2’s shape but also improve aerodynamic and cooling performance.

So this up-specced sports coupe isn’t just about showboating at a Cars and Coffee. It’s the truest definition of a modern high-performance BMW in that it remains rear-drive.

And what it introduces is all about increasing, enhancing and expanding on the donor vehicle – for $172,900 before on-road costs.

That’s a substantial jump from the $128,100 charged for the regular M2 with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission, but if you look at it another way, the M2 CS is $1200 cheaper than a ‘standard’ rear-drive M4 manual coupe!

What the CS’s additional $45K charge gives you is the Competition-spec version of the revered S58 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six which BMW says is 95 percent the same as the engine from the M4 GT3 EVO race car, attached to CS-specific engine mounts.

It means the rear-drive M2 CS now matches the M3/M4 Competition xDrive models for power and torque (390kW at 6250rpm and a huge torque plateau of 650Nm from 2750-5730rpm, topped by a 7000rpm redline), but weighs just 1700kg – down 30kg from the regular M2 with eight-speed ‘Steptronic’ automatic transmission.

The result is a claimed top speed of 302km/h and a 0-100km/h time trimmed to 3.8sec (down 0.2sec).

But better demonstrating the CS’s added thrust is a 0-200km/h claim of just 11.7sec (down 1.2sec), which is a metric we (successfully) tested repeatedly in the extremes of racetrack driving.

Aiding its performance under such conditions are its body mods, including CFRP (Carbonfibre Reinforced Polymer) components such as a carbon roof, mirror caps and rear diffuser, as well as a CFRP bootlid with integrated ‘ducktail’ spoiler that is the defining stylistic feature of the new M2 CS.

And to that you can add striking mixed-diameter M Gold Bronze star-spoke style 827 alloys (19-inch front, 20-inch rear) with Michelin Pilot Sport or Pirelli P Zero tyres (275/35ZR19 front, 285/30ZR20 rear).

Suspension-wise, the CS has been lowered by 8mm and features bespoke tuning of its springs, dampers, auxiliary springs, steering, axle kinematics, wheel-camber settings and anti-roll bars. In other words, everything that can be tweaked has been tweaked, yet its on-road dynamics remain surprisingly non-abrasive.

On the twisty, grainy, challenging country roads west of Sofala in NSW, the M2 CS showed what it’s capable of in the real world.

If you’re lean and limber enough to manoeuvre into its M Carbon bucket seats, there’s much to appreciate in its Alcantara steering wheel and general ease of driving, as well as illuminated CS door panels (and red-lettered sill plates).

With so much torque on tap and an eminently liveable ride, the auto-only CS is as docile as a lap kitty.

Dial up the pace and it’s an effortless country-road express, seeing you can leave everything in Comfort mode because there’s ample chassis control, handling poise and steering reactivity.

And if you’re feeling brave, nudge the CS’s stability control into ‘half-off’ DSC Track for a surprising amount of corner-exit oversteer given there’s still an electronic safety net lurking in the background.

On the track, however, we’re instructed to leave the CS’s stability control engaged, seeing it can get pretty tail-happy when transferring all that grunt to its formidable rear tyres.

Indeed, heading up the back straight, right foot pinned, the M2 CS snags its DSC as it gets light over a hump while hauling hard in sixth gear, meaning well over 200km/h – demonstrating the biggest difference between the 390kW rear-drive M2 CS and its larger 405kW M4 CS cousin.

Where the all-wheel-drive M4 CS feels more planted, assured and forgiving, the M2 CS is very much the upstart among the CS crew.

It feels lighter and sharper, and it moves around a lot more in corners if you nudge the limits of its rear traction – making it feel like an animal that needs to be tamed (at least with stability control reduced or disabled, or with the 10-stage M Traction Control customised).

In this respect, the M2 CS feels far more old-school than the AWD M3/M4 CSs.

In terms of lap times, having an M-calibrated eight-speed automatic transmission gives the M2 CS the gearshift speed and the ease of operation to make it quick – offering an effortless blend between manual wheel-paddle selection and well-timed auto upshifts (which proved more intuitive than leaving the transmission entirely to its own devices).

BMW’s quoted Nurburgring lap time of 7:25.53 for the rear-drive M2 CS is just four seconds slower than an M4 CS xDrive, though there’s no doubt its driver is working harder to keep it cleaner.

And that’s the thrill here – the challenge-and-reward of perfecting your driving line to extract the most from the M2 CS. Even with DSC left on, you know you’re driving best when it intrudes least.

Apart from colour choice (M Portimao Blue metallic, M Brooklyn Grey metallic, Black Sapphire metallic and BMW Individual Velvet Blue metallic), the only cost option on the M2 CS is carbon-ceramic brakes for $19,000 (Cup tyres are no-cost).

But unless you’re genuinely going to use the M2 CS’s racetrack ability for multi-day stints, its ‘standard’ M Compound brake system (with red high-gloss calipers, six-piston up front) are more than capable of taming this twin-turbo mauler.

So there’s a sizeable premium for securing an M2 CS over its ‘regular’ M2 sibling with 37kW/50Nm less oomph and 30kg more weight.

But if you have the means to support all-day track sessions at some of Australia’s greatest racetracks (such as Phillip Island and Mount Panorama), then the jump to the CS really does begin to make sense.

Indeed, in Sapphire Black with Golf Bronze alloys, it seductively oozes the JPS-sponsored flavour of ’80s race BMWs without the cigarette stigma. But if your M2 is purely a road-going performance machine, stick to the M2 manual and enjoy the ride – gear shifting and all.