2021 BMW M2 CS manual review

The concept is simple: take the already seriously quick BMW M2 Competition high-performance coupe, give its engine a power-up, send the body and chassis to bootcamp, and tweak the styling to advertise the heightened aggression within.

What you now have is a higher-performance coupe that will accelerate from 0-100km/h 0.2sec quicker, go around corners faster, brake more ferociously and - hopefully - put a bigger smile on your dial so that you don’t notice the niceties BMW removed in the process.

If that sounds like you, then the $139,900 2021 BMW M2 CS is your next car. There’s only one problem: almost all the 84 examples brought to Australia have found owners. So, if you’re still keen, then you'd better dive into the classifieds, but we don’t imagine many owners will want to part with what is, essentially, the spiritual successor to the highly prized E46 M3 coupe (2000-2006).

For those not in the know, the BMW M2 CS is the high-performance flagship of the 2 Series range – something of a swansong ahead of an all-new 2 Series next year. This very fast two-door coupe builds on the performance pedigree of the M2 Competition with a more powerful engine and a variety of performance enhancements designed to heighten its dynamic capabilities on the track - and on the road. The M2 CS doesn’t come cheap: it costs $139,900 plus on-roads, which is $37,000 more than the BMW M2 Competition.

This is the fourth of BMW’s CS family of faster blasters following in the tyre tracks of the M4 CS coupe, and M3 CS and M5 CS sedans. By the way, CS stands for Competition Sport, not Club Sport or Coupe Sport.

BMW says the M2 CS sets a new entry point for amateur racing with the brand, and owners will love throwing this brutal coupe around racetracks. But what’s it like on real-world roads? That’s what I am about to find out.

Interior Comfort

The BMW M2 CS is not about comfort. If you want that, buy an SUV. This is a performance car engineered to get the best from every drive. That said, the finely honed M2 CS is still a moderately comfortable car to live with, starting with the full leather interior, but its intense performance focus does demand compromise - sometimes in surprising areas such as the deletion of keyless entry from the M2 Competition’s standard kit.

The front seats are taken straight from the M4 CS bigger brother. They are heavily sculpted and adjust electrically for height, tilt and rake. The side bolsters can also be relaxed or tightened depending on the occupant’s taste. The M2 logo in the seatback is illuminated, which is cool, and there are two big cutouts in each seatback that you don’t notice unless you’re in the back seat looking forward. This probably aids occupant back cooling on hotter days.

The Alcantara sports steering wheel has a wide adjustment range (manual not electric), which assures a good driving position. This, combined with gear lever and pedal placement, gives the driver the ideal platform from which to launch an all-out assault on-track.

Back seat passengers are less well catered for – there’s a message there – but the M2 CS’s rear pew can shuttle adults in a pinch. Firstly, there are only two seatbelts, so it’s a four-seater cabin, max. Secondly, head room is adequate if you’re under 180cm, but lacking if you’re larger. Same for rear leg room and foot room under the front seats. As for other niceties like seatback pockets, cupholders, air vents and USB ports… Forget it. Those are exclusively front-row amenities.

Up front, two central cupholders are of a smallish diameter that precludes 600ml sports drink bottles, and there’s not really anywhere to store your phone without it rattling around. There are bigger bottle cutouts in each door pocket.

Other comfort features include dial-operated manual air conditioning, no buttons or a digital display. The centrally mounted screen houses sat-nav, phone integration and sound system information, all accessed via the iDrive dial mounted behind the gear lever. Interestingly, BMW has deleted the M2’s central armrest from the CS - perhaps it was getting in the way of the driver’s elbow when shifting gears? Or maybe it was a particularly pernickety weight-saving measure?

Infotainment & Connectivity

The BMW M2 CS has BMW’s Connected Drive suite of systems, which centralises satellite navigation, smartphone, entertainment and car settings in a central screen operated by the iDrive rotary controller. Phone connectivity is via Bluetooth, or wired for Apple CarPlay, there’s digital radio as well as the usual media types, and there’s a hard drive for storing your favourite music tracks.

The M2’s system includes a lap timer app that records dynamic data while on-track so you can analyse it later. The system takes input from various in-vehicle sensors, GPS position, speed, forward and lateral acceleration, lap times and standing start measurements. All of which are useless on the road, except for showing off to mates. The system also allows a GoPro camera positioned either inside or outside the vehicle to be hooked up and controlled via the centre display.

There’s also a bunch of internet services - weather, news, rain radar, Wiki, etc - but since you should only use these apps while stopped, and everyone has them on their phones, I’m not sure who will use them.

Safety

The BMW M2 CS has not been crash-tested in Australia or Europe, although it’s fair to assume it would achieve five stars given that every other BMW tested since 2016 has achieved five stars.

Active safety systems include electronic stability control, emergency brake assist with pedestrian warning, collision warning, lane-departure warning, speed limit info and park distance control with rear-view camera.

The drive modes allow a choice of control options – Comfort, Sport, Sport+, M-Dynamic Mode and DSC Off. As you’d expect, the more you press, the fewer electronic safety systems there are to catch you when you run out of talent. The switch also affects throttle response, steering assistance, rev-matching, and a little flap in the exhaust that liberates the full baritone burble so your M2 CS sounds as angry as it can.

Value for Money

Aaah, now this is a curly one. Nobody is going to call a $139,900, two-door sports coupe good value. But let’s remember what this marvellous little machine is capable of doing. It’s a properly rapid performance car - possibly the best driver’s car in the BMW range right now. And it is $70,300 cheaper than its main rival, the Porsche Cayman GT4 ($210,200 plus on-road costs). How’s that for a value equation?

Yes, you can get 95 per cent of the performance in the M2 Competition for $102,900, which makes the CS seem less like good value. But some people will see value in spending the extra $37K for the exclusivity and extreme performance that it brings. And it’s a fair bet that CS versions of the M2 will hold their value longer too.

BMW’s basic five-year servicing package is $1650 and covers all the usual replaceable items and labour. The M2 CS comes with a three-year warranty.

Driver Technology

Does replacing aluminium and steel components with lightweight carbon-fibre count as ‘Driver Technology’? Well, it is using technology to enhance the driver experience, so let’s run with it. The M2 CS has a carbon-fibre bonnet said to be 50 per cent lighter. That bonnet also has venting in the middle that redirects airflow for two reasons: improved engine cooling and increased downforce over the front wheels.

The CS’s roof is also carbon-fibre, which reduces weight at the car’s highest point - good for handling - and increases body rigidity – also good for handling. The wing mirrors are also carbon-fibre, which makes minimal impact dynamically but does look cool. There are also carbon-fibre aero lips on the front bumper and the boot lid; the former makes steeper driveways a challenge lest you graunch your fancy chin on the way through.

The last carbon-fibre bit worth mentioning is the rear diffuser - the moulding below the bumper and between the exhaust pipes – which channels air out from under the car in ways that increase rear downforce. All those carbon-fibre bits are shared with BMW’s M2 GT4 race car, which lends authenticity to their inclusion for performance purposes, not just visual appeal.

After all that, it’s something of a shock to learn the M2 CS weighs the same as the standard M2. Presumably that’s due to the additional radiators up front cooling the engine and the extra engine oil cooler. The CS also gets BMW’s Adaptive M Suspension, which lets the driver choose between Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus settings.

Powertrain Performance

The heart of the BMW M2 CS is its engine, a sublime jewel in the BMW crown. In the CS, this twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder unit produces 331kW @ 6500rpm (up 29kW on the M2) and 550Nm from 2350rpm to 5500rpm. Those are the same outputs this engine produced in the now discontinued BMW M4 coupe.

It’s sad to think this is the last car to get BMW’s S55 engine, because it is such a muscular mill that combines eagerness and flexibility with a smoothness that makes it a pleasure to drive around town and an absolute hoot when the road opens up. At any speed in any gear, there’s real acceleration waiting beneath your right foot – enough in first and second to overwhelm the 265-series Michelin Sport Cup rear tyres in a straight line.

In third and beyond, the acceleration becomes a touch less back-smacking but no less relentless; a direct result of the engine’s broad torque band.

The six-speed manual is a real joy to use. It’s direct and just the right amount of notchy to let you know when the next ratio is engaged and ready for action. Upchanges can be as quick as you like, and downchanges come with their own rev-matching blip.

Energy Efficiency

Okay, so this is not an M2 CS strong point, but it’s also not a huge priority for anyone shopping for a performance car. This highly tuned engine may be rated at 9.9L/100km on the official combined cycle - the standard M2 is rated at 9.2L/100km - but it loves a drink when pushed. And you will want to push it from time to time just to experience the engine’s bounty.

There are a few systems designed to reduce engine use, such as auto stop/start, brake energy regeneration and electric power steering, but their impact on fuel use is not going to save you thousands.

During my week of mostly commuting with one short country drive, the fuel economy averaged 13.6L/100km, which suggests a 400km range between fills. A lighter foot will do better, but at what cost to enjoyment? Given the performance this car is capable of, I think that fuel consumption figure is justified.

Ride & Handling

If you want to know how the M2 CS handles on a racetrack - arguably the arena for which it was intended - then read Kez’s excellent review here. I’m going to focus on how the M2 CS handles real roads instead.

Firstly, every kilometre in the M2 CS is fun because there’s a theatre to this car that immerses the driver in the occasion. Perhaps it’s the manual transmission and the need to use a clutch, or perhaps it’s the tightly controlled suspension that even in Comfort mode exudes poised aggression yet also makes poor road surfaces bearable. Maybe it’s the well-weighted steering that has a meatiness to it yet doesn’t feel tiresome to use.

Or maybe it’s the engine, whose bottomless torque challenges you to drop revs as low as you dare and watch in amazement as it pulls smoothly away again. In reality, it’s all those things working together that makes the M2 CS feel like a thoroughbred even at sedate speeds.

The M2 CS’s dynamic customisation elements help strike a balance between comfort and performance. M Dynamic suspension adjusts the dampers for three levels of firm. The steering wheel has two weight settings, and the accelerator’s sensitivity can also be dialled up or down.

The M2 CS also gets bigger brakes than the standard M2: 400mm discs with six-piston callipers up front and 380mm discs with four-piston callipers at the rear. These are not necessarily about reduced stopping distances, but about fade resistance and thermal stability in extreme (racetrack) conditions.

This car may be capable of phenomenal pace - it has lapped the Nurburgring in 7min 42.99sec, 10sec faster than the standard M2 - but it’s also a competent and moderately comfortable daily driver. Just don’t expect to give too many friends a lift to work.

Fit for Purpose

The BMW M2 CS promises to be one of the best driver’s cars, and that’s exactly what it delivers. If that doesn’t make it fit for purpose, I don’t know what does.

Conclusion

The BMW M2 CS is surprisingly similar in size, concept and configuration to the 1990s E36 M3 coupe and its successor the 2000 E46 M3 coupe. This 21st-century iteration may leave its hallowed forebears for dead in a race, but it’s gratifying to see that one thing has not changed: BMW M still values the driving experience above all else.

The BMW M2 CS is a fantastic performance car that I’d recommend for anyone with $150K to spend and a desire to drive the best. It may not look like great value compared to the M2 Competition, but it’s not until you drive it that you realise why every one of those 37,000 extra dollars is justified. And who gives a damn about missing armrests?