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The original BMW M2 CS was one of those holy-grail cars that I got into this business a tad too late to drive.
A lighter, punchier version of what was already BMW’s purest driver’s car, it hit the market early in my automotive journalist career, and the stars simply didn’t align. Despite the hybrid Lamborghinis, V12-powered Aston Martins, and the fantastic BMW M4 and M5 CSes I’ve tested since, the F87 M2 CS is a missed connection I still lament to this day.
Four years on, however, I find myself behind the wheel of the new 2026 BMW M2 CS — a $125,000 high point in the second-generation M2’s story that’s more powerful, more capable, and wholly more car than its predecessor. Does it finally scratch that long-standing itch? Yes — and no.
Less Is More
To create the CS, BMW took the regular M2’s twin-turbocharged 3.0L straight six-cylinder and gave it 50 hp and 36 lb-ft of torque more than the standard car for totals of 523 and 479, respectively. Throttle mapping has been tweaked to feel more instantaneous, while stiffer engine mounts were installed. An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission available, and torque only goes to the rear wheels.
The adaptive suspension setup is eight mm (0.3 in) lower and uses differently tuned springs and dampers, while the steering, differential, and brakes have also been reworked. BMW cut 44 kg (97 lb) with forged alloy wheels and a bunch of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic parts, most notably a whole new ducktail-shaped trunk lid made of the stuff. (There’s big E46 M3 CSL energy back there.)
The Right Stuff
Looking like a legend is one thing, but driving like one is an entirely different ball game. The M2 CS gets from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than the non-CS M2 with its available automatic transmission, and has a top speed of 302 km/h. On the road, it feels incredibly quick but in a decidedly smooth and non-frightening way. Turbos unassisted by electricity means it still takes about a half-second to really ramp up, and in an era of head-smacking EVs, you might even call it restrained.
Naturally, handling is the highlight. The steering feels crisper, lighter, and sharper than it does in the regular M2 — lightweight forged alloys and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s will do that — and the ratio is extremely quick. Tiny inputs make it dart around like a gnat, and like other BMWs with this suffix, there’s an understanding that heavier steering doesn’t actually equate to more athleticism. This car’s starting point may indeed be heavier than ideal, but strategic CS-specific suspension tuning and traction tech hide a lot and made it feel pretty darn docile on both a public backroad and parking-lot autocross course. The brakes, optional carbon-ceramics here worth $10,000, feel surprisingly normal to use in the pedal (it isn’t overly grabby or long), but are very strong and provide good adjustability when you’re locked in on an apex.
The eight-speed automatic responds to paddle inputs quickly enough, with perfectly seamless full-throttle upshifts but a slight, purposeful jolt everywhere else. There was some hullabaloo among enthusiasts when this car was announced as auto-only, but as someone who’s now driven the M2 with both transmissions, the eight-speed is the way to go. A good automatic is better than a mediocre manual pretty much every day of the week.
A car built like this was never going to be super sumptuous over bumps, but keep the adjustable dampers out of sport+ and it’s actually not bad. One potential caveat would be the carbon bucket seats that will never not feel ridiculous climbing in and out of, but they’re able to hold my frame in place pretty much perfectly once I’m in there.
Objectively, the new M2 CS is a very good performance car. Every engineering line item hits its mark, and it's a triumph of chassis and powertrain engineering. Hell, the very fact a 523-hp, two-door, rear-drive BMW of this size still exists at all is worthy of a collective high five. But in practice, the M2 CS is cold in personality; the engine is capable but not overly melodic, the turbos don’t whoosh, the exhaust doesn’t crackle, and the handling has seemingly been calibrated to make carving up a backroad a cinch but not necessarily a joy. It’s a car that impresses and flatters rather than tickles or thrills. CS may as well stand for clinically sharp.
Final Thoughts
Given its pedigree, I had high hopes for the 2026 BMW M2 CS, and on practically every technical and intellectual level, it met them. But I also wanted it to be playful. I wanted it to be joyful, and I wanted it to transcend its brand and genre. What I got was, in fact, a very well-executed and technically capable sports coupe. But on an emotional level, it was just a car, and one that I didn’t really find myself thinking a whole lot about after I was done driving it.
The new M2 CS is among the best, if not the best, driving BMW you can get right now. But it also falls short of the absolute myth and legend of its forebears — there’s a reason first-gen M2 CSes and 1Ms are still commanding when-new-if-not-higher prices on the secondary market.
After all these years, I still say you should meet your heroes if you can. Just temper your expectations a bit if all you can get is the latest in the lineage.
