I’m quite lucky in that I’ve spent a lot of time in the BMW M2 CS. I’ve driven it on road, on track, with a DCT automatic, and with a manual. I’ve driven a blue one and a white one. So I have a good idea of what the M2 CS is all about and I can say, without question, that it’s the best driving M car in a very long time. So when I see a question about whether the M2 CS is the M Division’s best driver’s car, my answer is an immediate, emphatic yes.
However, I also really enjoy seeing other enthusiasts drive it. It’s such great driver’s car, not because it’s perfectly tidy and clinical but because it’s raucous and alive in your hands. As Cars.co.za’s Ciro Di Sienna finds out in this new video, you need to be awake when you drive the M2 CS.
That said, despite it being a bit of a hooligan, it’s actually more composed, more predictable, and more enjoyable that the standard M2 Competition. Despite having more power — 444 horsepower vs 405 horsepower — and being a bit lighter, thanks to a carbon fiber hood and roof, BMW has actually managed to make the M2 CS the easier car to drive quickly because it behaves in a more predictable manner. It will still wag its tail like an excited Labrador but when it does, it’s far easier to control than before. It’s also more supple and comfortable than the M2 Competition, thanks to adaptive suspension that BMW M seems to have worked incredibly hard one.
Overall, without a shadow of a doubt, the BMW M2 CS is the best M car on sale at the moment and is probably the best M car since the 1 Series M. Sure, it’s still a hooligan but in the best ways possible.
