BMW M2 CS (2026- ) review

Nobody buys a 500-plus-horsepower sports car such as the BMW M2 and expects it to cost buttons to run. It’ll be costly to insure, keep in tyres and maintain, even if you don’t subject it to the hardship of the occasional track day. However, by the standard of such things, the M2 really isn’t heinously expensive to run. It’ll even manage over 35mpg on the motorway. Of course, you have to be willing to swallow the 32-per-cent premium in the purchase price over the regular M2 in the first place, but it should also retain its value well because it won’t be overly commonplace.

Although the BMW M2 CS is positioned as a highly strung performance car, and it certainly lives up to that on the road, it is based on the same underpinnings as many other models from the Bavarian carmaker, and it shares much of its components with more expensive BMW M cars, too. That’s reassuring, as is the fact that BMW produces endurance-racing versions of its M cars based on the road cars. While it’s especially important that you don’t skimp on maintenance for such vehicles, BMW’s modern M cars have proven to be robust. The M2 CS has solid build quality throughout, despite its low-volume status.

The M2 is based on the BMW 2 Series Coupe, which was assessed by the safety benchmarking organisation, EuroNCAP, in 2022. The four-star result is mostly because of a lack of certain active safety equipment, though given the extensive list of advanced driver assistance technology fitted to the M2, it’s difficult to be too critical on that score. What’s more, the M2’s body shell is stiffer and stronger than that of the 2 Series, while it gets bigger brakes and tyres as well, to the benefit of safety.

Before you book a build slot for the BMW M2 CS, make sure you sit into one. It comes with a set of gorgeous, carbon-backed bucket seats up front and, while they adjust electrically every which way, and even have heating, they can be a little tricky to get in and out of thanks to their low positioning and the presence of a raised section between your legs. Once in situ, however, and despite their motorsport-inspired design, these seats are wonderfully supportive and comfortable over a long distance. Indeed, the same can be said of the car itself. Sure, its suspension is inherently firm, but there are loads of driving settings available to ensure it’s not at all unbearable for longer journeys. Same story with the engine, which can quieten down into a background rumble on the motorway. Road noise is perhaps the biggest issue, but even that is perfectly acceptable given the high-performance remit of this car.

The M2 CS carries over the regular car’s electronic sub-systems, allowing the driver to customise the car’s character to their preferences at the touch of a button or the summoning up of a touchscreen menu. It retains the ability to analyse its driver’s drifting ability, for example, with variable traction control for those that are brave enough to explore the car’s limits at a race circuit. The CS has been optimised for such use and even has track tyres as standard. It’s 30kg lighter than the standard M2 as well thanks to the use of carbon fibre in its construction, most notably on the “ducktail” rear spoiler, which forms part of a unique carbon-fibre boot lid. Various CS badges inside and out distinguish the model, as does a bespoke design for the prominent air intakes up front. Not to mention the stunning “Golden Bronze” light-alloy wheels.

The standard BMW M2 is no slouch, with 480 horsepower going through its rear wheels certainly enough to keep the driver alert, but the CS’s performance has been amped up significantly. It uses the same core twin-turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine, but with reprogramming to release up to 530 horsepower. That, along with the weight reduction, means the CS is faster accelerating at all times. How responsive the engine is to the driver’s throttle inputs depends on the selected settings for the engine and the excellent eight-speed automatic gearbox. Some might lament the lack of a manual gearbox option, but this transmission offers several modes of operation - including fully manual - and the gear changes vary from ferocious at one end of the scale to smooth and relaxed at the other. All the while, the engine sounds suitably boisterous, rewarding every chance you get to extend it with a melodious roar from the quad-exist exhaust system.