This year, it seems like most of the cars I review are either potentially the last of their kind, or are indeed the last of their kind. The Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition, McLaren 620R, Mercedes AMG E63 S Wagon; the 620R is the last of McLaren’s Sport Series, and the other two probably aren’t too long for this world. Time to take on yet another that's the last of its kind: the 2020 BMW M2 CS.
Built as a special, limited-production F87 M2, the CS is the absolute pinnacle of its chassis, and a sort of last hurrah before the new 2 Series arrives next year. Big power, extensive suspension tuning, and many cubic feet of carbon fiber; its starting price of $83,600 really drives home the special aspect. As does my Misano Blue Metallic tester’s extra $12,945 in options and delivery. This makes it a nearly $100,000 2 Series; quite a far cry from the base 230i’s starting MSRP of just $35,900.
It’s obviously more hardcore than a lowly F22 230i, but is it worth the upcharge over a standard F87 M2 Competition? Performance numbers might not be too far off, but rest assured the experience, rarity, and high-performance amenities make it a very compelling option for anyone with the scratch. So much so that it might be the best all-round BMW coupe ever. Allow me to explain, as I just had a whole week with it and can’t stop thinking about how much fun I had.
Big thanks to BMW USA for lending me this beautiful 2020 BMW M2 CS for a whole week for this review.
A comfortable, aesthetically-pleasing and sensical interior
Opening the pillar-less driver’s door reveals an interior packed with Alcantara and carbon fiber. What catches the eye almost instantly are big pieces of carbon fiber on the center console and doors, in fact, the entire center console is one big hunk of carbon fiber with cut-outs for various switches, the shifter, and e-brake.
This actually saves six pounds over the center console on lower 2 Series trims. Alcantara lines the majority of surfaces, though, including such major touchpoints as the center armrest, e-brake boot, steering wheel, and a big, perforated CS badge that occupies the dashboard above the glovebox.
Anything that isn’t carbon fiber or Alcantara is plush leather or substantial plastic. Various switchgear and center console surfaces have that quintessential BMW thick-plastic feel, whereas the sport seats are supple, ultra-comfortable leather. These had great bolster adjustment, accommodated my tall figure quite well, and was so comfortable in the canyons as well as on long stretches of highway. For a small coupe, the M2 CS is very comfortable and roomy inside.
Red stitching accents interior lines throughout, with contrasting white stitching on the leather-covered dash. As an extra touch, M colors line the seat belts as well as poke out of the center of the seats.
What’s nice about this generation F87 2 Series is that not much has changed regarding its interior switchgear and iDrive layout since it debuted in 2016. Settings are changed by toggling actual, press-able buttons, which saves a lot of time over fiddling with touchscreens and menus.
Swiping isn’t really a thing; the 8.8-inch center screen is touchable, but its easier to use the iDrive wheel and accompanying buttons on the center console. It's also pretty small by 2021 standards; it's reassuring to know that BMW engineers don't seem to care (I mean it, no sarcasm).
Drive settings are also brilliantly placed in the right spots; the damper, steering, and engine buttons are all placed between the steering wheel and shifter, whereas the transmission’s intensity is altered via a button right behind the rounded gear selector in the middle of the console.
Looks that exude high performance
Historically, BMW has been known for doing subtle performance aesthetics with their M cars. Some sportier wheels, appropriate badging, mild ground effects, and that’s about it. This is not the case with the M2 CS, however: in light of it’s special place as a limited production tpeak 2 Series, they pulled no punches making it look the absolute business.
First off: its hood, roof, decklid spoiler, and front lip spoiler are all made of thickly woven carbon fiber. Then, there’s the lightweight, what I call German Pilsner Gold multi-spoke wheels with massive brakes behind them. The official name for these is BMW’s 19-inch V-Spoke 763 M in Matte Gold, and I think they’re one of the best-looking lightweight OEM wheels ever.
Finally, its wide fenders, hood vent, gigantic front bumper intakes, and quad-exhaust pipes finish it all off, conveying something that this is quite special indeed. The Misano Blue color is incredibly fitting as well, again helping indicate that this M2 is as far from a standard 230i as possible.
The CS’ shape and size are perfect for a modern, high-performance coupe. Overall, it looks quite small by modern standards with its short, 106-inch wheelbase and lack of overhang up front and outback. It’s wide, but not ridiculously. The small and wide kidney grille and pronounced Hoffmeister Kink integrate into its dimensions seamlessly as well, ensuring that nobody will ever mistake this beast for something else.
Its unmistakable characteristics continue under the hood
The thing about the M2 CS’ engine is it’s kind of like having a friend sitting in the front passenger seat who’s a total enabler. Meaning, they’ll happily goad you into acting like a total jackass in public. Sometimes this jackassery isn’t exactly welcome in the eyes of the law, either. But regardless, it’s the kind of hooliganry that always ends in laughter and a mile-long smile.
Coming up to a right turn at a big intersection in broad daylight, it’s almost as if the engine is saying, “oh my God, dude, you should totally turn in, stab the throttle, and drift through this corner, haha!” And you do it because this little short-wheelbase Bimmer is so powerful yet so controllable for its size.
Or, you’re sitting at a freeway on-ramp, awaiting a green light. “Dude dude dude, turn off the traction control and light up the rear tires in front of that Tesla behind you!” Then, after switching off traction control and enabling M Dynamic Mode, normally reserved for track driving, you look like a total jerk ripping off onto the freeway in a haze of tire smoke and decibels. But that’s OK; the noises produced by the M2 CS both from under the hood and out the tailpipe are truly glorious as is its power curve and acceleration.
What makes these occasions so glorious is the fact that what’s beneath the hood isn’t quite the standard 2 Series fare. Instead, it’s the 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, inline-6 S55 right out of the old F82 M4 Competition. Same tuning and everything. This equates to 444 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque in a car that weighs just 3,517 pounds, that’ll do 0-60 MPH in about four seconds.
The transmission in my tester, which shoveled these brutal figures to the rear wheels via BMW’s Active M Differential, was BMW’s 7-speed dual-clutch. This gearbox is excellent when enthusiastic driving is on the docket, but it gets a tad annoying on the street. Getting going from a stop requires a careful foot, which also exacerbates the annoyance of shifting between drive and reverse.
It’s not the quickest to change between these gears, which can make pulling a three-point turn under pressure a major chore. On one occasion, onlookers probably thought I was purposely doing neutral-drop reverses while turning around on a tight Los Angeles street.
Whether the intention is to lightly pull away from a green light or mob down a twisty canyon road, the power curve is just so fun, with a pronounced bump in torque around 4,000 RPMs (presumably when the turbos are fully forcing air in) to let you know things are turning up a notch. If you keep your foot in it, the experience will quickly get a lot more fun.
The tone that this near-race engine inline-6 makes is so intoxicating. I’ve heard from other journalists that the S55’s tone is a bit played out, but to me, that’s utter blasphemy. Not a whole lot beats the scream of an angry, high-revving, baritone, twin-turbo inline-6.
Legendary driving dynamics
This same enthusiastic, begging-to-be-driven-wildly energy is found in the M2 CS’ steering and handling. Its thick, grippy steering wheel points its tack-sharp, solid front-end wherever you like, with all the precision and lacking any twitchiness. The chassis always feels incredibly planted, with an immense lack of body roll across all adaptive damper settings to ensure brilliant grip, precision, and lateral G-forces. Behind the CS’ brakes reside all-aluminum, fully-independent suspension, with the rear steel subframe bolted directly to the chassis without bushings. Yup, regarding the CS’ immense grip and control, this checks out.
It’s an utter joy to rip through twisty canyon roads behind the wheel of this little Bavarian beast. The only car that’s offered a more thrilling experience on similar roads during my tenure as an automotive journalist is the McLaren 620R, which is a mid-engine, carbon fiber-filled, street-legal race car that costs three times more than the M2 CS.
All successions of corners are a load of fun in the CS, but the best is having the ability to rocket out of corner-exit, get up to a truly hair-raising level of speed, and then brake really hard for the next corner. Its sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s put in the work, to say the least. This not only exemplifies the CS’ premium power and grip, but also the strength of its gigantic carbon-ceramic brakes.
I never experienced any noticeable amount of fade while sailing through Southern California’s Angeles National Forest, and one look at the CS reveals why: it seems as though the wheels are barely big enough to fit its massive, M Sport brakes with 15-inch rotors front and rear.
When the road slows down, and heartbeat returns to resting, the M2 CS is happy to just cruise along with the damping set to Comfort and provide a solid yet well-damped ride. It was even comfy on Los Angeles’ worst, wretchedly-bumpy streets. It didn’t ride too rough around town in Sport, either, though Sport+ was too much. Comfort was the best all-around damper setting by far. Great damping, but still very little body roll for when curvier tarmac awaited.
Perhaps the best BMW all-rounder ever
Besides its jerky DCT gearbox (just get a stick model) and sometimes squeaky brakes, this little coupe was such a joy to live with for a week. It even had decent approach clearance for getting up annoyingly steep driveways and had excellent ingress and egress for hopping in and out for a day of errands.
Mileage certainly varies, but I was able to average 17.3 MPG over nearly 500 miles, most of which were spirited, city-street rascality, Autobahn-esque highway runs, and nearly 100 miles of twisty, canyon road fun. If I were inclined to settle down a bit more, I’m sure 20+ MPG would be easily attainable.
But what’s the fun in that? This is a 1 of 2200 for the entire planet car, and the last to receive BMW’s venerable S55 engine. It’s a special edition OEM hotrod that packs so much power between its short wheelbase and should be celebrated as such. Anyone who stashes one away in a collection for a future auction block is doing society, and human history in general, a great disservice. Wheel it, track it, daily it, enjoy it; the BMW M2 CS checks all the boxes so damn well.
Whether it’s worth its nearly $100,000 price tag is up to the eye of the beholder; anyone with the means and appreciation for something so rare and special would be hard-pressed to find something else with so much character and charisma for the same amount of money. Plus, it’s way cheaper than trying to hunt down an E46 M3 GTR.