Late last week, BMW unveiled the 2026 M2 CS but wasn’t willing to say anything about specs right that moment. It was a curious move, and one that caused some mild concern. Surely, if the specs were amazing, they’d have been released on Friday, right? Or was the delay a move to build hype? Well, now we know for sure. Poring over the details of the new BMW M2 CS, this sharpened Bavarian coupe seems to have its on-paper pros and cons. What I’m worried about is whether its limitations might make this limited-run car a difficult sell.
Under the hood, the three-liter twin-turbocharged S58 inline-six has been boosted from 473 horsepower in the standard M2 to 523 horsepower. That’s significant, but not as significant as the potential torque gains. With 479 lb.-ft., the M2 CS boasts an additional 36 lb.-ft. of torque over a regular automatic M2 and 73 lb.-ft. of torque over a regular manual M2. Ah yes, here’s the rub—the new M2 CS is automatic-only, with an eight-speed ZF torque converter unit being the only choice available.
While it stands to reason that 479 lb.-ft. exceeds the official torque rating of the ZF S6-53BZ six-speed manual transmission in the regular M2 of 600 Nm, or 443 lb.-ft. of torque, we’re in the midst of a manual transmission gold rush and you’d expect well-heeled enthusiasts to be willing to give up 36 lb.-ft. of torque for the ability to row their own gears, especially in a car touted to be the sharpest and lightest of all the current M models.
Ah yes, weight. Part of the headline appeal of the M2 CS is that BMW’s slimmed it down. The trunk, roof, centre console and seats are all made from carbon fiber, the wheels are lighter than on the standard car, and the whole package shaves 97 pounds off the curb weight of an automatic M2 for a total figure of 3,770 pounds. That sounds great, until you realize a few things.
The stick-shift regular BMW M2 is already 53 pounds lighter than the regular automatic model, and that’s before you add any optional weight-saving equipment. The available carbon fiber roof saves an additional 13 pounds, and BMW’s stated that the optional carbon fiber seats save 24 pounds over the standard seats. In plain English, a regular stick-shift M2 specced with the carbon fiber roof and seats should only weigh seven pounds more than an M2 CS, a weight delta that could be closed with simply a lighter set of replacement tires once you wear out the first set.
Granted, there is more to the new M2 CS than its powertrain and curb weight. It sits two-tenths of an inch lower on new springs and dampers, features revised chassis software, and can run from zero-to-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, two tenths quicker than the automatic regular M2 and four tenths quicker than the manual car. While you probably won’t notice a few tenths in the real world, the suspension changes should change the character of the car, hopefully pushing it in the slightly rowdier direction that made the original M2 so endeared. The optional Velvet Blue paint looks pretty swish too, but I can’t help but get the feeling that the project’s weighed down a bit by cost.
See, the M2 CS carries a base price of $99,775 including freight. Add that Velvet Blue paint, and you’re looking at an M2 with a six-figure sticker. Keep in mind, a regular M2 starts at $69,375, and even with the carbon buckets and roof, goes for $76,475. That’s a huge premium for the limited-run CS, and it puts it in the pricing range of some other tasty performance cars. A Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 starts at $101,695 including freight, a Lotus Emira V6 stickers for $102,250, a Corvette with the Z51 package and the competition bucket seats starts at a comparatively cheap $78,230. Among such competition, the M2 CS seems hard to justify.
Top graphic credit: BMW
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Nice that they’ve already got a leg up on the aftermarket duck tail spoiler crowd. /s
Should have a manual option with this but not surprised it doesn’t. It has a slightly better power/weight ratio than my F10 M5 competition (6-speed) 7.2 vs 7.45 but I bet is far less comfy on the road with its more track focused design. I bet it makes some nice noises though and the engine is HOT. At that price I’d likely lean toward an uncompromised sports car.