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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I agree, this might work as a semi-collectors item and hold its value well, but it’s not a “must have” leap over the regular car.
I’m in the market for a G87 and not feeling any fomo here. The wheels are nice (easy retrofit), the color is great (less easy but there are other good colors), and the power bump is easily achievable with an ECU flash.
But none of this matters anyway, because it’s auto only.
That engine has come a long way since the 3 Liter 300HP/300 lb-ft 2015 X5 Sdrive35i my wife had when we met.
But other than that, I suspect I would hate this car. Even at $70K. Actually, since that X5 (which we traded in for an MDX), I am not a Bimmer fan at all. Although it had its own flaws, the Acura was still much better to drive. Even at 90+ on some desolate Texas highways.
I suspect you’re right on this one. There’s just too many European performance options out there with better value for money and tbh, better value for prestige badging. You’d have to be a pretty hardcore Bimmer person to skip a Porsche or Lotus for something with a roundel on the not exactly pretty front end.
AT only seems kinda silly given the froth that a car like that with a manual seems to generate for for porsche… Different market I guess. This is the one car that the current BMW design language works on, but not well enough to justify the $$.
I currently own a 25 G87 M2 MT with the carbon pack. Heavily debating if it makes sense to upgrade. There are a lot of little changes that don’t get published. When I had my F87 M2C, I modified the everliving hell out of it, and the M2 CS still drove better. They do coding changes to all the software, return to center on the steering, bushings, etc. So it’s not really apples to apples.
My car also cornerbalanced at 3620lbs, WITH a 180lbs driver. This was when I had it on forged apex wheels and a full TI exhaust. It’s back to stock now, but they don’t feel heavy IMO. Excellent chassis.
The sun is setting on ICE performance cars like this. A Tesla Model 3 Performance or Kia EV6 GT costs maybe $40k less and is faster.
^^This, especially for an automatic. What’s the point of the 6-figure car with the slushbox if it’s left in the dust by an electric Hyundai that costs half and you can pick it up today.
The only reason to still get an ICE sports car is if you can row your own, otherwise just go electric and be faster for much cheaper.
More power sure, but there is no way on earth a model 3 or ev6 gt drives better than the M2 (cs or otherwise). I think enthusiasts have pretty roundly shown that speed is important but what matters most is the experience.
It’s kind of funny how we’ve circled back around to straight line speed being the only ‘fast’ that matters. Growing up through the 80’s and 90’s, it was all about 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.
EVs are fun to drive because of the instant response. Also they do pretty well on the track too because the heavy battery is about 6″ from the ground.
For drag racing sure. Track use? Not so much. 3770 vs 4506 is a huge difference in cornering.
These EVs are fast around the track too. The instant throttle response and the low center of gravity help them overcome the weight penalty.
I don’t see how the CS is worth the cash. The regular M2 is good at +/- $70k, but a little more horsepower, a tweaked suspension, and some bronze wheels do not justify the $30k price difference. The M2 just doesn’t feel special enough to be a $100k car regardless of how it’s dressed up, and I say this as someone who owns one.
As for the auto-only thing… Well, nobody should surprised by this. The current M2 is objectively a better car with the 8 speed. I’ve driven both, and I ended up buying a 6MT because I wanted the engagement, but the engine feels like it’s better matched to the auto.
The result may exceed the sum of the parts. I’m an old man, and I remember this when the ZHP performance package came out for the E46. It was ridiculed due to the high price and what appeared on paper to be very trivial improvements. But I drove one, and it was a completely different car in character to a 330i with ZSP. I so wish I had bought one back then. It was the only way in the US to get cloth seats in the E46.
It’s more of an $20k difference if you take into account the carbon package coming standard in the CS. But your point stands, this still doesn’t fully justify it.
I’m not worried.
Plenty of trust-fund scions whose hardest day of work was the day they emerged from a wealthy imported womb will get Daddio to send the wire transfer for one of these…
…and replace it with a Lambo when they trash it against a few parked cars on Santa Monica Blvd (no casualties) after a few too many at the Whisky a Go Go inside of a year.
I don’t know… If someone’s such a purist, they might be OK with manual being available only for the M models with less HP. Choosing the manual already means one’s not that interested in fastest 1/4mile- or laptimes. So the extra HP doesn’t necessarily do anithing for them.
Here’s your future Autopian headline template:
You’re welcome.
It’s alright guys, it’ll be an awesome buy in 25 years when it’s for sale on FBMP for 3 grand (OBO) with 189,013 miles.
3800 pounds? That’s almost a lightweight compared to the M5.
It’s still over a hundred pounds heavier than my Mustang GT (even if it had an automatic, which….nope, not for this type of car), and I could buy two of them for the price of the Beemer. I’ll stay with my lowly American car.
CS = Can’t Stomach (pricing)
But the weight! In what world is a 2 ton car considered sporty?? I know, I’m an old and safety features are a leading cause of car bloat, but come on now. For the engineers out there: Is there not a way to make a modern car like this with a curb weight around 3000 lbs without resorting to a carbon fiber everything?
Miata is always the answer 🙂
Assuming all else in the regulatory world constant, make the car physically smaller in every way is my shot in the dark guess.
I believe car bloat is mostly a function of government mandates for safety equipment and to protect pedestrians. Then again, car companies cannot help themselves loading up their cars with extraneous tech above and beyond what the powers that be require.
These days, anything under 4000 pounds in a vehicle larger than a Miata seems par for the course. Whilst I wish my car was lighter, I still have fun.
It’s 100lbs lighter than my 80s Mercedes S-class (read: land yacht). Considering it has ABS, airbags, cruise control, and power EVERYTHING, controlled by heavy-ass 80s tech, that’s pretty sad.
That being said, the BMW probably doesn’t have to drive a wide open throttle when pulling away from stop lights (diesel problems).
It’s only 200 pounds lighter than my early-2000s S-Class which adds full air suspension, soft close doors (& trunk!), traction control, screen, V8, etc. It really makes you stop and question why newer, much smaller cars are so heavy.
CT5 Blackwing money. Objectively nuts. And yet, they will sell.
And GM even offers a manual transmission in that too. I always kind of wondered why so few companies don’t jump on the T56/TR6060 but instead get themselves into situations like this where their manual of choice ends up not being available on their most driver focused model. It’s not even like BMW manuals are all that good and I think the Tremec would be an upgrade even if it didn’t have the additional power/torque capacity. Why has the T56 essentially been limited to a bunch of GM stuff, Challengers, Vipers, and a couple of very specific trims of Mustangs? Especially as manual transmissions become increasingly rare, why wouldn’t the likes of BMW go to one of the better manual transmission suppliers instead of sticking with their meh manual boxes?
I don’t know the answer to this for sure, but as a dedicated patron of the 6060, I wish more companies used it.
I suspect the reason is some combo of large size/weight, perceived rawness/non-sophistication, and unwillingness to admit their own manuals aren’t as good.
Oh no!
Anyway…
Just reading this article is more time than I ever want to waste thinking about this car.
Meh, another piece of automotive jewelry. Far too much potential to be engaging on the street or for drivers with anything other than near-professional level driving skills.
I really don’t think it will matter. If you want the CS, you want the most hard core version you can get, and like it or not, the auto is faster. So as long as the normal M2 maintains the manual I think that scratches the itch well enough. There’s a reason the fastest cars are nearly all auto only.
“There’s a reason the fastest cars are nearly all auto only.”
I once got into trouble here for saying that.
I’ve got an f87 competition and seriously considered the CS. I still kind of wish I got the CS, but then I think about how much fun I already have with the car and how the CS wouldn’t be $35k more worth of fun. 100k is also a lot of money for a German sports car that’s not a 911.
They are catering to the people who lease them for 3 years then swap it in. That’s who BMW (and zee Germans) build vehicles for now, and has done for the last decade (or two).
People forget they are there to maximize shareholder profit year over year, not provide you with an engaging, quality piece of engineering (no matter what their commercials or brochures sell/tell you).
They pivoted from enthusiasts to the conspicuous consumption crowd years ago and it’s been great for the shareholders. They make products that are disposable by design. The first owner is usually someone who’s straining their budget significantly for a flex purchase who leases them and moves on to the next thing after a couple years.
Then they’re bought certified by one of us and usually well cared for for a few years until the complexity and cost of the problems becomes unbearable. Then they’re on buy here pay here lots for people with even less of a budget who still want to be seen in a luxury product and they die undignified deaths.
But BMW/Mercedes/Audi/etc don’t give a shit. They’ve already made what money can be made on the car and once that warranty is up they couldn’t care less. At that point they’re either raking in additional money on ridiculously expensive repairs or free from their obligation to the customer.
The products are only designed to last 3-5 years. This is one of the reasons why a German luxury car is such a hard sell for me. I actually still like BMWs a lot but I just don’t want to deal with the long term headaches and costs of ownership. Porsche at least still builds cars to last and is generous with their certified program…but that doesn’t change the fact than an oil change is $500.
Actual ownership costs are something, IMO, that are far more important than even the mandatory EPA window sticker.
I think every car should have a list price for the current rate of an oil change, brake replacement, battery replacement, and four tires listed somewhere. I suspect people will think twice once they see that kind of thing. Maintenance isn’t something that can get rolled into the finance price with clever math.
I’ll never forget being in a tire shop about 15 years ago and watching a customer just cuss the manager out. How could a set of tires for my truck be $1,200?! Because you got the optional 20″ wheels on your Dodge Ram.
Yup. If I ever buy a luxury car it’s almost certainly going to be a Lexus, and as much of a Porsche fan boy as I am I’d have a very hard time picking anything but one of the most special 911s over an LC500.
I agree that maintenance that is something that needs to be part of the calculus when buying a vehicle of any kind. And, I guess, the more exotic the vehicle, the more uniform the pricing for those maintenance items will be.
I get service special coupons from two different Honda dealerships that are about the same distance away. And there are independent mechanics that will often do at least as good work as the dealerships for a little less.
When I lived in Texas, there was a guy who nightly parked a McLaren 650S in his driveway, three blocks from my home. It wasn’t a bad neighborhood, but it wasn’t gated… And I’d see the occasional Jag or Range Rover and think what a brave move that was, living 80 miles from Houston where it would have to be flat-bedded to, if and when something goes wrong.
Would be cool to see the Autopian come up with clever way to integrate power curves for a more useful way to compare engine power.
Comparing peak torque value is really not that useful. Higher peak torque is directionally going to lead to faster acceleration but it’s all guessing compared to just integrating power curve
Of course, would need similar info from each OEM which I wouldn’t expect to come across easily
Yeah, best we usually get is where in the rev range peak torque is achieved. In the case of 6MT M2 vs M2 CS, the 6MT car has less peak torque and a broader torque plateau, but the CS’ plateau starts only 100 RPM later (2,750 rpm vs 2,650) and ends at 5,730 rpm vs 6,130 rpm in the 6MT car. Is the CS still ahead on torque at 6,130 rpm? We unfortunately don’t know, but I’d love to find out.
They should buy you a dyno for your home office.
Not for me. Id want a lighter manual vehicle for carving. 3800lbs auto means it is a straight line only machine compared to my 1500lb-1850lb toys.
Lost their way indeed.
Color me intrigued… What do you have that’s in the 1500-1850lb range???
2000 Aluminum monocoque Honda Insight 5MT battery deleted, dc-dc modded for higher rev limit. Highly ported head, lightened rockers, stronger springs, 9600 rpm.
And yes I know the limits because I was running 11,500 rpm for awhile before I dropped the valves on cylinder 3.
Still slow in a straight line but the beauty is giving it gas early into corners when other cars are braking because weight.
Scary going in hot at first but about 1/3rd into the corner the car is already done shedding forward momentum and suddenly you are like “oh we’re good”.
So many questions! I cannot even express how much I want to know more! Are you a member? I would love to do a write up on this if you are!
Not a member, but thats my boring car. My HY35 swapped 03 TDI is far more entertaining. 90hp stock -> 330whp. Self tuned. Ran into weird stuff like the turbo being so heavy it was breaking exhaust bolts, researched a bougie brand of bolts used in Nuclear Reactors and Space Satellites called BUMAX that cost over $100 per bolt which held. Turbo off a six liter Cummins so 2psi until 3900rpm when it starts spooling and full boost right around 4500rpm to make the 330whp then shift before rev limiter at 6000rpm. Still got nearly 50mpg.
Was going to make a self made jake brake by replacing the glow plugs with brake lines threaded into the head with electronic high pressure solenoids which also would serve as a way to dynamically change compression ratio while it runs if I have two stages of them. Goal was to fire up at 20:1 then once warm drop it down to 15:1 by opening the first stage of solenoids which simply let more volume into the combustion chamber while the second jake-brake solenoids stay closed.
Then I was going to propane inject it for spool but just bought a house and have been daily driving it with glow plugs in.
Im in Michigan near Tracys old place if interested.
Goodness! That sounds amazing! I wish, I’m down in VA but man I want to hear more so bad! Please let me know if you ever decide to sign up as I would love to talk all about these fantastic cars!
If I lived anywhere near there, I would buy a membership just to hear more. I had an ’01 TDI Jetta that I got mildly chipped. Like up to 110 HP. Afterwards, the front suspension would start bouncing on a brisk take off on wet pavement. Maybe 110 was a conservative estimate, but I doubt it.
I can’t imagine what 330whp would be like. Probably took a lot of wrenching and parts to tame that.
When I was on Fred’s TDIClub site, there was some high school kid who routinely didn’t lift when he encountered that in his parents’ TDI and broke some stuff. He didn’t get a lot of sympathy.
Old video showing when I was building it.
https://youtu.be/tQIpRZ9m2oM?si=xU84ZPcuKTrx-Bjq
The manual stuff is being overblown. I don’t think BMW has ever offered a stick in their Competition/CS/etc. super focused versions of M cars…and if they have it was a long time ago. For better or worse the consensus is that these are tuned for the ZF8 first and the manual second, and as a result play nicer with it. That’s not to say you should choose the auto every time, and the manual take rate on these is comparatively high. But in this application a stick was pie in the sky wishful thinking.
With that out of the way, this does seem like a very hard sell on paper. The G87 is a great buy in the 60s/low 70s at base spec. It’ll legitimately run circles around a lot of stuff at the same price point without forcing you to sacrifice practicality in the same way a 718, Corvette, etc. do. The backseat is usable, it’s not too harsh to daily, etc. It’s a neat car at that price point and I’m personally a fan.
But once you start adding all the fancy options it’s less appealing. All the carbon stuff is ridiculously expensive and will make 0 material difference in the rear world. You don’t need all the automated driving/safety stuff in a sports car either. You have enough to have fun and go to the track with in the base model.
But once it’s an $80,000+ car it makes less sense. There’s more serious and special/unique stuff you can find your way into at that point…and at $100,000 it’s not competitive. You’re going up against the Z06, 718 GTS, lightly used and/or base 911s, etc. once you hit six figures. It’s also a very different car, but you can also have an LC500 at this point and I’d have a very hard time picking an M2 over that.
I’ve always kind of wondered who these elevated M models are for. You have to REALLY love BMW to choose one over what else you can get. It seems like they have buyers and hold their value, so there must be enough people who do love BMW that much. But for me personally? I can’t see spending that much of my pretend money. The M cars are surprisingly good buys if you don’t load them up with a bunch of flashy shit you don’t need and will never use. That’s how I’d have mine.
If this looked like something like the i8 looked like in the past I could see the 100k+ but as you have said and as the article said why would you get this over the money other 100k toys you could get? If I saw this on the road I wouldn’t think much of it just looks like a typical beemer now if I see a Porsche or even a C8 on the road I always like looking at them.
This also only comes in one cool color. The other options? You guessed em-black and primer gray headline. There is Portimao blue as well which is just kind of…fine, I guess. But you can literally get the base car in cooler colors than this.
Yeah I just looked at their options for the normal M2 vs this you would think for some type of special look at me car you would put the highlighter greens, yellow and red on a car. Not a bunch of dark colors and grey.
Yeah, I think this is for rich BMW fanboys only.
The F87 M2 Competition and CS both offered manuals, the E92 M3 Lime Rock Park Edition offered a manual, and the F80 M3/4 Comps offered manuals
I stand corrected
What’s worse than buying an M model is buying the M package on a lesser model, like an X5. No more power, but an abusive ride and wide, expensive, run-flat tires.
I’m not sure the price comparison matters all that much here. If one is dropping 100k on a toy, it boils down to badging at that point.
One is either a Porsche person, Lotus person, Vette person, newly divorced etc.
It’s basically Nintendo v. Sega v. Sony at a larger scale.
BMW feels like 1995 Sega though. Missing the plot and not quite on the same level as their competitors. Lotus feels like 1999 Sega.
The current M2 weighs around 3,800 pounds and that is the LIGHTEST M car. For reference the E36 M3 was about 3150 pounds. When the lightweight special version can has weight savings I can count on my hands over the next lightest spec, at a nearly 35% price hike, it’s safe to say that BMW has lost the plot entirely.
And to compare weights to competitors: Supra 3.0 is ~3400 pounds, Cayman GTS 4.0 with a stick is 3175 lbs, Emira V6 is 3200 lbs, even a convertible C8 Z51 is 3750 lbs, while the coupe is 3650 lbs. I know we’ve normalized higher weight cars these days, but even amongst it’s competition the M2 in all it’s trims, CS or otherwise, is a total porker, hell, the weight gap between the M2 and a Challenger Hellcat (4400 lbs) is SMALLER than the weight gap between the M2 and the Cayman.
All the German manufacturers other than Porsche have completely jumped the shark when it comes to weight. AMG and RS models are way too heavy as well. The current C63 and RS6 are nearly 5,000 pounds…some of it has to do with complying with European regulations, but some of it is lazy engineering.
That ZF 8 speed is an amazing transmission. Shifts almost as fast as a DCT but will happily slush in traffic. BMW has been using it about forever so it should be impossible to catch it in a wrong gear.
For a “competition special” focused on lap times above all else, it’s the right call. This absolutely will be faster than a manual. The people who want driver engagement will buy the cheaper M2 with a stick. The price delta probably leaves budget for a host of Dinan goodies.
I have the ZF 8 speed now and it really is fantastic. It always picks the right gear.
The last few weeks, I keep seeing someone in a new M2, same color as my M235i. I think the M2 looks better in person than it does in pictures.
My buddy had an M135 with it. He flung it around some back roads on that occasion. Later we did a small road trip with three of us in that car. The transmission was just as happy drop kicking our kidneys with shifts or smoothly dealing with D.C. traffic. Shooting gaps in traffic was a snap. Not surprised BMW kept it around. ZF made one great transmission!
Lol I was *joking* in the other news page when I said they didn’t say any specs because they were embarrassed that it was such a lardass.