Used BMW M2 CS (F87, 2020 - 2021) review and specs – Munich's Porsche Cayman GT4 fighter

Charging in excess of £75,000 for a BMW 2-series sounds ludicrous on the face of it, but the car you received for that sum in 2020 was simply one of the best driver’s machines of modern times. BMW M was aiming for the very top with its most focused M2 yet, and it succeeded, the CS earning a five-star evo rating at launch and claiming a Car of the Year trophy soon after.

Using the F87 M2 Competition as its starting point, the CS raised that car’s power limit to 444bhp, matching the F80 M3 Competition from whence the S55 twin-turbocharged straight-six was sourced. Buyers could opt for a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and while the latter knocked two-tenths from the 0-62mph sprint, trimming it to just 4sec, we prefer the engagement of the former.

> BMW M2 review – an M4 with attitude

The reworked chassis featured Adaptive M suspension as standard (this wasn’t even an option on the Competition) and a recalibrated Active M Differential, while an uprated cooling system and upgraded brakes (with carbon-ceramics an option) ensured the CS was fit for intense track work. At 1550kg it was no lighter than the Competition, but a carbonfibre bonnet and roof helped offset the enhanced hardware to ensure it was no heavier either. Also new were a carbonfibre diffuser, splitter and ducktail spoiler, and forged 763M wheels that were available in an eye-catching Frozen Gold shade. The interior received a makeover too, with perforated Alcantara, a carbonfibre centre console and lightweight door cards. It also retained the rear seats, making it considerably more useable than some of its rivals.

The overall result not only looked special, but felt it too. This was a blisteringly fast M2 that was also more communicative, predictable and engaging than the already excellent Competition, and brilliant on road and track. It’s a surefire future classic.

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What to look out for

While it’s hard to determine long-term reliability on a car built so recently and in such low numbers, there are no significant CS-specific concerns to look out for as yet. There are, however, known issues with the S55 engine, with the worst of them being crank hub failure, which can cause a rough idle, disrupt timing and potentially cause catastrophic engine failure. This is a very limited problem, however, and only tends to surface on cars modified to produce considerably more power than BMW intended. The valve cover gasket is also known to leak on high-mileage engines, with differential leaks, charge pipe failure and wheel bearings reported to have failed on some cars.

What to pay

Only 2200 M2 CSs were built, with just over 100 heading for the UK market, so the classifieds aren’t exactly flooded with examples for sale. However, the large premiums being asked post its eCoty victory have now gone, meaning the cheapest cars, which tend to have covered around 40,000 miles, can be had for under £55,000. For a near-delivery mileage car – of which there are a frustratingly high number – you’ll need to pay in excess of £80,000.

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What we said

The CS treatment for the M2 consisted of much more than just a bit more power. The car was no lighter than the Competition due to its increased technical content (adaptive damping, for example), but helping to offset that was a carbon fibre bonnet and roof, the former featuring a large vent to assist engine cooling and to reduce aerodynamic pressure at the front of the car. Carbon was also used for the rear diffuser, wing mirrors, the front splitter and a ducktail-style rear spoiler, all of which gave the CS even more visual aggression. It’s the kind of car once seen you can’t stop looking at; a car you can never not look back at having parked up and walked away. 

The CS gained BMW’s adaptive damping setup offering three modes: Comfort, Sport and Sport+. This was accompanied by three modes for the engine and the steering, plus a halfway house M mode for the stability control, as well as everything ‘off’. Talking of which, the active M rear diff was also tweaked, along with the suspension geometry in general, while there were larger brakes plus the option of carbon-ceramic discs (not cheap at £6250).

Thankfully, a driver’s preferred setups can be saved to M1 and M2 settings that are accessed on the steering wheel, meaning you don’t constantly have to fiddle with the individual parameters. The CS driver sits on M sports seats, within a cabin that pays at least some homage to lightweight specials, with a simplified centre console made from carbon fibre and lightweight door cards. Plus you still have the practicality of the rear seats.

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Let’s get a couple of moans out the way first, shall we? We’ve no idea why BMW M persists with its huge and thick-rimmed steering wheels, but they immediately make the car feel more cumbersome and dampen feedback through the steering. Also, £81,115 as tested was, undeniably, an awful lot of money for a 2-series.

Right, with that out of the way it’s time to fire up the S55, the straight-six booming into life and settling to a thick, warm idle. Its peak torque – all 406lb ft of it – is developed from as low as 2,350rpm, but even below 2,000rpm there’s still plenty of urge on tap, and with it the CS absolutely flies. Even better, with the engine now able to deliver its best at higher rpm the revs positively soar up to 7,000rpm with a real flourish. It may be turbocharged, and therefore without the fabulous induction roar characteristic of M engines in the past, but there’s so much to like about this powerplant, especially when dropped into this car.

Despite running on sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, the CS is a very fluid car to drive. Get aggressive with the throttle and it’ll break traction at the rear with virtually no other form of provocation, and with the stability system removed it’s down to the sensitivity of your right foot to keep things under control. The joy of the CS – unlike an F82 M4 – is that it’s entirely on your side, its smaller dimensions and friendlier chassis balance making even third gear oversteer seem strangely natural, in the dry, at least.  

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The benefit of the manual is, obviously, the added sense of engagement you get with the M2 CS. It’s so rewarding to hook a higher gear and let the S55 pull from low revs, or just stroke the car along using every other gear; there’s so much torque that the lovely perception of little car/big engine, however much the figures may suggest otherwise, is so appealingly strong. The shift itself can be a notchy if you try and rush it, but is pleasingly mechanical otherwise, while the ceramic brakes don’t quite have the feel of similar systems from Porsche, but certainly pull the CS up smartish. And once you’ve got past the dampening effects of that oversized wheel, it’s clear that the CS does have a line of dialogue with the driver, there being a greater sense of connection and accuracy away from the straightahead. It’s a car that quickly becomes instinctive to drive; it even rides fairly comfortably too with the dampers set to their comfort setting. – Adam Towler

BMW M2 CS (F87) specs