The BMW M2 CS - Is It Really That Good? 

The irony of the none comp cars not getting a proper M engine is that the N55 sounds way better. I do like the CS though. My local dealer has one in and when it’s parked next to the latest M cars, it highlights just how damn ugly the newest cars are.

Damnit James you're spoiling us with good contents these few days, I took a hit on my productivity.

Last year I had a Jag F-Type SVR absolutely loved it, and I ended up getting a base M2 as my "daily". Since having the M2 i ended up preferring that over the Jag even on weekend drives and I ended up selling the Jag and M2 for a manual M2C and have never been happier. The M2s are definitely going to be a well remembered legacy for BMW especially as BMW progresses into their current future.

A good friend of mine bought one and let me take a few laps on track with the car. It's a brilliant car, I have to say.

Having owned a 2020 M4 Comp and a 2022 M4 Comp I can say without a doubt the driving satisfaction in the M2 CS is worth it!

I love my M240i, can only imagine how awesome this M2 CS is to drive!!

What I like the most from your reviews is the honesty of your comments! Big thumbs from a dude from Colombia (South America!). Saludos!!

Thank you for sharing your experience. You are a great director. The soundtrack (very nice) is not always very connected to the image (of a much more relaxed drive). Well the effect of a real passion for cars persists and the description is really what indeed matters. I like.

In Australia, these were $139900 when new and $35000 more than the M2 Competition. Now they’re $170000+ used which is almost the cost of a G80 M3 new. A very good review of a brilliant car. The smile on your face said it all. I would also like to hear your opinion of a 1M.

I love this car. The looks and noise - it’s got the “want one” factor for me. Usefully lighter than the new G80 M3/M4 too.

The m2 cs is kind of like a budget gt4rs cayman, the best of the best when it comes to lightweight coupes.

Id love one of these handsome little cars, not something one can say about many current BMWs

What a great review! Thank you

To answer the video title just from looking at it , then most definitely YES!

Love the CS, definitely the best that BMW has made in a long while. Would be a dream to own one

Superb review, as always.

Great as always. You do need to drive a 1M.

Amazing timing with Demuro having just reviewed the M240i

Damn people are dreaming at those prices. Nice video. Love the blue and gold wheel combo. Keep up the good work.

Thanks J!

My dream car right there.

Great work

you need to find a place for skidding the car(s). It's an M2 cs, skidding is mandatory if you want to make a video about it.

One went past me on my local road I was doing 90 in my mini and I new the road i v had a few BMW But when I see this car and over take and disappear to God knows were it took my breath away I'm retired now and I want one incredible car watch this space

🤞 for a 1M review, the only M I really, really desire.

I liked my 2018 M2. It had a special interior carbon package. Traded it for my current 991.2 Carrera which was a bucket list car for me.

I've got an OG M2 and whilst a far cry from the fully fettled M2CS or M2 C, it still strikes me as one of the best handling cars in its price range.

I saw one in my quiet town a month or two back and I really couldn’t believe it I nearly broke my neck

i own this car and love it but you HAVE to add some proper exhausts, then it sounds great, making it pretty much perfect

Ha, 2 3 cylinders with straight pipe. Literally what I had in my racecar. From the front it sounded like an angry monster with the S50 intake (ITB's), from the rear it sounded like a honda 1.4 with a big noise pipe.

I have always been a BMW M fan having owned 6 M3’s, but I never proceeded past my E92 M3 which I still have. The turbo era cars just never did it for me, as the non-linear power delivery and poor sound just left me cold. This car is the only M car made in the last several years I would really consider, and unfortunately these are now out of production. As sad as it is to say, especially with the new direction BMW is taking on styling, I probably will never buy another new BMW

I always liked BMW more than their German rivals and that's especially true of the M cars. The blue and gold combo on this one is definitely an excellent choice! Also like that this one is on Leeds plates which means it's originally local to me

Lumley Den road there. Seen quite a few offs on those bends, all motorcycles, once me. :-)

That's a lovely car James, defiantly the best ever BMW!

Saying the N55 isn't an M engine when it's 90% same engine as the s55. And then following on saying the S55 doesn't sound very good.. Nothing wrong with the N55 in the og m2 it as the secondary oil pump fixed the issue of the n55.

Chris Harris changed the suspension of his M2CS from stock to Bilstein! Eventually is this more satisfying to you Jay :-)

I’ve always respected M cars, although always Audi Rs cars for personal preference. But I’d easily choose this over the vast majority of Rs or AMGs on sale today.

A twin turbo bullet proof inline 6 making over 400 HP is impressive, and I imagine a whole lotta fun!

The S55 BMW engine was assigned to the M3 Competition and the M4 Competition. BMW fanboys complained that the M2 wasn't a proper M car so BMW gave in and built a M2 competition with the same engine. But not to annoy those who have already bought an M3 Competition and M4 Competition, BMW powered down the engine in the new M2 Competition. I've got one and put the hp back to what is near to it's big brothers - 550hp and 700Nm of torque all going to the back wheels. FRIGHTENING!

Welcome back to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

Hi James, I honestly can't wait to watch a review of a stock 1M Coupe by yourself. I know it doesn't go like this CS, it doesn't stop like a CS and to be a weapon needs upgrades, but...for me, it's not about that. I would love to have one. You may love it or you may hate it, kill one of my myths and show us it's just an overpriced car with a fake aura. Greetings from the Canary Islands.

Hell yeah!

Clicked on this video, very very quickly

I fitted Bilstein B6 dampers to my M2 Comp which absolutely transformed the ride and handling. Yes it’s down on power and isn’t as ‘trick’ or as rare as the CS but in terms of B road driver enjoyment it’s hard to beat, with sharp turn in and a comfortable, premium feeling ride, much better than stock

Oh please! The 1M next? Looking to get one, and would value your opinion on it

BMW M swan song as we know it, and remember it. Yes the new M2 will be faster but I don’t think it’ll be as easy on the eye. I’m not really one for new cars, but the M2C was the first new car I ever bought. I then got a CS allocation and knew it would be limited but not as limited as it turned out to be. 450 1M, 422 M3 CSL (another car I own and prefer) came to the U.K. It does make some 100 or so rather rare indeed.

I'm unsure I'll ever buy a new car, but if I did the m2 is certainly in that discussion. I just prefer my 90s cars personally. 0 denying these are mega cool and certainly the m3 successor (as the m3 is the same size as older m5's)

Whoever ordered that car nailed it with the paint and rims.

I'm in the market for one of these. Here in Canada they are a lot cheaper then they are in the UK. I would have bought an RS3 however they are no longer sold here in my homeland. Anyway, giddy up.🥶

A great car 🤙👍

The biggest problem the M2 Comp was the suspension, too stiff when you dont want it to be, but Dynan modifies the M2 Comp by giving it softer suspension, they also did this with the N55 M2. This makes any M2 ride much better on road, while also making it faster on track (the stiff suspension was to make it seem more sporty). The changes from M2 Comp to M2CS are the adaptive suspension, engine tune, and the lightweight options (body panels, interior changes). However M2 CS has increased in price while Comp have depreciated, so my money would go to a used M2 Comp then go to Dynan for the softer suspension and engine tune (~500hp) and maybe some M Performance carbon body panels, except the carbon roof (a bit of a risky swap, supposedly installed by the dealer, but some dont want to it, since it might get installed badly).

I have a 2018 M2 with the DCT and LCI. I'll never sell it. I also have a Tesla for around town duties.

Nice video Jay. So, is the owner going to let you in the 1m as a comparison?

My mate here in Oz has one I’ve driven it I love it. But I don’t think it steers as well as my 1 M coupe

The last good looking "compact" BMW

Ah must be local to me then. That’s the road from Glamis to the A90. Fun road even in my OG M2.

Could you test the I30N facelift please?😌

One of 33, w Carbon brakes 🤤

Perfect timing with Doug DeMuro

The next csl

I can’t decide between this and a cayman gts, but this should just has more practicality, some exclusive bits and a better package. In Europe competitions are around 25k less but I think this will hold up value wise better. Nice problem to have thanks for helping!

That's an awful lot of money for a small car, but seems pretty special.

BMW didn’t fix the engine with the Comp and CS. They instead made it worse. The original M2 is what you want.

I think I'd just go get the M2 Comp

Someone please lend a 1M and a v10 M5 touring for jayemm to review. Would be interested to see what he thinks of both cars.

A great car for sure but worth the extra over a M2 Comp?

Test drive an OG on uk roads 👀

Okay So these are the cars I owned at all at once, ALL MANUALS Ferrari 360 modena Ferrari 3555 gts Lotus evora 400 991GT3 touring Audi R8 V10 E 46 M3 M2 competition (yes) M2 CS- a white one Shelby gt 350 R Honda civic type r Miata ND Now I always wanted to see which three cars I would keep forever- so I drove atleast 5000 miles in all except the 360 and 355 a couple thousand miles each. I also shared my cars with my friends and mechanic friends who understood handling better than just pure show. Our verdict was BMW M2 CS ( It owns the road and handles like a champ) Provides all the comfort and so much fun, you cannot explain the fun and pure practicality. Steering is playful but so much feedback from the road, so much more than even the evora hydraulic. Its an awesome combination of sports cars and creature comfort. Its difficult to believe but I always have so much fun speeding and the sharp handling. 991.2 GT3 TOURING ( too loud but the best engine ) 360 modena - most underrated Ferrari ever and its pure bliss to drive I also had m2 comp and the day I bought it i missed my m2 cs so much that i had to buy a second one because I thought it wasnt gonna be different. What I am trying to say is- This car is exceptional. This cars is FUN FUN FUN, But needs a good exhaust lol for sure. that would have made the package complete.

136 / 5 000 Get to see now ... If I remember correctly from The Grand Tour, Jermey Clarkson liked this car a lot. Okay, it got low scores, but still.

Oh the irony that the M2 with the worst engine is the best sounding one, but this M2 CS is THE M2 to have for sure :) ❤️

That's a lot of $$$ for that car. As you say, there are plenty of cars at that price to choose from.

M2s don’t have presence? You sure about that? CS looks like the comp bar a few subtle changes, so don’t understand how a CS has more presence than the other M2s.

Always found with the M2's that you're constantly trying to wrestle the rear end of the car during fast drives, which for some is what they want, however it's not as good as being a precision tool like the cayman is. Nonetheless happy a car like the M2 CS exists as there really isn't any other new sports coupe that offers an almost muscle car experience.

See you next Tuesday special

Did I see that right? It has 20,000 mile service intervals!? That surely has to be a huge warning for those looking at higher mile examples later down the line (if these ever get driven)

Bloody hell,a car you like.... 😅😅 Maybe you should ask the owner for a go in his 1M ....

Yes. Yes it is.

JayEmm's workrate is UNEQUALLED in this RU-vid videos game!

I own a LHD twin of this car. All of of the same options. I paid $93.5K for mine here is Florida. Current market price: $120K. Expensive? Yes. But so it everything else. I just paid $179K for an M3 CRT. My M2CS is definitely NOT inferior to the CRT. I also think that the M2CS is an overall better car than the 1M. Very special car indeed.

Can you now drive an n55 OG one on UK roads? Preferably one that’s been breathed on a bit.

Pity about it's built in planned obsolescence. Good with low miles and for a short time tho. Then flip.

What tires are you running? If it's cup 2s the steering feel will be impacted with the hard rubber. It definitely has enough feel of the road coming through when the tires are warm.

Why does BMW always feel the need to add add add and grow grow grow? I think this will hold very well because the new 2 series non-M is already a 4,5 meters car which is e90 size if I recall correctly, the 4 series has also grown a lot and yet both seem to be less spacious on the inside than the f80 and f22 plus they come with x drive that I sincerely don't need when driving at 6 tenths. I know the interior feels bland but if cars like this got much more expensive I don't even think the regular m2 would be sold here in Spain. Lovely video as always

Yes it is...

I've always rated the Pilot SuperSports, much better grip and feel the the Pilot Sport 4

Get an M2C. Throw some bilsteins on it. Remap stage one to 500bhp. Maybe throw some Michelin Cup 2’s if you want to track it. Voila.

The early M2 is one of the few modern cars I'd consider buying, but the prices are a bit silly for a now 6 year old car. Also, coming from an FN2 I'm not sure the sound would be enough. My K20 sound still gives my goosebumps 10 years on. It' seems modern cars all sound a bit naff IMO.

Is it worth the extra Gibs over a comp??

If it’s better than the M2C then it can only be a fantastic car. Although a lot of £££ over one of those. As you say, they should have preferential depreciation though…

90k for a compact BMW? I don't think so, there some beautiful cars available for that sum and beautiful is not a word that can be applied to this car, but another interesting review.

Have you driven a good example of a 1m?

I'd rather have an m2 and a gr Yaris pal for this price and keep the change.

How’s the steering and suspension vs the M2 Comp? I recall you finding the M2 competitions steering a let down.

As nice as a CS is, I'd imagine it's possible to get a M2 or M2 Comp as sorted as a CS with some Team Schirmer bits, full alignment, remap and an equal length mid section to making it sound smooth like a real straight 6

BMW should have done an M2 GTS instead of this CS. Would have been even better imo.

Iirc from original reviews: good car, too expensive. Only for the Chris Harris's of the world 😂

awesome video! you are a great youtuber, congrats! Yet you are way talkative, you understand "search intent" we want to see the car and less opinions... and yes, lots of opinion, but even more car about!

one day David will get a 911 ........

My Main issue with my M2 Comp was the steering feel and 2NH brake feel, but those factors are both fixed more or less in the M2 CS. It's definitely a great car!

Unfortunately from a financial point of view I passed on one when offered a car by bmw. But I still don’t get it. An M2 comp tastefully modified would get you to the same level. And I would still rather have a V8 M3 for the engine… and for that money you can get a GT4 !!! Not sure it makes sense at all bar for the die hard bmw collector.