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      07-31-2020, 10:36 AM   #1
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Top Gear BMW M2 CS Review

https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/bmw/m2-cs

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"Verdict
Final thoughts and pick of the range

A brash, addictively brilliant sports car. But is it truly £75,000-worth of ‘brilliant’? Hmm…
What sort of attitude do you approach this car with? That’s what you’ve got to ask yourself. This is a great little sports car – entertaining at social road speeds, alive beneath you, but without veering into intimidation. It looks bloody spectacular when stationary and downright evil bearing down in your mirrors, or surging past you on a wave of torque with a cackling exhaust. To see the M2 CS is to want one.
If you merely view it as a stopgap between M4s, or a jumped-up Cayman GT4 rival, you’re likely to be non-plussed. Much as we love this tenacious little tyke, it’s bloody difficult to rationally argue it’s worth £75,000, even with its bespoke tri-nostril carbon bonnet and aero features. Only if you’re regularly hooning around a track will the CS’s superior cooling become necessary.
The chief problem is the enemy within – the utterly superb £51,000 BMW M2 Competition. Only to the most hardcore track day goers – or badge snobs – will the CS truly warrant spending half as much again, just to get the top model. Particularly when more than one after-sales tuner will happily wring the 40bhp difference out of the Comp’s engine for a whole lot less coin…
But, if you can afford it, and you want possibly the most downright desirable product of the M Division since the semi-legendary BMW E46 M3 CSL, you’re going to love the CS. And here’s why.
It feels like a car raging against the dying of the light, enjoying one last hurrah to the max before it itself is replaced, and against the wider backdrop of hybridification and legislation cracking down on the unmitigated joy that is a little car lobbing a big engine’s lump of poke to its back wheels. BMW’s been at it for a while, but it just never gets old, does it?
That said, for this money, we’d be knocking on Stuttgart’s door and asking for a two-seater for Sunday morning smiles. The rest of the week, the sublime M2 Competition will do damn near everything almost as well."
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      07-31-2020, 06:17 PM   #2
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Hmmm... that article states that it's 0-62mph is 4.2 sec for 6MT and 4.0 sec for DCT.

BMW NA's website says 4.0 sec on 6MT and 3.8 sec on DCT.
https://www.bmwusa.com/limited-editi...les/m2-cs.html

Hmmm...
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      07-31-2020, 06:32 PM   #3
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Looks like a Stage 1 M2C remains the best value for money ///M car BMW makes ;-)
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      07-31-2020, 08:05 PM   #4
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Enjoyed the review- squares with where I was with the CS. I’ll enjoy the C and see how room in the garage for the cs shakes out after peeps get bored of being first on the block. I do like the interior- into spartan and less is more these days.

Thanks for sharing.
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      07-31-2020, 10:27 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmhl10 View Post
Hmmm... that article states that it's 0-62mph is 4.2 sec for 6MT and 4.0 sec for DCT.

BMW NA's website says 4.0 sec on 6MT and 3.8 sec on DCT.
https://www.bmwusa.com/limited-editi...les/m2-cs.html

Hmmm...
0-60 vs 0-62
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      07-31-2020, 10:29 PM   #6
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0-60 vs 0-62
Ahhhh... good point. I totally missed that.
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      08-01-2020, 12:44 AM   #7
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Seems like an honest review to me. Actually, it's no review praising the M2 CS - it's a review praising the M2C value for money.

A recurrent discussion on the forums: both the M2C and M2 CS are excellent cars, but on one of these, BMW has affixed an immodest price tag. "BMW M Town is the place where too much is just right". It turns out to be a place where CS is €$: it's "wrong" rather than "just right". Regardless my enthusiasm for the BMW M brand, I'm not feeling sorry at all to keep repeating this.
"BMW’s run-out special editions are often eye-wateringly pricey, and it’s the same story here. The M2 CS will set you back a truly ma-hoosive £75,355. That’s near-as-dammit £25,000 more than the wonderful BMW M2 Competition – which was already a huge step on from the original M2. And they, don’t forget, have an armrest.
So, is BMW having a hearty Bavarian LOL at your expense with the M2 CS, or has it built the ultimate sports coupe for the discerning, wealthy few?
[...]
Top Gear would never advocate buying a car as an appreciating investment, in the same way we’d rather buy a bar of chocolate and eat it before it melts instead of hanging onto it because of a limited-edition wrapper. That being said, the M2 CS ought to maintain its value like an advent calendar filled with gold bullion. Its grandad, the 1M Coupe, has barely depreciated since launch, and though the CS costs twice as much, it’s going to be rare."
Minor inaccuracy: "The main options are steel or ceramic brakes (look for blue or gold calipers)": on the M2 CS the brake caliper color is either red (standard M Sport Brake - 2NH - M2C option offered in silver) or gold (optional M-CCB - option code 2NK - not available for the M2C).

And peculiar that the review implicitly qualifies Hockenheim Silver as "white" (but that has always been my point of view too: HS is more leaning towards white than towards silver): "BMW’s only offering three colours: blue, black and white."
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      08-01-2020, 01:31 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Artemis View Post
Seems like an honest review to me. Actually, it's no review praising the M2 CS - it's a review praising the M2C value for money.

A recurrent discussion on the forums: both the M2C and M2 CS are excellent cars, but on one of these, BMW has affixed an immodest price tag. "BMW M Town is the place where too much is just right". It turns out to be a place where CS is €$: it's "wrong" rather than "just right". Regardless my enthusiasm for the BMW M brand, I'm not feeling sorry at all to keep repeating this.
"BMW’s run-out special editions are often eye-wateringly pricey, and it’s the same story here. The M2 CS will set you back a truly ma-hoosive £75,355. That’s near-as-dammit £25,000 more than the wonderful BMW M2 Competition – which was already a huge step on from the original M2. And they, don’t forget, have an armrest.
So, is BMW having a hearty Bavarian LOL at your expense with the M2 CS, or has it built the ultimate sports coupe for the discerning, wealthy few?
[...]
Top Gear would never advocate buying a car as an appreciating investment, in the same way we’d rather buy a bar of chocolate and eat it before it melts instead of hanging onto it because of a limited-edition wrapper. That being said, the M2 CS ought to maintain its value like an advent calendar filled with gold bullion. Its grandad, the 1M Coupe, has barely depreciated since launch, and though the CS costs twice as much, it’s going to be rare."
Minor inaccuracy: "The main options are steel or ceramic brakes (look for blue or gold calipers)": on the M2 CS the brake caliper color is either red (standard M Sport Brake - 2NH - M2C option offered in silver) or gold (optional M-CCB - option code 2NK - not available for the M2C).

And peculiar that the review implicitly qualifies Hockenheim Silver as "white" (but that has always been my point of view too: HS is more leaning towards white than towards silver): "BMW’s only offering three colours: blue, black and white."
With respect to the HS...not sure how you think it’s more white than silver. I can see more gray than silver, but no white here.

My F80 is AW...the M2C is HS.
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      08-01-2020, 04:56 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmboone25 View Post
With respect to the HS...not sure how you think it’s more white than silver. I can see more gray than silver, but no white here.

My F80 is AW...the M2C is HS.
If only it always looked that nice shade of grey.
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      08-02-2020, 12:34 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Artemis View Post
A recurrent discussion on the forums: both the M2C and M2 CS are excellent cars, but on one of these, BMW has affixed an immodest price tag. "BMW M Town is the place where too much is just right". It turns out to be a place where CS is €$: it's "wrong" rather than "just right". Regardless my enthusiasm for the BMW M brand, I'm not feeling sorry at all to keep repeating this.
Likely because of how I arrived at my shopping list, but I simply never arrived near this viewpoint. One way to illustrate this is to pose the theoretical. If the M2 CS was just called an M2, sold at the current CS price point, and there was no M3 or M4 I doubt there would be many complaints overall about the price or its ability to battle with its contemporaries above and below the price point. The point of this theoretical being that there isn't anything wrong with the CS pricing by itself. There's only something "wrong" because of how good the price is for the M2C.
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      08-02-2020, 12:44 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdhotwn View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Artemis View Post
A recurrent discussion on the forums: both the M2C and M2 CS are excellent cars, but on one of these, BMW has affixed an immodest price tag. "BMW M Town is the place where too much is just right". It turns out to be a place where CS is €$: it's "wrong" rather than "just right". Regardless my enthusiasm for the BMW M brand, I'm not feeling sorry at all to keep repeating this.
Likely because of how I arrived at my shopping list, but I simply never arrived near this viewpoint. One way to illustrate this is to pose the theoretical. If the M2 CS was just called an M2, sold at the current CS price point, and there was no M3 or M4 I doubt there would be many complaints overall about the price or its ability to battle with its contemporaries above and below the price point. The point of this theoretical being that there isn't anything wrong with the CS pricing by itself. There's only something "wrong" because of how good the price is for the M2C.
This all day
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      08-02-2020, 01:52 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmboone25 View Post
With respect to the HS...not sure how you think it’s more white than silver. I can see more gray than silver, but no white here.

My F80 is AW...the M2C is HS.
Boone

I agree with you and think we shared comments on this subject recently in another thread together . . . HS seems to more often look white than silver, depending on ambient light conditions.

However, as we also discussed and your pics demonstrate, sitting side-by-side with AW is where the HS really demonstrates that it is not 'white.'

Thanks for posting pics

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      08-02-2020, 02:29 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdhotwn View Post
. . . If the M2 CS was just called an M2, sold at the current CS price point, and there was no M3 or M4 I doubt there would be many complaints overall about the price or its ability to battle with its contemporaries above and below the price point. The point of this theoretical being that there isn't anything wrong with the CS pricing by itself. There's only something "wrong" because of how good the price is for the M2C.
SDH

There is no 'right' or 'wrong' - theoretical' or otherwise - when it comes to wanting or not wanting the M2CS.

It is your money and will be your car. When it comes to the M2CS I have no doubt you are getting what you want . . . and you will be happy with your purchase decision.

I am sincere when I say I find it awesome when a fellow forum member gets exactly what they want and shares their enthusiasm. Hell, I own a M2C I absolutely did not need because of all the enthusiasm everyone shared for a truly special ///M car. . . but, ultimately, it was my decision and I am very happy with my purchase.

The reviews really serve no purpose at this point for enthusiasts on this forum. We all know what the CS is going to be on its own and in comparison to the Competition. If the reviewer stated the CS sucks compared to the Competition it would be no more relevant than another reviewer stating BMW revolutionized the Competition when developing the CS.

Some, like yourself, are decided upon the CS. Others, like me, decided upon the Competition. None need to justify their decision. . . although, as I have said all along, the decision does come down to answering the $25K question. The existence of the Competition is not theoretical.

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      08-02-2020, 02:44 PM   #14
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///AVM, I agree with the overall sentiment and pricing is pricing and every buyer has their own situation. The "wrong" comment was directly addressing that point from Artemis's post. My point was also to specifically remove the M2C from the context so that people would mentally stop for a moment and get over the 25k premium issue and instead compare it solely to others in the market excluding the BMW brethren nearest as to whether it can hold its own as an appropriately priced package. Point again being its a really really good $90k car and compares well to other ~90k cars.
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      08-02-2020, 05:31 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdhotwn View Post
. . . remove the M2C from the context so that people would mentally stop for a moment and get over the 25k premium issue . . .
SDH

After months of forum discussion pertaining to the M2CS, it always whittles down to price and comparison to the Competition . . . again, it is a $25K question.

Your view is that the CS warrants $25K markup over the Competition. . . you want a CS.

My view is that the CS is an overpriced Competition. . . I got the Competition.

Ultimately, we will both will be very happy with our purchase decision, which is really all that matters.

///AVM

P.S. I want to be clear in saying that even though I do not agree with your view, I do respect it. More than that, I look forward to your taking CS delivery and sharing enthusiasm with the forum.
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      08-02-2020, 05:41 PM   #16
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I'll let it lie after this, and I don't disagree with anything you've said in most cases, but it really isn't and wasn't a 25k question in my case and I'm trying to drive that home. I totally get, and believe that your view of the CS being an overpriced competition is true for plenty of people. However, when I decided I wanted something new I also decided I didn't want anything that cost much less than about 70-75k, and wanted to change up the pace from buying another BMW. The M2 was not in my initial decision spreadsheets until the CS was announced. The M2C literally didn't qualify for my search. The M2CS had to stand on its own merit against what I specifically was looking for. If the CS didn't exist, as much as I think the M2C is awesome, I'd be buying something else this time around. It may make no sense to others, as it was my specific case but the point is, sometimes there is no 25k question even involved.

Same thing on the P.S. from this side too

Last edited by sdhotwn; 08-02-2020 at 06:44 PM..
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      08-02-2020, 08:27 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdhotwn View Post
I'll let it lie after this, and I don't disagree with anything you've said in most cases, but it really isn't and wasn't a 25k question in my case and I'm trying to drive that home. I totally get, and believe that your view of the CS being an overpriced competition is true for plenty of people. However, when I decided I wanted something new I also decided I didn't want anything that cost much less than about 70-75k, and wanted to change up the pace from buying another BMW. The M2 was not in my initial decision spreadsheets until the CS was announced. The M2C literally didn't qualify for my search. The M2CS had to stand on its own merit against what I specifically was looking for. If the CS didn't exist, as much as I think the M2C is awesome, I'd be buying something else this time around. It may make no sense to others, as it was my specific case but the point is, sometimes there is no 25k question even involved.

Same thing on the P.S. from this side too
I'm in this camp 100%
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      08-02-2020, 08:50 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdhotwn View Post
I'll let it lie after this, and I don't disagree with anything you've said in most cases, but it really isn't and wasn't a 25k question in my case and I'm trying to drive that home. I totally get, and believe that your view of the CS being an overpriced competition is true for plenty of people. However, when I decided I wanted something new I also decided I didn't want anything that cost much less than about 70-75k, and wanted to change up the pace from buying another BMW. The M2 was not in my initial decision spreadsheets until the CS was announced. The M2C literally didn't qualify for my search. The M2CS had to stand on its own merit against what I specifically was looking for. If the CS didn't exist, as much as I think the M2C is awesome, I'd be buying something else this time around. It may make no sense to others, as it was my specific case but the point is, sometimes there is no 25k question even involved.

Same thing on the P.S. from this side too
So if a M2 competition cost $75k you’d get it. But since it’s $60k you won’t? (Hypothetical, I’m not referencing the CS)
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      08-02-2020, 09:01 PM   #19
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So if a M2 competition cost $75k you’d get it. But since it’s $60k you won’t? (Hypothetical, I’m not referencing the CS)
It would have been in the decision matrix, yes. Without going through my scoring system, it would not likely have made it to the very top, but more test drives on a few things could have kept it there to where it might have been a purchase option. From the outside of my head I'm sure it seems entirely nonsensical. In case you were wondering an Evora would score to the top of my non CS matrix with a GT500 or GT350R reasonably behind. But now we are way off the topic!
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      08-02-2020, 09:08 PM   #20
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Typically when you get north of mid 70s your getting into a higher performance tier.
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      08-02-2020, 10:04 PM   #21
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Fair review. No question, this is a hell of a car. if the M2C didn't exist at $60K, we'd all be singing its praises despite the cost. For most who use the car as a DD, the M2C makes more sense. The only things I want from the CS are the carbon roof (just because it looks cool, and so I feel guilty about that) and possibly the CS engine tune. I say possibly because honestly the M2C feels as fast to me as my F80 M3 ZCP was. And certainly fast enough for a DD. I am definitely in the minority here, but I prefer not to have a CF front splitter, mirror caps and a larger rear spoiler.

All that said, anyone who buys this car will be very happy. And while Porsche is mentioned in every review and thread about this car, some of us die-hard BMW fans actually still want the ultimate sports sedan rather than a sports car.
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      08-02-2020, 10:19 PM   #22
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Quote:
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I am definitely in the minority here, but I prefer not to have a CF front splitter, mirror caps and a larger rear spoiler.
You're not alone. I personally think the M2CS is "overdone". The M2C is already small and maxed out in terms styling and aggressiveness. Everything just flows so well, even that tiny factory lip on the boot. The bigger, exposed cf pieces BMW slapped on the CS disturb those clean lines and look tacky IMO. The exposed cf roof I can live with, but generally speaking, I hate that trend. Reminds me of Civics with cf eBay bits all over.
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