Thought the current-generation M2 was too tame? Well, look no further — BMW has handed the compact performance coupé the CS treatment. Indeed, meet the new M2 CS!
Confirmed for Mzansi, BMW has whipped the wraps off the new M2 CS. Here’s everything you need to know about the pinnacle M2, including when German marque will introduce this barnstorming special edition in South Africa. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the box-fresh M2 CS.
Though the M2 CS shares its mechanical underpinnings with the standard (if there is such a thing, really) M2, in true CS fashion, the special edition features an array of upgrades, including a boost in power and twisting force.
The S58 engine employed by the CS-badged M2 has been tuned to produce a healthy 390 kW and 650 N.m, exclusively sent to the rear axle via the automaker’s M Steptronic eight-speed automatic transmission. Indeed, unlike the M2, the CS model isn’t available with a manual cog swapper. Noteworthy, if the M2 CS’s outputs look familiar, it’s because it matches that of the current M3 Competition xDrive and M4 Competition xDrive.
Thanks to the M2 CS’s 37 kW and 50 N.m increases in peak power and torque — and fitment of several lightweight materials such as carbon fibre to save weight — BMW claims the M2 CS reaches the 100 km/h marker from a standstill two-tenths of a second quicker than the M2 (3.8 seconds vs 4.0 seconds), before topping out at 302 km/h (17 km more than the non-CS M2). The 0-200 km/h sprint is dispatched in 11.7 seconds.
To reign in all this performance, several revisions have been made to the chassis, suspension arrangement and braking system. The M2 CS also sits lower to road, by 8 mm. The staggered M light-alloy wheels measure 19 inches and 20 inches fore and aft, respectively.
When will the new BMW M2 CS launch in South Africa?
The new-generation BMW M2 CS will make landfall on South African shores in the second quarter of 2026.
