BMW M2 CS

The original M2 CS is a former evo Car of the Year. With more power, a more tightly honed chassis and a load more attitude, the new CS will be aiming to repeat the dose

- by YOUSUF ASHRAF

VISUALLY, THE NEW M2 CS GIVES OFF ALL THE RIGHT signals. It tells you what it is before it's even turned a wheel: a muscled-up front-engined coupe that's dripping with attitude; pinched at the waist, wide at the hips and up for a fight. That bit lower, that bit more menacing than a standard M2, with an unapologetic ducktail kicking up vertically at the rear.

It looks like it'll be an absolute riot, an M2 with the aggression dialled right up – and the badge promises much, too. Past CS models have been stellar, with carefully targeted tweaks and upgrades to bring out the very best in M cars for road use, without going to extreme CSL levels. The previous M2 CS is a case in point, cramming huge character and sense of purpose into a compact package, enough to win evo Car of the Year in 2020. Which makes it a tough act to follow.

On paper the new car has the goods to deliver. A 3-litre straight-six boosted from 473bhp to 523bhp, for one, with a pair of mono-scroll turbochargers, a 350-bar injection system and modified engine management helping achieve that headline figure. But the standard M2 isn't exactly wanting for power. What it does need is a better sense of connection, particularly through the steering, and perhaps a bit more bite and aggression in its chassis. That's exactly what the CS makeover is targeted at. It remains rear-drive only (unlike the M3/4, which is now four-wheel-drive only in the UK) and sits 8mm lower on retuned springs and dampers, with reworked steering software, a recalibrated Active M Differential, stiffer engine mounts and optional carbon-ceramic brakes among the other changes.