Electrification may be around the corner, but there’s still time to buy a three-pedal sports car from BMW M. It can be either new such as this 2023 M2 G87, or a slightly used first-generation model. Not just any F87, but the limited-run CS version in this case. We’ve decided to line them up for a drag race at the BMW Performance Driving School in South Carolina to see whether the new base model can keep up with the hotter previous-gen car.
To even the odds, both cars have a six-speed manual gearbox, so the drivers’ skills are a major factor. With 453 horsepower and 405 pound-feet (550 Newton-meters), the new M2 has an extra 9 hp while the torque figure is identical. However, what the 2020 M2 CS lacks in horsepower certainly makes up in lightness since it weighs nearly 300 lbs less than the new M2.
Our own Horatiu chose to get behind the wheel of the M2 CS while driving the new M2 was Jeff Schatz who is a Press Fleet & Performance Center Communications Specialist at the BMW Group. On paper, the two cars are almost evenly matched as BMW says the M2 CS does 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds while the latest M2 takes 4.1 seconds to complete the same task provided both have the six-speed manual. Their equivalent automatic-equipped models are a tad quicker.
The M2 G87 was declared the overall winner after several drag races, and you can rest assured the upcoming M2 CS will be even quicker. If our sources are accurate, and they usually are, the S58 engine will be dialed to somewhere in the region of 518 hp. However, it will be sold strictly with an automatic transmission. Taking into consideration a potential M2 xDrive arriving later this decade, BMW is sure to extract every last drop of performance from its baby M car before the inevitable electrification.