[0:00] James, it's just how BMW does steering
[0:02] wheels and M cars. Yeah,
[0:03] >> but it's a deal breaker.
[0:04] >> It's not a deal breaker.
[0:06] >> Why do you want a steering wheel to be
[0:07] that thick?
[0:08] >> Because that's just how that's how they
[0:09] how you know it's a sporty M car. It's
[0:11] just what they do.
[0:11] >> Yeah, but this has gone too far. When I
[0:13] put my hands on this steering wheel, it
[0:14] looks like a child's hand. No, it
[0:17] doesn't. Look, watch.
[0:20] >> Oh, I see.
[0:22] >> There it is.
[0:22] >> Yeah.
[0:23] >> Yeah. Every time.
[0:52] You're watching Throttle House. I'm
[0:53] Thomas.
[0:55] >> And I'm James.
[0:58] And this is the M2 CS.
[1:07] CS these days standing for competition
[1:10] sport. And by now we all know the story.
[1:13] Limited edition, lower, stiffer,
[1:16] lighter. 100 lb lighter in fact, thanks
[1:19] to more carbon fiber and carbon ceramic
[1:21] brakes. and of course a power bump
[1:23] taking this stout run of the ml litter
[1:26] to the same number as an M3 competition
[1:29] 523
[1:31] horsepower. It's not an unfamiliar
[1:33] formula, but it is one that in the past
[1:35] has succeeded in titillating us that
[1:38] much more, even going so far as to make
[1:40] us credit the M5's CS treatment as the
[1:43] reason it went from a car we were mild
[1:44] about to the best performance sedan of
[1:47] all time. So, what happens when the new
[1:50] rearw wheelel drive M2 gets it? A car
[1:52] that we are also mild about? And what
[1:55] happens when you drive it on Cup 2 track
[1:57] tires on a damp Ontario day? Let's find
[2:01] out.
[2:06] If you're new to Throttle House,
[2:12] we do car reviews, track tests,
[2:17] and quite a lot of messing around.
[2:20] So, subscribe and enjoy the show
[2:26] in the CS.
[2:45] Oh, just got a little jolt of adrenaline
[2:47] there as I lost traction.
[2:56] But you're supposed to feel like that.
[2:58] We humans were not supposed to be inside
[3:00] doom scrolling. We were meant to hunt.
[3:02] Not me. Bit of a gatherer vibe, I'll
[3:03] admit. But this makes me feel the
[3:05] closest to my ancestors of any M2 I've
[3:08] driven before it. That M3 power, 523
[3:12] horsepower. Like the previous one was
[3:14] 444. It's a big jump. It's a bit
[3:17] heavier, but still a rapid car.
[3:21] And it's rockous.
[3:32] 0.2 seconds to 60 quicker than the
[3:34] normal M2. And it's they've sharpened
[3:38] it. They have sharpened it. And and
[3:39] they've made it more exciting. The
[3:41] transmission, for example, has been
[3:42] reuned.
[3:52] I now no longer miss the DCT.
[3:55] pre downshifts and the upshifts upset
[3:58] the balance of the car enough that it
[4:00] feels like an M2. It's got stiffer
[4:03] engine mounts. There's more vibrations
[4:05] coming through. And yes, if you get the
[4:07] CS, you're locked into the 8-speed
[4:08] transmission, but that, and we said it
[4:10] with the normal M2, is the way to get
[4:12] this car. This engine is beautifully
[4:14] matched to this transmission. The manual
[4:16] is simply not exciting enough to mourn
[4:19] it. I personally find that to be true in
[4:21] a lot of new turbocharged cars. My Golf
[4:24] R, for example, fits the DSG better. I
[4:26] think the PDK in the turbocharged 911s
[4:29] is better than a manual option. So, I
[4:32] don't miss it in this car.
[4:43] This car is what happens when an M4X
[4:45] drive goes out for drinks after work and
[4:48] then accidentally ends the night doing
[4:50] lines in the bathroom.
[4:53] All pretense, all control is just gone.
[4:59] Yeah, this is uh this is about as good
[5:01] as an M2 on the road can be.
[5:04] Apart from these stupid pool noodles
[5:06] that have actually made my hands tired
[5:08] driving it. Thomas's turn.
[5:14] Oh, it's it's lively.
[5:20] The CS cars have always been that little
[5:23] bit maniacal, a little bit unhinged,
[5:25] like they've got something to prove. And
[5:27] this is very, very much that. It's got
[5:31] that classic BMW eager angryness from
[5:35] the rear end. It's just it never
[5:37] settles. The CS has a spicier
[5:39] differential tune and more aggressive
[5:41] suspension tuning, and it has more
[5:43] negative camber in the front, which
[5:45] should give you more grip. I can't tell
[5:47] if it has more grip because I'm not on a
[5:48] racetrack because I'm nowhere near the
[5:50] limits of the front tires of this car,
[5:52] but I certainly am near the limits of
[5:53] the rear tires of this car because any
[5:56] throttle in any corner and that diff
[5:59] just goes and locks up the rear.
[6:05] And that means that it's never settled.
[6:08] That's a good thing because that's fun.
[6:11] I don't want a Porsche. I don't want it
[6:13] to be clinical and cool and just
[6:16] hunkered down and hush. Shut up. No, I
[6:18] don't want any of that. I want to be a
[6:21] little bit afraid in every corner at all
[6:24] times.
[6:34] What a stupid car.
[6:37] When the new M2 came out, I was a bit
[6:39] disappointed because for me, it removed
[6:42] the one thing that made the M2
[6:44] interesting that it was always a very
[6:47] angry little car. And this one had a
[6:49] longer wheelbase and it was a little bit
[6:52] more comfortable, a little bit more
[6:53] refined, a little bit more capable. I
[6:55] didn't like that. I want the M2 to be
[6:58] the
[7:00] angry red-headed stepchild of the M
[7:03] lineup.
[7:05] And
[7:07] It's been brought back with the CS cuz
[7:09] this thing's a nut job. And now it's
[7:12] raining. So, I'm probably going to die.
[7:22] Jesus Christ.
[7:24] Not a Porsche. There's nothing like this
[7:27] right now. Like we're going to have some
[7:30] choice words to say about a few issues
[7:31] that it has in a minute, but there's
[7:34] nothing like this that you can buy. It's
[7:36] nuts, man. This car is crazy. I really
[7:40] like it.
[7:44] >> All right. There are two major issues.
[7:47] One,
[7:48] >> the front and the back.
[7:50] >> Yes. One and two. No. Uh, the first one
[7:52] is the price,
[7:53] >> right?
[7:54] >> It's $140,000 Canadian
[7:57] >> as optioned, right? If you get rid of
[7:59] the blue paint,
[8:00] >> that's not blue.
[8:02] >> Uh, check the spec sheet, mate. Velvet
[8:04] blue metallic.
[8:06] >> What is BMW doing? Are
[8:07] >> they gaslighting us?
[8:10] We've never seen a color wheel in our
[8:11] lives.
[8:12] >> That's a ridiculous claim.
[8:13] >> Very purple. And the carbon ceramics.
[8:17] >> Otherwise, it's 125.
[8:18] >> Here's the problem is you can get an M4
[8:20] CSL
[8:22] with like 5,000 km on it for less. A lot
[8:27] less.
[8:27] >> Yes. used. You You've told me about the
[8:29] the dangers of going into the used
[8:31] market. Yes, you
[8:32] >> it goes it get you get nuts. All right.
[8:34] >> But there's no competitors for this
[8:35] really. There's the Amira and what else?
[8:38] >> Um Darkhorse and the Darkhorse
[8:40] Supercharged.
[8:41] >> The Dark Horse Super
[8:42] >> way more power and sound better.
[8:44] >> That's interesting.
[8:44] >> But probably
[8:45] >> and look better. On to problem two.
[8:48] >> Well, we'll get to that when we film the
[8:49] Darkhor Supercharged. But I actually
[8:51] think it's a bit of a botch job.
[8:52] >> Interesting. I think one question, one
[8:55] thing about the looks, I think the
[8:56] profile really, really works.
[8:58] >> Yes.
[8:58] >> And I love these wheels almost as much
[9:01] as I love the previous gen M2CS wheels.
[9:03] >> These wheels are amazing. You know what
[9:04] they look like? They look like a fan
[9:06] vault on a Gothic Cathedral.
[9:08] Specifically, the Lady Chapel in
[9:10] Westminster Abbey.
[9:13] >> What are you laughing at? Look it up.
[9:15] >> Nothing to say to that. Anyway, the rear
[9:18] is the problem I have with this car. Cuz
[9:21] even though they're
[9:21] >> What do you mean that's the problem?
[9:22] Have you seen the front?
[9:23] >> I've seen the front and I I think that
[9:25] the lack of the the sort of cleaning of
[9:27] the intakes and the little spoiler on
[9:29] the front and the fact that it's lower
[9:30] helps the car.
[9:31] >> It still looks like the the the ice age
[9:34] character, right? That's the problem.
[9:35] The eyes are too far apart.
[9:36] >> Well, when they when they showed this
[9:38] for the first time, I I posted a story
[9:40] of this next to the M4 CSL, which you
[9:42] just mentioned.
[9:43] >> Yes.
[9:44] >> The rears. This looks
[9:47] so much worse and so much less clean.
[9:50] >> And and it's it isn't actually helped by
[9:52] this. It's not like, ooh, they It's just
[9:54] It's still wrong. The whole thing is
[9:56] wrong,
[9:56] >> but it's carbon fiber.
[9:59] >> Yay. The the front. Okay.
[10:02] The regular M2.
[10:04] >> Yeah.
[10:05] >> My neighbor bought one in black. It's
[10:08] the most basic one you can get and it
[10:10] looks really good in black.
[10:12] >> Okay. Well, here's one thing I'll say
[10:14] against the dark horse.
[10:16] >> Yeah.
[10:17] When you get in this, that's when you
[10:19] start to feel why you'd go German.
[10:24] >> Yeah. Know, it's very good looking. I
[10:25] mean, other than we've all just got used
[10:26] to this.
[10:27] >> Got used to it. I got used to it. But
[10:28] the CS treatment, the the carbon fiber,
[10:30] this feels
[10:32] maxed. It's good. I don't even mind that
[10:34] the CS treatment removes the cup holder
[10:36] because I think drinks and especially
[10:38] hot drinks should be illegal in highrung
[10:41] sports cars. Illegal. James has a
[10:43] problem with food and in general in cars
[10:47] and this is one way I have so many
[10:49] people agreeing with me on this.
[10:50] >> No, it's not. It's because part of the
[10:52] experience of being in a car is also
[10:54] living and enjoying yourself.
[10:56] >> Yeah. If you're in a Chevy Suburban in
[10:58] >> I like a I like a cute little drink
[11:00] every once in a while.
[11:00] >> Exactly right.
[11:01] >> That's what I mean.
[11:02] >> In the car.
[11:02] >> Not in a sports car and not hot drinks
[11:04] and stained drinks.
[11:06] >> Why not? Um
[11:07] >> don't feel right.
[11:08] >> I don't like the lack of a cup holder. I
[11:09] think that's stupid. And it has a
[11:11] wireless charger instead, I guess,
[11:14] because you could easily put two cup
[11:15] holders right there, right?
[11:17] >> Don't use cup holders. They're illegal.
[11:21] >> Anyway, here's my take on this. I think
[11:23] this is more to make you feel special
[11:26] than it is to actually do any real
[11:27] weight savings. Because in the grand
[11:29] scheme of a car that weighs 3,800 lb,
[11:33] really, what is
[11:35] >> 40 lb of whatever?
[11:37] >> Style points.
[11:37] >> It's style points.
[11:39] >> Throbbing the
[11:40] can throb. I like a throbbing the word.
[11:43] We need a new word. We need a different
[11:45] word
[11:46] >> like pulsating.
[11:47] >> It's almost two syro.
[11:51] >> It's like a long one. So anyway,
[11:54] >> um we got sh steering wheel here.
[11:56] >> Here it is right here.
[11:57] >> Meant for the biggest hands in the
[11:58] world.
[11:59] >> It's just stupid.
[12:00] >> Visually, it looks great.
[12:01] >> It looks great. Yeah. It's just so dumb.
[12:04] What were they thinking? Also, I have a
[12:08] bit of a gripe with this cuz I recently
[12:09] drove a Julia Quadrifoglio and the
[12:11] paddles are big and right there.
[12:13] >> Yes,
[12:13] >> these are a bit of a stretch. And now
[12:15] that the steering wheel is so thick to
[12:17] be able to shift, my hands genuinely get
[12:21] tired driving this car.
[12:22] >> It's like it's like when you have a
[12:23] guitar and you have to reach for that
[12:25] one cord.
[12:27] >> Um
[12:27] >> I've played music.
[12:29] >> I think these seats are a triumph.
[12:30] They're controversial. People suggest
[12:33] you know the fact that you can adjust
[12:34] the the bolsters and you can move back
[12:36] and forth and up and down and you know
[12:39] people are upset about this thing but as
[12:42] I am blessed with tiny peen balls and
[12:44] bum
[12:46] >> I have no issue with it. In fact if
[12:47] anything it's just a visual aid to tell
[12:50] me where to
[12:50] >> say is # blessed with small man package.
[12:54] >> The new the new two series is still
[12:56] stupid because you can't fit adults in
[12:58] the back.
[12:59] >> So stupid. One of the beauties of the
[13:00] previous gen
[13:01] >> was that you could fit four adults in it
[13:03] and it was still a small compact car.
[13:05] >> But speaking of beauties, I think that
[13:07] is the previous and I don't normally
[13:09] labor about previous gen of anything,
[13:11] but the previous M2CS was
[13:14] >> perfect.
[13:14] >> Actually, I got a text recently. My
[13:16] actual M2 that I sold popped up back at
[13:19] the dealership for a bit of a service.
[13:21] And
[13:22] >> bit of a service.
[13:23] >> Bit of a service. And look at this
[13:25] thing. Look at that car.
[13:28] Yeah.
[13:29] >> Like, come on.
[13:30] >> And you stole the M2CS wheels as well.
[13:31] >> I did steal the M2. Like, look, look how
[13:34] good it looks.
[13:34] >> And I think even though this drives
[13:36] better and it's got adaptive dampers and
[13:39] it's more comfortable.
[13:41] >> Yep. and it's more aggressive and more
[13:43] ferocious and more advanced and more
[13:45] techy.
[13:47] it it I'm shallow in that the
[13:49] desiraability drops
[13:51] >> be below the
[13:52] >> I was going to say I'm just going to
[13:53] basically reiterate everything you just
[13:54] said but from my own words right now
[13:56] this is one of the better driving M cars
[13:59] that I in a long time I think it's the
[14:02] perfect amount of insane with competency
[14:06] but I don't want one
[14:08] >> and that feels weird
[14:09] >> and that feels weird I don't really care
[14:12] about this car and I think that is a a
[14:15] lot of that is down to the styling
[14:17] Unfortunately, it's just the truth.
[14:20] >> And the rest of it, I think, is down to
[14:22] just what BMW as a brand is doing these
[14:24] days.
[14:24] >> It is bloody good.
[14:26] >> It's an annoy. It's annoying.
[14:27] >> It's a fantastic car to drive.
[14:29] >> In many ways, it's far better built. The
[14:31] Amira, I would say, is more desirable
[14:33] from Lotus, but this is a much
[14:35] >> This is much more
[14:36] >> more
[14:36] >> more car. Yeah,
[14:39] >> we're in a weird place with BMW these
[14:41] days, but I mean, maybe the Neyasa will
[14:43] turn things around. Why are you laughing
[14:45] at me? supposed to say.
[14:46] >> They've been adding Neyer Classer
[14:47] faceelifts to things.
[14:49] >> They have. Yes.
[14:50] >> I wonder what this would look like. No
[14:51] class.
[14:51] >> It could be pretty cool.
[14:54] >> Styling, as always, is subjective. So,
[14:58] what really matters then is that this M2
[15:00] CS has elevated the normal M2 past what
[15:04] the upgrades alone suggest. So, even
[15:07] though for us it lacks the desiraability
[15:09] of the previous M2 and even though it
[15:11] comes at quite a premium, it shows us
[15:13] that when BMW wants to, they can still
[15:16] light our pants on fire, which bodess
[15:19] well for the future, assuming they
[15:21] adjust a few things because the world
[15:24] needs cars like this. We need cars like
[15:28] this. Thanks for watching.