Last month, Sport Auto’s test driver Uwe Sener took the BMW M2 G87 to France where he lapped the Anneau du Rhin circuit in 1 minute and 20.2 seconds. We pointed out the second-generation M2 proved to be faster than the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and the new AMG C63 S E Performance. A new test conducted at the same track near Biltzheim shows a different BMW going faster than the second-generation M2.
With the same driver behind the wheel, the M3 CS crossed the finish line in 1 minute and 19.1 seconds, therefore shaving off 1.1 seconds from the M2’s lap time. While BMW sells the latest baby M car with a choice between a six-speed manual and an eight-speed automatic, Uwe Sener piloted the two-pedal model. In the case of the super sedan featured here, you can’t have it with a clutch pedal since it’s Steptronic-only.
Tires are an important factor when comparing two hot laps, so we should specify the M2 had Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber while the M3 CS had a stickier (but still road-legal) set of Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slicks. Of all cars tested thus far at Anneau du Rhin, only the KTM X-Bow GT-R was faster than the four-door rocket from Munich, at 1 minute and 17.9 seconds, but that’s a hardcore, lightweight track-focused machine.
BMW already has a faster M2 on the way as 2024 will see the introduction of a spicy CS version that should be able to close the gap on the M3 CS. In fact, we won’t be too surprised if it’ll go faster around the French circuit. An M4 CS is also scheduled for a release sometime next year when the M4 will go through a Life Cycle Impulse believed to bring a slightly more powerful xDrive variant.
Speaking of AWD, later this decade, possibly as early as 2026, the fastest M2 of them all is rumored to take the shape of an all-paw, auto-only variant.
Source: sport auto / YouTube
