BMW M2 CS vs. M4 CS: Which Super-Sharp Sports Car Is Best?

• What's new: The M2 finally gets the CS treatment, making one of our favorite small performance cars more powerful, lighter and sharper.
• Why it matters: Under the hood, the M2 CS and M4 CS share the same twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine. And that makes them natural competitors for us to put head-to-head.
• Edmunds says: Don't let their small size fool you. These two M coupes still deliver big-time performance but in very different ways.

The M4 CS suffered from no such issues. You can just put your foot to the floor and it rockets off with little drama. It also puts up a better braking figure than the M2 CS; the M4 might be heavier, but it has larger brake rotors to strengthen its stopping power.

The two coupes actually tied when hustled around our skidpad. We thought the M4 CS' traction advantage would come into play here, but it and the M2 both pulled off an impressive 1.07 g of lateral acceleration.

There's one other number worth mentioning: zero. That's the total number of cupholders between the two vehicles.

On the track

Driving these two back-to-back at our test track highlights their stark mechanical differences. Simply put, the M2 CS is a handful to drive quickly. There might be only 127 pounds separating these two on our scales, but the M2 CS does have a 9-inch shorter wheelbase. And that, along with its rear-wheel-drive setup, makes it a lot twitchier — this car loves to kick its rear end out at any given opportunity. The power quickly overwhelms the rear tires on corner exit and it requires a lot of dexterity (and patience) to apply the throttle, especially coming out of tighter turns or anything that's off-camber.

The M4 CS, meanwhile, is a point-and-shoot monster. It seems to never run out of traction; all you have to do is orient the nose in the direction you want, and you can hammer on the throttle with reckless abandon once the tires get up to temperature. There is a touch of understeer if you go too hard into a corner, where the nose pushes and loses traction, but letting up on the throttle or giving it a slight touch of braking gets the handling back to neutral quickly, and the next thing you know, you're thundering out of the exit.

The M4 CS has a rear-wheel-drive mode that allows for more sideways hijinks, but even here, this coupe feels more planted than the M2. Getting the M4 to break loose feels like more of an intentional choice than one that happens if you breathe on the car the wrong way. It's the M4's consistency, along with its copious speed, grip and cornering ability, that make it so appealing. 

A couple more things to note: Both cars came with optional carbon-ceramic brakes, and we'd consider it a must-have if you're planning to put either of these coupes on a track. These brakes don't fade after lots of hard use. Also, these two cars share the same carbon-fiber bucket seats that are certainly not the most comfortable day to day, but they do a fantastic job of keeping you locked down during hard driving.

Who wins?

The best part about driving the M4 CS is that it allows you to explore its limits with predictability. The M2 just feels a little too twitchy — though one member of our testing team said that actually enhances the car's appeal, in his opinion.

Even so, the M4 CS stands out as a superstar, while the new M2 CS doesn't really replace my fond memories of its predecessor. Yes, the old M2 CS was slower, but its steering and handling were superior.

At the end of the day, the M4's extra drive wheels, added traction and more confidence-inspiring experience make it the one to have if you're serious about track antics. It might be $25K more, but it's an upcharge we'd gladly pay.