Latest news with #sports coupe
Auto Blog
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Is the $100,000 2026 BMW M2 CS Truly the Ultimate Performance Machine?
The fastest M2 yet builds on a legacy of excellence, but it'll cost you Ten years after the original BMW M2 debuted, the Bavarian automaker has introduced a model that wears similar badging but makes over 150 horsepower more. The second-ever M2 CS made a surprise debut at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2025 ahead of a full reveal on May 27th. Like the original, it touts a turbocharged inline-six, rear-driven wheels, and the smallest footprint in the M Series lineup. However, there are numerous ways the beloved model has evolved, for better or for worse. The next chapter in arguably BMW's most compelling modern sports coupe has arrived. 2026 BMW M2 CS 2026 BMW M2 CS 2026 BMW M2 CS 2026 BMW M2 CS Where the M2 has been: A decade of driving thrills 2020 BMW M2 CS — Source: BMW BMW brought the M2 to market for two very good reasons. For one, the pocket rocket 1M Coupe had become an immediate enthusiast favorite. Critically well-received and beloved by customers, it was clear BMW had a market for a performance coupe that slotted below the ubiquitous M3. That same M3, by the way, that had ballooned in size and power far past its humble four-cylinder beginnings. The M2, then, became the little brother of the M3 sedan and, more specifically, the M4 coupe. Almost all hardware was shared between the larger M3 and M4 and the smaller M2, with one important exception: the engine. The original M2 launched with a high-strung version of an otherwise pedestrian engine: the N55. Unlike the S55 inline-six in the other cars, the N55 was a single turbocharged and open-deck design. It all changed three years into production when BMW introduced the M2 Competition. They chucked the N55 and threw the S55 under the hood, complete with the ultra-cool carbon fiber front strut brace. Suspension refinements (mostly to account for the slightly heavier S55), bigger front and rear brakes, and small aesthetic changes made the M2 Competition, arguably, the one to have. Until, of course, the first generation M2 CS came out. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. 2020 BMW M2 CS The crown jewel of the first-generation M2 (chassis code F87) is the M2 CS. It borrowed from other contemporary CS models, donning splitters, spoilers, and a lightweight center console, all made from carbon fiber. It was the first time the M2 was available with a carbon fiber roof at all, and BMW dialed everything up: more power, sharper steering, and stiffer suspension to make it the Ultimate Driving Machine everyone knew the M2 wanted to be. Even at a starting price of $84,595, the one-year-only model quickly sold all 2,200 globally allocated units, and the M2 Competition's life cycle continued as normal until production ceased in 2021. Then, in 2022, BMW pulled the covers off the second generation of the M2, the G87. The G87 M2 kept its place in the lineup, but things were different In October 2022, BMW's recipe for the next M2 leaked out. Aesthetically, it wasn't an instant favorite. It was also quite a bit heavier than its predecessor — a topic I immediately took exception to, and you can read more about it over at BMWBlog. Unlike its forerunner, the M2 jumped right into the 'baby M4' lifestyle with the same S58 twin-turbo inline-six under the hood as the M3 and M4. The brakes are identical, and high-performance details like a carbon fiber roof and carbon bucket race seats are available, too. So, with more power, more weight, and more options, calling it more of a good thing, relative to the F87 M2 that came before it, could be considered a fair critique. Now, we're stepping up to what might again be the pinnacle of contemporary M2-ness: the 2026 M2 CS. 2026 BMW M2 CS — Source: BMW The 2026 BMW M2 CS: Faster, lighter, and pricier If you've been paying attention, you know the 2026 BMW M2 CS is going to be an incremental improvement over the standard M2 in every measurable way. You studious types have it right. The 2026 BMW M2 CS dials up power by 36 pound-feet of torque and 50 horsepower relative to the standard 2025 BMW M2, bringing totals to 479 pound-feet of torque and 523 horsepower. It sits 0.2 inches lower than the standard model and boasts model-specific suspension tuning. BMW replaced traditional components with lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts where possible, including the center console, and lighter wheels. The result is nearly 100 pounds of weight savings. The combined result is that the 2026 BMW M2 CS shaves two tenths of a second off BMW's estimated zero to 60 mph time, now achieving the dash in 3.7 seconds as it hurtles towards a 188-mph top speed. 2026 BMW M2 CS Just shy of $100,000: Does the 2026 BMW M2 CS deliver? The 2026 BMW M2 CS sounds like a lot of good — and it is — but there's a slight problem: its starting price of $99,775. $85,000 for a 2 Series was a bitter pill to swallow in 2020, and this one isn't much better. Now, in fairness, you are paying for the ultimate 2 Series, the most purpose-built track/street car BMW makes. However, there's a slight hiccup with that logic, too. For one, it's arguable that BMW already made the ultimate 2 Series. The last generation M2 CS was available with a manual transmission, but this one isn't. Special features like a vented CFRP hood and elegant carbon strut brace under the hood of the F87 are conspicuously absent from the car replacing it. The F87's carbon fiber roof had an incredible checkered-flag detail in the weave, which is also not the case here. Another potential problem is the rumored existence of a special, manual-equipped model that's on the way. Not to mention, there's always the chance BMW goes really crazy and gives people an M2 CSL to ride on the legacy of the M4 CSL and E46 M3 CSL. 2026 BMW M2 CS — Source: BMW Final thoughts In case you didn't know, I'm a fervent BMW enthusiast. Unfortunately, the condition is terminal, and it comes complementary with a pair of rose-colored glasses and a keen infatuation for the BMWs of summers passed. The 2026 BMW M2 CS has plenty of little details that make it special, like a CFRP trunk lid with an integrated ducktail spoiler and door panels that say 'CS.' The $100,000 question, and one that you, as a prospective buyer, have to make, is whether or not the G87 M2 CS is truly the once and future king of the 2 Series lineup.
Motor Trend
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
The Toyota Supra Is Dead Again—But It'll Be Back Sooner Than Last Time
Toyota has a final edition 2026 GR Supra on the way as it prepares to sunset, yet again, its fun sports coupe. Production of the fifth-generation Supra, which takes place alongside the related BMW Z4 at a Magna plant in Austria, is set to conclude in spring 2026. It is not cost-effective to give the low-volume car the upgrades needed to meet new and pending global regulations. 0:00 / 0:00 The good news: there will be a successor. The bad, but likely not surprising news: there will be a gap between today's Supra and its follow-up model. This is not without precedent, either. The current GR Supra returned after a 20-year hiatus. Its return was made possible by developing it in partnership with BMW, which created the mechanically related BMW Z4 from the same bones and supplies the turbocharged inline-six engine that powers both cars. 'It would be logical that we would have a next-gen Supra. But when and how is still TBD,' senior vice president of Product Planning and Strategy for Toyota Motor North America Cooper Ericksen told us in a recent interview. Upside—That Gap Won't Be As Long 'Definitely there will be a gap. The question is how big will that gap be,' Ericksen says of the timing of the Supra successor. 'It is our goal to have a gap that is significantly less [than the last one].' While turning around a new Supra in fewer than two decades is a low bar, we suspect Ericksen means it when he says the aim is be quicker this time. Toyota executives in the U.S. don't have timing to share, largely because it is a decision that will come from Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan. TMC will also make the decision on whether to continue to partner with BMW or develop the next Supra itself. 'We would love to build a next generation Supra,' said David Christ, general manager of the Toyota Division for Toyota Motor North America, but Toyota has not officially announced plans to do so. Christ says he would love to be part of the planning on this one, but his influence is limited. 'That decision is way out of my pay grade. I'd love to be in that meeting, but I probably won't be.' Toyota Has Lot on Its Plate There are a lot of moving pieces, Ericksen says. For starters, it is as much a question of resources. Toyota just introduced the 2026 RAV4, an all-new vehicle with a new electrical platform and new multimedia and new safety features, technologies that will eventually be rolled out on the roughly 35 Toyota and Lexus models available in the U.S. which requires a tremendous amount of resources. 'We would love to do everything now,' Ericksen says, but we have our hands full just to keep selling our core products in our lineup.' Ericksen likened it to a house that can be remodeled or scrapped in favor of building an all-new one. 'A product like Supra, it's made it to a point where now we have a Final Edition and the reason is it's just not cost effective with all the new regulations and investment we have to make. It needs to be a new house. When we can get the new house built is the question.' The desire and expectation are there. 'It's our goal to have a next generation Supra,' Ericksen says, with or without a partner. 'We'll just have to wait and see. My goal is to get a great next-gen product that our enthusiast crowd can fall in love with again.'
Car and Driver
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
1995 Dodge Avenger ES Test: Parts-Bin Enthusiasm
From the December 1994 issue of Car and Driver. Dodge dealers will soon be positioning the new Avenger into that prized slot on the showroom floor previously occupied by the last moderately priced four-seater sports coupe they had to sell, the Daytona. That car (along with its twin, the Chrysler Laser), you may recall, was Chrysler's nine-year version of a "pony car" to compete with the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro/Pontiac Firebird. The Avenger's appearance is brand-new, but it won't provoke gaping tares or dropping jaws. From the front—the view the kids with their noses pressed up again to the glass will most likely see—there is indeed a family resemblance to the Daytona of yore. But to Chrysler, where the word "Daytona" brings up unpleasant memories of torque steer, a time of financial crisis, and K-cars in drag, a remote resemblance to the Daytona is plenty. As for the pony-car market that the Daytona played in, Chrysler has said goodbye and good riddance. Joe Caddell, Chrysler's general manager for small-car platforms, says one of the lessons the company learned from its stint in the pony-car wars is that "in order to play in that market, you have to offer the real thing." View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver The "real thing" is a romping, stomping V-8 connected to the rear wheels. The Daytona and Laser offered a romping, stomping turbocharged four-cylinder that sent power to the front wheels. The fact that some Daytonas could outrun their rear-wheel-drive rival was of no consequence. Between 1984 and 1993, Chrysler sold a total of about 580,000 Daytonas and Chrysler Lasers. In that same period, Chevy alone moved more than 1,220,000 Camaros. It's not like Chrysler could have met the challenge anyway: it simply hasn't had an inexpensive platform and powerful V-8 to merge into a proper pony car since the demise of the Challenger and Barracuda some 20 years ago. HIGHS: Cavernous interior, confident handling, reasonable price. Besides, in the inexpensive sporty-car market, Chrysler's research indicates that the action is elsewhere. Caddell likes colorful metaphors: "If you want to shoot a duck," he says, "you don't aim right at it. You aim at where it's going. For too long, we, and the rest of the domestic carmakers, aimed at the duck." The Avenger and this car's technical twin, the Chrysler Sebring, both represent where Chrysler thinks the market is headed. Not surprisingly, this two-door coupe doesn't slot neatly into any previously defined market category. The two-door Avenger is 187.2 inches long and 68.5 inches wide, dimensions that put it between the Acura Integra three-door and the Ford Thunderbird coupes. Inside are seats for five passengers. Those in the back share an astounding 41 cubic feet of passenger space—that's just 5 cubic feet less than the much larger Thunderbird has in back and a significant 13 cubic feet more than the Integra. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver While a convertible Avenger remains a possibility, for now Dodge's coupe will come in just two models. The base Highline is equipped with Chrysler's 140-horsepower DOHC 2.0-liter four-cylinder, mated to a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. The sportier Avenger ES comes with a stiffer suspension (including alloy wheels, larger tires, and a rear anti-roll bar), a rear spoiler, and mod upholstery fabric (leather is an option). Under the hood of the ES is a new Mitsubishi-built 155-horsepower SOHC 2.5-liter V-6, mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The base car is expected to ring in around $15,500, and the ES around $18,500. The cheapest Acura Integra sells for $15,850, with the powerful GS-R checking in at $20,740. A Nissan 240SX runs $17,389 and up. The Avenger keeps costs down because it shares a number of major components with the Mitsubishi Galant-based Eagle Talon and Mitsubishi Eclipse coupes. Sharp eyes will note that the Avenger, Talon, and Eclipse share the same dashboard, instruments, and controls. The windshield and the doors are interchangeable. And the suspensions are similar: unequal-length control arms in front, and a control arm and lower link setup in the rear. Which would help explain how Mitsubishi can assemble the Avenger on the same line as the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eagle Talon at its Diamond-Star plant in Normal, Illinois. Compared with the cozy cockpit of the Eclipse and Talon, the Avenger seems voluminous inside. The rear accommodations of the Talon—a penalty box for adults—have grown to comfortable proportions in the Avenger. Access to the back is easy, and footroom is ample. Most adult scalps will leave nary a Vitalis stain on the headliner. A three-hour trip in our ES test car drew no complaints from rear passengers. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver The front seats are higher in the Avenger, and there's more headroom than in the Talon. But with the higher seat position, the steering wheel can now obscure the tops of the speedo and tach for vertically unchallenged drivers. Otherwise, the friendly ergonomics of the Diamond-Star coupes come through unscathed in the new Dodge. LOWS: Unremarkable power, unrelenting understeer, needs a personality. A folding rear seat like the one in the Avenger can compromise body stiffness, but the Avenger's body does not feel very flexible. The higher-rate shocks and springs in the ES keep body motions in tight control. As in the Talon, the steering is quick and nearly viceless, although the ES's stiff anti-roll bars can make it lunge in and out of large pavement depressions. Push harder in corners and you'll find understeer, up to a limit of 0.80 g, from the Goodyear Eagle GT+4 tires. The ES's standard four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock control (base models come with rear drums, anti-lock optional) managed stops from 70 mph in 190 feet, a middling performance. On initial application, the binders have the aggressive bite and good feel of the Talon and Eclipse's brakes. Despite the ES's sporting promise, the V-6 driveline lends a mellow air to the Avenger. The run to 60 mph takes 9.1 seconds from a standstill, and wheelspin is just not in the cards. Although the new driveline is wholly competent, with smooth shift and appropriate gear ratios, its temerity on downshifting and a paucity of low-end power make it seem more appropriate to the Galant sedan, in which it will be installed next spring. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver Unlike the Dodge's attractive shape, the driving experience left us mostly at a loss for words. "Yes, I drove it, and I can't seem to remember much about it," said one editor after a test drive. "It was very nice ... " said another, his voice trailing off, as if there was not much more to say. The Avenger ES has the elements of a pleasing touring coupe—quick steering, a competent suspension, an even-tempered, refined drivetrain, and slick looks. One fast drive, though, will convince you that this is a car that caters more to the performance needs of drivers with modest expectation than to hot-shoes. It rides quietly, for example. And surprisingly, most editors preferred driving the base model with the DOHC four and manual transmission, a combination that imparted more character to the car. This is deja vu. When the new, less potent 240SX was introduced last spring, Nissan explained that performance was no longer that car's No. 1 priority. The Nissan guys sounded like Chrysler's Caddell. A large number of buyers out there, they insisted, want a compact, sophisticated two-door, but without the "kids' stuff'"—the cramped interior, the rough and noisy ride, the tire-burner image, and the high insurance premiums. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver If there is indeed such a market, the Avenger has it squarely in its cross-hairs. Just don't look for a lot of enthusiasts in the crowd. VERDICT: A practical sports coupe for those more interested in coupe than sports. Counterpoints Sporty looks and mild performance are a growth market, I suppose, and Dodge is set to capitalize on it. But as with the well-intentioned but dull 240SX, I can't get boiling-hot with lust over the Avenger. Both are better choices than less-efficient Monte Carlos and Thunderbirds, but neither has the handling precision or outright thrust to make a dent in my memory. The Avenger at least has a smooth, no-fuss powertrain, ready-made for driver inertia. How odd that this car is essentially a Talon with a smoother engine and a bigger back seat, and it doesn't even raise a pulse. —Martin Padgett Jr. The new Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring are supposed to replace the Daytona and LeBaron coupes. In spirit, they replace the 1978-83 Dodge Challenger/Plymouth Sapporo coupes, because both pairs were designed by Mitsubishi using existing parts under a sporty-looking new skin. The Avenger offers good value and decent refinement for 1995, as did the Challenger in its day. Unfortunately, the similarity continues in the personality department, where both generations come up short. The 2.0-liter five-speed Avenger is more fun to drive than the V-6 automatic, but neither variant is a must-have. —Frank Markus Every time C/D's editors discussed this car, the conversation concluded with the same two apologies: "Well, it's roomy. And it's inexpensive." The same could be said for my office. So I climbed out of the Avenger and into my sister's $18K Acura Integra. No rattles or subassemblies in motion. Then I climbed into a $19K Nissan 240SX. A supportive, flawlessly contoured front seat that does not direct my right-front knee into the center console. The highest praise I can heap on the Avenger is that it shares nothing with the Daytona it supplants. —John Phillips Specifications Specifications 1995 Dodge Avenger ES Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe PRICE (EST) Base/As Tested: $$18,500/$20,800 //Base price of vehicle as described in specs hed// Options: Option 1, $XXXX; Option 2, $XXXX ENGINE SOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection Displacement: 152 in3, 2497 cm3 Power: 155 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 161 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed automatic CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink Brakes, F/R: 10.1-in vented disc/10.1-in disc Tires: Goodyear Eagle GT+4 205/55HR-16 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 103.7 in Length: 187.2 in Width: 68.5 in Height: 53.0 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 52/41 ft3 Trunk Volume: 13 ft3 Curb Weight: 3152 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 9.1 sec 1/4-Mile: 17.0 sec @ 83 mph 100 mph: 26.9 sec Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 9.3 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 5.1 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.3 sec Top Speed (drag ltd): 120 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 190 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.80 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 23 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY City/Highway: 20/28 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
