BMW lobs M2 CS, M8 Competition Gran Coupe pricing

BY CALLUM HUNTER | 11th Feb 2020

BMW Australia has finally revealed the pricing of two of its most highly anticipated M cars to date, the M2 CS and M8 Competition Gran Coupe, both of which are due to land Down Under later this year.

Priced from $139,900 plus on-road costs, the M2 CS carries a hefty $35,000 premium over the regular M2 Competition but for the extra outlay, customers are treated to an extra 29kW (peak power is now 331kW) from the twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine and a wealth of “motorsport-focused enhancements”.

These enhancements include more aggressive styling, extensive use of carbon fibre (bonnet, roof, spoiler, diffuser, splitter, mirror caps, centre console and door pulls), M4 CS seats, adaptive M suspension, limited-slip differential, upgraded M Sport brakes and in a first for modern CS-badged M cars, a six-speed manual transmission, though a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is available as a no-cost option.

In manual guise the M2 CS will sprint from 0-100kmh in 4.2 seconds while the DCT cuts that time to four seconds flat (0.2 seconds faster than the M2 Competition) and tops out at 280kmh.

While the CS may be the fastest and most hardcore 2 Series to date, standard equipment levels haven’t taken a hit, still including adaptive LED headlights, tyre pressure monitoring system, Bluetooth connectivity with USB interface, Apple CarPlay, BMW ConnectedDrive and BMW Navigation System Professional.

Sporting the same 460kW/750Nm twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine as the coupe and with two more doors, the M8 Competition Gran Coupe is priced from $349,900 plus on-roads – $3000 less than the equivalent coupe.

According to BMW Australia product communications manager Nick Raman, the 8 Series Gran Coupes’ pricing has been aligned with the 7 Series sedan, hence the slighter cheaper prices in comparison with the 8 Series.

“This provides customers the power of choice between our flagship 7 Series and the 8 Series Gran Coupé with both providing their own unique design and styling characteristics,” he said.

Just like with its regular coupe counterpart, the M8 Competition Gran Coupe puts its monstrous power to the ground via all four-wheels and an eight speed-automatic transmission which combine to deliver a 0-100kmh time of just 3.2-seconds – impressive stuff for a near enough two-tonne sedan.

Inside, all of the familiar M8 gadgetry and luxury is present, including soft-close doors, tyre pressure indicators, active front seat ventilation, heat comfort package, wireless charging, BMW Laserlight, Parking Assistant Plus, gesture control, BMW night vision, Bowers and Wilkins Diamond surround sound system and M Driver’s Package just to name a few.

The new flagship sedan is due to arrive in Aussie dealerships in the second quarter of this year while the M2 CS is slated to arrive sometime in the second half of 2020.

So far this year ending January, BMW has shifted 15 8 Series Gran Coupes, accounting for 26.8 per cent of the $100,000+ upper large segment while 101 2 Series have found homes, occupying 17.5 per cent of the sub-$80,000 sportscar market.

2020 BMW M2 pricing: