Comparison Test: 2020 BMW M2 CS Vs. 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman ...

View PhotosTo create a car that can hang with the Cayman GTS 4.0, BMW put the M2 on a diet rich in carbon fiber and bolted in the 444-hp twin-turbocharged inline-six from the old M4 Competition.

From the July/August 2021 issue of Car and Driver.

If you've ever used a wrench in place of a hammer, you'll understand what the BMW M2 is about. Engineers took an aging upright compact coupe that normally rides on run-flat all-season tires and transformed it into a great-driving car. Not content with the new tool, BMW has continued to adapt this wrench into the M2 CS. The 3533-pound result nails corners. From its acceleration to the sounds coming from the CS's 444-hp engine, it has all the sports-car traits that make us warm and tingly. It is the product of clever improvisation and adaptation. But as strong as the M2 CS is, we wondered, can it do just as good a job as a hammer?

Porsche's 718 Cayman GTS 4.0—our hammer—starts out with the right stuff. It's a two-seat, mid-engine, 3231-pound smile machine. A sports car at its core, the GTS 4.0 version gets a 394-hp 4.0-liter flat-six that sings to a 7800-rpm redline. Think of it as a poor man's GT4, if the poor man had $88,150 or, should he want our sparsely optioned, dual-clutch-automatic-equipped test car, $94,200. The Porsche's base price surpasses the Bimmer's by $3555, but as for the test cars, our M2 CS, loaded with carbon-ceramic brakes and a dual-clutch transmission, has the higher outlay, at $96,545. No doubt you're wondering why this tête-à-tête isn't between the less expensive manual versions. We wanted it to be, but BMW had just shipped its three-pedal M2 CS out east, leaving us with only the automatic to deal with L.A. traffic.

The test numbers say these cars deliver similar experiences, but the differences are real on roads like this. The BMW is scrappy and playful; the Porsche is precise and poised.

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2nd Place:BMW M2 CS

Highs: Power surges, real steering, delightful imperfection.Lows: Harsher ride than the Porsche, tire roar, squirms under duress.

1st Place:Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0

Highs: A big flat-six where Newton would want it, capability to handle what you throw at it, a fully dialed-in experience.Lows: Engine lacks the turbo punch of the BMW, just two seats.

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Shifting for yourself is more engaging than letting the car swap gears, even if it is slower. But these aren't your father's auto-tragic transmissions. Porsche's and BMW's dual-clutch gearboxes shift faster than you can and have software astute enough to call up the same gears you would. For a closer connection, grab the steering-wheel paddles. Both models come with launch control, which makes lining up next to a challenger a little less stressful. Porsche's system revs the naturally aspirated six to 6600 rpm before perfectly slipping the fluid-bathed clutch to make the most of the traction from the Pirelli P Zero PZ4s. Do it as much as your inner 17-year-old desires. The GTS dutifully returns 3.4-second runs to 60; the manual version adds 0.4 to that.

BMW's max-acceleration programming isn't as effective. Try to launch at the default 3000 rpm and the twin-turbo 3.0-liter's low-end surge will light up the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires as soon as the clutch plates make contact. BMW allows the driver to adjust the launch rpm by tapping the cruise-control toggle. The best practice on regular asphalt is to set it to the 1900-rpm minimum so the tires hook up before the boost arrives. We measured a 3.6-second run to 60—the six-speed does it in 3.9.

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To see how well each of these cars can pound curves into submission, we headed north out of L.A. and onto Frazier Park's empty canyon roads. Jump from the Cayman to the M2 and the BMW seems like a small SUV. But once you adjust to the upright windshield and high seating position, the M2's handling dazzles. Though the steering-wheel diameter is about an inch and a half too large, actual feel comes through the thick rim. The Cup 2s send barely attenuated jolts, jabs, and noise into the cabin, but the upside is steering feedback and precision and 1.05 g's of skidpad grip. Caught between the sticky track-spec rubber and the brawny 444-hp engine, the BMW's rear end squirms in distress under hard acceleration out of corners. That motion doesn't amount to much, but it moves through the seat and into your body. You get the impression that this little hellion is working hard for you. From the M2's logbook: "Playful, alive, and devilishly imperfect."

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Inside the Cayman, a small thin-rimmed steering wheel and a butt-on-the-road seating position await. The Porsche's mise-en-scène—with the raked windshield, low roof, and front-and-center tachometer—reads sports car, and its dynamics live up to the look. The GTS has a better relationship with the laws of physics than the 302-pound-heavier CS. It changes direction with ease and boasts steering that responds to every fing of your fingers. Plus, the GTS nearly matches the M2 in skidpad grip despite wearing milder rubber.

Without turbochargers force-feeding its six cylinders, the Cayman doesn't overwhelm its rear end on corner exit quite as much as the M2 does, especially when the road rises over 5000 feet. While the Porsche lacks the BMW's turbo surge, the finely tuned throttle makes it seem possible to mete out each individual horse. That ability to precisely dial in the engine allows the driver to approach and ride the limit without fear of overburdening the chassis or the handling. Keep adding speed; no component appears unduly burdened.

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Both cars feature adaptive dampers and steel springs that provide firm but livable ride quality, with a small comfort advantage going to the Cayman. Either will stop hard enough to dislodge any french fries hiding under the seats, yet the Porsche prevails with its 149-foot stop and the firmness and grab of its brakes. The intake chortles and screams of the flat-six are also something the M2 can't match. There's a raucousness to the BMW, but the Porsche brings you closer to the machinery, which is literally just a couple of inches behind you.

The Porsche is the better car in nearly every regard, a win earned by being exactly the right tool for the job. Still, the BMW wears its flaws in a way that draws you in. More endearing, sillier, and just a bit less under control than the Cayman, the M2 CS is the one you'll remember, the one that will inspire gesture-filled stories beginning with "There I was . . ." But while it may be possible, and even fun, to pound a nail with something like a pipe wrench, a hammer is really what you need.

Specifications

Specifications

2020 BMW M2 CS Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe

PRICE Base/As Tested: $84,595/$96,545

ENGINE twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection Displacement: 182 in3, 2979 cm3 Power: 444 hp @ 6250 rpm Torque: 406 lb-ft @ 2350 rpm

TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic

CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 15.7-in vented, cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic disc/15.0-in vented, cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic disc Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 F: 245/35ZR19 (93Y) ★ R: 265/35ZR19 (98Y) ★

DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 106.0 in Length: 175.6 in Width: 73.7 in Height: 55.7 in Passenger Volume: 89 ft3 Trunk Volume: 14 ft3 Curb Weight: 3533 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 3.6 sec 100 mph: 8.0 sec 1/4-Mile: 11.8 sec @ 122 mph 150 mph: 20.0 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.9 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.2 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.7 sec Top Speed (mfr's claim): 174 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 155 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.05 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 20 mpg

EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 19/16/23 mpg

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2021 Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe

PRICE Base/As Tested: $88,150/$94,200

ENGINE DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3 Power: 394 hp @ 7000 rpm Torque: 317 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm

TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic

CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/struts Brakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented, cross-drilled disc/13.0-in vented, cross-drilled disc Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4 F: 235/35ZR20 (88Y) N1 R: 265/30ZR20 (95Y) N1

DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 97.4 in Length: 173.4 in Width: 70.9 in Height: 50.2 in Passenger Volume: 49 ft3 Cargo Volume, F/R: 5/10 ft3 Curb Weight: 3231 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 3.4 sec 100 mph: 7.9 sec 1/4-Mile: 11.6 sec @ 121 mph 150 mph: 19.8 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.2 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.5 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.4 sec Top Speed (mfr's claim): 179 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 149 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.04 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 20 mpg

EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 21/19/24 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

Tony QuirogaEditor-in-Chief

Tony Quiroga is a 20-year-veteran Car and Driver editor, writer, and car reviewer and the 19th editor-in-chief for the magazine since its founding in 1955. He has subscribed to Car and Driver since age six. "Growing up, I read every issue of Car and Driver cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It's the place I wanted to work since I could read," Quiroga says. He moved from Automobile Magazine to an associate editor position at Car and Driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues, and also helped produce C/D's early YouTube efforts. He is also the longest-tenured test driver for Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway's Grand Course more than 2000 times over 12 years.

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