2022 Audi S3 vs 2021 BMW M2

What's the difference?

There are plenty of historical instances where a particular model within a broader range manages to hit the absolute sweet spot even though it’s not the fastest or most expensive variant. Porsche’s GTS specification across various models is a great example of this.

And at the risk of being proven wrong when the all-new RS3 comes along later this year, this car, the S3, might just pull off that feat.

Yes, the new RS3 will be more powerful and will offer even more grip and sporty flavour, but it will also be more expensive. And we defy anybody to drive the S3 and say that it lacks dynamism in any single area.

It’s also a magnificently balanced car with the right amount of attention paid to every aspect of its trim and performance. That, in essence, is where that `balanced’ label originates and even though it’s felt most in the actual driving experience, it permeates throughout the entire vehicle.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

As the ultimate form of the current M2, the CS distils the best aspects of what everyone loves about BMW into one tidy little package.

The driving experience is nothing short of divine, even if the manual gearbox shifts could be better, while the firecracker engine kicks things up to a whole new level.

If only BMW offered more equipment and safety to round out the $140,000 pricetag, or maybe they should have leaned harder into the lightweight aspect and ditched the rear seats to make the M2 CS even more special.

At the end of the day though, the M2 CS is still an unbelievably appealing driver’s car, and I can’t wait to see what BMW has in store for the next one.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the styling of the new Audi is just how similar it looks to the old model. Okay, this is not a new thing with Audi which has made a point of not throwing a handsome design into the dumpster in pursuit of new for new’s sake.

As such, the exterior lines are taut and typically Audi clean and, with the latest LED headlights and a refinement of the Audi trapezoidal grille, the look is fresh and crisp without being a novelty act.

Inside, the virtual dash display and large, relatively flat centre console almost amount to anti-styling. Or it would if the rest of the deal wasn’t so sharply angled towards a philosophy of less is more.

Again, this is classic modern-era Audi where the game is to make a complex layout look as simple as possible. The face-level air vents also seem to have borrowed a little Lamborghini (part of the Audi family) DNA.

I particularly like the new shift-by-wire gear selector which is a nifty looking switch but works just as intuitively as a conventional shift lever. New tech meets old muscle memory, I’m calling it.

It's worth mentioning (again) just how good Audi’s customisable dashboard display is. With sharp, clear graphics and the ability for the driver to prioritise the information on display at the time, the S3’s display is still about the best in the business.

Overall, ergonomics have always been a long-suit of this brand and there’s been a clear intention to follow that tradition this time around.

We’re already big fans of the way the M2 looks, it’s just the right size and has the perfect proportions for a sporty coupe, and the CS just takes things to another level.

From the outside, the M2 CS scores a noticeably bigger bonnet bulge, as well as a vented hood to improve airflow.

The front splitter, side mirrors, skirts, bootlid spoiler and rear diffuser are also finished in carbon, and add to the car’s aggressive demeanour.

Filling the wheelarches are 19-inch wheels finished in black, but tucked behind those are massive drilled brake rotors and large calipers painted in red.

To call the M2 CS exterior design sporty would be an understatement, but we do have to point out that the Alpine White of our test car did look a little boring, despite the extra bling.

If we were buying one? We’d option the stunning Misano Blue hero colour with gold-coloured wheels to really turn heads around town and at the racetrack, although they will add another $1700 and $1000 respectively to the already dizzying price.

Inside, the M2 CS is let down a little by a spartan interior, which looks like it’s been lifted from the cheapest 2 Series coupe, due to the lack of climate-control screen.

However, BMW does try its best to spice things up with very tight-fitting bucket seats, an Alcantara steering wheel, CS-branded dashboard and that carbon-fibre transmission tunnel.

It’s definitely a case of function over form , but the lack of interior flare means you focus more on the road ahead than anything else, which is no bad thing when you have 331kW and 550Nm being sent to the rear wheels.

While SUV owners are often quick to tell you that they bought their car for its interior space, the truth is sometimes different. And without the huge wheel-wells and suspension towers of a high-riding SUV, the conventional hatch or sedan often has an advantage.

Certainly, there’s no lack of room in the S3 and the hatchback version has a wide hatch opening to make loading easier. The sedan, however, is a full 150mm longer than the hatch and that extra is all behind the rear seat.

So the boot is actually very useable with a capacity of 325 litres. Audi claims the same 325 litres for the Sportback, but that figure jumps to 1145 litres with the rear seat folded flat.

The rear seat in either variant is handily split 40/20/40 and there are storage nets on the back of each front seat, luggage nets in the cargo area and 12-volt outlets in both the centre-rear and luggage compartment. Even floor mats are standard.

Measuring 4461mm long, 1871mm wide, 1414mm tall and with a 2698mm wheelbase, and just two doors, the M2 CS isn’t exactly the last word in practicality.

Of course, front passengers are afforded plenty of space, and the electronically adjustable bucket seats allow you to get into the right position to row through the gears and eat up the road.

Storage is limited, however, with average-sized door bins, two cupholders, a small wallet/phone tray, and that’s it.

BMW is generous enough to include a single USB port to charge your device, but its location, where the armrest should be, means you’ll have to get creative with cable management to make it really work if you want to keep your phone in the tray under the climate controls.

Predictably, the two rear seats are less than ideal for anyone tall, but there is plenty of leg and shoulder-room.

A small centre-storage tray is fitted back there, as well as Isofix points for the seats, but there isn’t a whole lot to keep rear occupants entertained. They'll probably be too frightened to care.

Opening the boot reveals a small aperture that will swallow 390 litres, and is shaped in such a way that a set of golf clubs or some overnight bags will fit in nicely.

There are some luggage tie-down points and netting to keep your belongings from rolling around, and the rear seats fold down to accommodate longer items.

Pricing for the 2021 BMW M2 CS starts at $139,900 before on-road costs for the six-speed manual, with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic bumping up to $147,400.

Let’s not mince words here, the BMW M2 CS is not cheap.

Compared to the M2 Competition , the CS adds about $37,000 to the bottom line – the equivalent of a well-specced small SUV – and sits perilously close to the new-generation M3 and M4 ($144,900 and $149,900 respectively).

For the price , buyers are getting exclusivity, with just 86 examples available in Australia out of a total global production run of 2220 units.

The engine is also tuned for a higher power output, but more on that below.

Standard equipment in the M2 CS also eschews luxury for sportiness, with carbon-fibre exterior highlights, a new exhaust, lightweight 19-inch wheels and Alcantara steering wheel.

The front seats are borrowed from the M4 CS, and trimmed in Alcantara and leather, but that’s about all you get for equipment.

The multimedia system shares the same dimensions as the rest of the M2 line-up, measuring 8.8 inches and including satellite navigation, digital radio and Apple CarPlay (no love for Android owners, sorry).

The climate controls do differ slightly, with the slender screen replaced with basic buttons and knobs.

Seat heating? Nope. Rear air vents? Sorry. How about keyless entry? Not here.

Also noticeably absent is a wireless smartphone charger, and centre armrest, as the usual transmission tunnel has been swapped out for a carbon-fibre piece.

To be fair, you do get a premium Harman Kardon sound system, push-button start and single USB port, so at least BMW does offer a way to charge your phone on the go.

Perhaps most egregious of all though – at least to me – were the rubber pedals fitted to our manual test car.

For $140,00 you’d expect a bit more in terms of convenience features, and before you make the argument that ‘it’s all about saving weight’, don’t bother, because the M2 CS and M2 Competition both tip the scales at an identical 1550kg.

Here’s where a lot of the extra currency demanded for the S3 goes. Forget the 1.5-litre engine in the base-model A3, and instead move to the two-litre four-cylinder as seen in the A4 40 TFSI. Then, add extra turbo-boost (up to 1.8 bar thanks to an efficient intercooler) different variable valve timing protocols, and a direct fuel-injection system with a specific calibration and the potential to create injector pressures of up to 350 bar, and you have the S3’s powerplant.

Maximum power is 228kW at anywhere from 5450 to 6500rpm, and maximum torque of 400Nm produced in a broad range between 2000 and 5450rpm.

Transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch unit driving through all four wheels as per Audi’s Quattro mantra, although it’s important to note this version of Quattro is the simpler, arguably less pure, on-demand system where the car behaves as a front-drive platform until the all-wheel-drive system is required to step in.

That said, with 228kW under its wheels, that’s a fair bit of the time. And compared with previous systems, this one takes more notice of driver inputs and wheel-speed to be less reactive and more active.

Powering the BMW M2 CS is a 3.0-litre twin-turbo ‘S55’ six-cylinder engine, developing 331kW/550Nm.

With drive sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the M2 CS can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 4.2 or 4.0 seconds respectively.

Peak power is available at a heady 6250rpm, while maximum torque comes on stream from 2350-5500rpm.

The M2 CS actually put out as much grunt as the outgoing M3/M4 Competition, because it uses the same engine, and to say the amount of performance on tap is explosive would be to talk up explosions. This is a serious amount of bang for your buck.

The M2 CS easily outclasses the likes of the 280kW/460Nm Jaguar F-Type V6, 306kW/410Nm Lotus Evora GT410 and 294kW/420Nm Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0.

I do have to draw attention to the manual gearbox of our test car, though, which was great, but not excellent.

With such engaging shifters fitted to the Honda Civic Type R, Toyota 86 and Mazda MX-5, I expected rowing through the gears would be nirvana, but it was merely OK.

The throws are a little too long for my liking, and it takes just a bit too much effort to slot it into the right ratio. Still, we should all be glad to see a manual offered here, and I'm betting it is still a better option for purists than the auto.

Audi quotes an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 7.4L/100km for the A3 Sportback and 7.3 litres for the sedan.

That difference is a bit of a mystery given the sedan is heavier (by just five kilograms) until you consider that the combined figure includes freeway running, at which point the sedan’s extra 150mm of length and different rear diffuser may be the aerodynamic deal-breaker.

The Sportback emits 170 grams of CO2 per kilometre (166 for the sedan) and with the 55-litre tank fitted, both variants should have a range of around 750km between fill-ups.

Official fuel-consumption figures for the M2 CS are pegged at 10.3 litres per 100km, while our week with the car yielded a more realistic figure of 11.8L/100km.

Engine start/stop technology is included to keep fuel consumption down, but our week with the car was spent mainly in Melbourne’s inner-city streets, with three trips out of town looking for some winding country roads.

No doubt if we were more restrained with our throttle application, we could have kept that fuel consumption figure down, but a sub-12L/100km result is still great for a performance car.

Some cars take a few minutes at the wheel before they start to get chatty. Not so the S3. From the moment you grab the lovely leather tiller, haul it into gear and give the perky little turbo-motor a squeeze on the throttle, the Audi is making all the right noises and giving clear, precise feedback on its every move.

Sometimes, cars with lots of tyre, lots of all-wheel drive grip and the sort of sharp steering fitted here, can start to feed back so many responses that it becomes difficult to know which one to respond to.

Not the S3, which seems tuned to a keener driver’s priorities (as it should be, of course). As a result, the steering feedback is distinct from what the rest of the front end is doing and everything else going on is clear, quantifiable and designed to improve the experience.

That even extends to the soundtrack which, Audi told us does not use any electronics to improve it beyond amplifying the engine-bay harmonics which use the windscreen and scuttle as their 'speaker.'

Combined with the active exhaust system, this car honestly sounds like a five-cylinder engine (I opened the bonnet to count the spark plugs to make sure it wasn’t. It isn’t.)

If you’ve ever driven a five-cylinder Audi or a V10-powered R8 (two in-line fives, really) the tune will be a familiar one. Lovely, and – again - such amazing attention to detail.

The 2.0-litre engine runs fairly high boost levels, but that doesn’t seem to have affected the way it storms off the mark. Neither does the dual-clutch transmission contribute any delay, provided you haven’t managed to stand on the brake and throttle at the same time (as many left-foot brakers might).

At that point, the driveline goes into sulk mode and will force you to wait a heartbeat or two before full power is restored. This can be an issue when trying to dart across a busy intersection or merge into a traffic flow.

It’s not a new thing to Audis, but remains an annoyance to those of us who equate having two pedals with having two feet.

The driver-selectable drive modes fitted to the S3 are interesting inasmuch as they actually make a meaningful difference to the way the car operates. They alter the transmission shift points, the throttle sensitivity, steering weight and damper settings.

'Comfort' mode will be the default for most owners, and while 'Dynamic' does sharpen up the dampers ever-so-slightly beyond an acceptable day-to-day level of firmness, it also adds weight to the steering feedback.

Frankly, I don’t think it needs it and simply adding resistance feels like a token gesture. And since the steering has a (non-negotiable) variable rate in the first place, bigger inputs equal a bigger proportionate change of direction anyway.

The damping control is now the more sophisticated magnetic-hydraulic type where hydraulic pressure varies the valving rather than the simpler, previous system of energising an electro-magnet to alter the viscosity of the damping fluid.

This more finite control system has allowed more 'bandwidth' as Audi puts it, between Comfort and Dynamic damper settings.

While the auto mode is almost prescient, it’s not actually pre-emptive but rather takes into account suspension deflection, wheel-speed and driver inputs to come up with a combination of settings to make the most of the situation.

And if you really want to fiddle, you can choose 'Individual' and create an overall setting that combines bits of Comfort and Dynamic with a smattering of 'Efficiency' thrown in.

Toggle down to Dynamic and throw the S3 at some bends and it soon emerges as a pretty gripped-up piece of equipment. The front-drive bias is not really noticeable, but then neither is the transition where the computer begins to engage the rear multi-plate clutch to turn the rear axle into an active participant.

There’s certainly no lack of grip at any stage of a typical corner, and even the odd unexpected damp patch poses no awkward questions. Perhaps the biggest grumble would be the tyre roar at highway speeds, but that’s often the price of performance rubber.

Let me be clear; driving the M2 CS is a simply sublime experience.

The M2 was always close to the top of the best modern M cars, and the CS simply cements its position as the king.

Step inside and the bucket seats and Alcantara steering wheel make sure you know you are in something special.

Push the red starter button and the engine comes to life, with a racy growl from the new exhaust system that immediately brings a smile to your face.

Out on the open road, the adaptive dampers fitted to the M2 CS do a good job at soaking up bumps and road imperfections, but don’t expect it to suddenly become a comfortable and cosseting cruiser.

The ride is firm in all settings, but dial it up to ‘Sport Plus’ and comfort really takes a hit, especially on the uneven inner-city roads of Melbourne, with its criss-crossing tram tracks.

Escape the unkempt roads of the city for the smooth blacktop of the country, though, and the M2 CS really flexes its handling prowess.

The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres fitted as standard also help in this regard, and while the rear end will step out with 331kW pushed through them, if you want to stick to the racing line and clip that apex, the M2 CS is a more than willing participant.

The suspension isn’t the only thing that can be changed, however, with steering and engine adjustments also available.

We found the best setting to be maximum-attack mode for the engine and suspension, while keeping the steering in its lightest setting, and even with the steering weight turned way down, the feedback and feel from the road is enough to communicate exactly what the M2 CS wants to do.

BMW has definitely nailed the feel of the M2 CS, which almost eggs you on to go faster and faster.

When things get a bit too furious, it is also comforting to know that the massive 400mm front discs and 380mm rear discs with six- and four-piston callipers respectively are more than up to the task of scrubbing speed.

I only wish I could have explored the capabilities of the M2 CS in the more controlled environment of a racetrack, because out on the open road, the M2 CS definitely still feels like it has so much more to give. And everything about this car just screams Race Track Time. Loudly.

The BMW M2 CS has not been tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP and as such does not have a crash rating.

The car it is based on, the 2 Series, is also unrated, although the M2 CS differs wildly from the rest of the small coupe range.

Safety systems include front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, a reversing camera and cruise control.

Don’t expect autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring and lane-keep assist here, let alone rear cross-traffic alert or traffic-sign recognition.

Sure, the M2 CS is a track-focused special, but its also lacking some crucial safety features you’d expect out of any new car, and particularly one at this price point.

Audi has finally had to cave in and extend its warranty to match its competition. So, any new Audi sold after January 1 this year moves up to a five-year/unlimited kilometre factory warranty; a big step up from the previous three years of cover.

S3 buyers can also opt for Audi’s five-year service plan which costs $2580. Servicing is set down for every 15,000km or 12 months.

Like all new BMWs, the M2 CS comes with a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which falls short of Mercedes’ benchmark five-year/unlimited-kilometre offering.

Scheduled service intervals are every 12 months or 16,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.

Buyers can opt for a ‘Basic’ or ‘Plus’ service plan that covers the car’s first five years, priced at $2995 and $8805 respectively.

The ‘Basic’ plan covers oil changes, air filters, brake fluids and spark plugs, while the ‘Plus’ service adds replacement brake pads and discs, wiper blades and clutch.

With an annual cost of $599 or $1761 for maintenance, the M2 CS is actually pretty affordable to service.