DRIVEN New BMW M2 vs M3 CSL

EXCLUSIVE M Division's latest creation goes head to head with one of its greatest hits to see how 20 years of progress have shaped its performance coupés

- Alex Ingram

BMW'S M Division sets itself an comes to the launch of each new model. Even so, our recent encounters with the latest M2 have shown us that it's one of the best M cars ever produced. A mix of searing brutality, poise, incredible performance and refinement, slick tech and a competitive price means it ticks many of the boxes we want (and expect) from a car developed by BMW's motorsport brand.

But calling the M2 one of the greatest ever is still a bold claim - especially when there's such a staggering back catalogue to draw upon. We decided that it couldn't hurt to see how well that claim stands up, lining up one of the true greats, the E46 M3 CSL, to see how the two compare.

On the face of it, you might think that these cars are worlds apart, but despite the 20 years that separate the two, they have more in common than meets the eye.

Firstly, there's the size. With cars growing ever larger to cater to increasing safety regulations, the G87 M2 has outgrown the car that, in its day, sat in a class above. Just 88mm in length and 31mm in height separate them, with width the biggest change; the new car takes up 107mm more of its lane.

Those stocky shoulders are part of a design brief that seems to have been to create a modern-day muscle car. Little else around today looks as borderline cartoonish in proportion as the M2; the high-performance treatment has pumped up the standard 2 Series Coupé with some deep, squared-off bumper vents front and rear, plus gloriously boxy wheelarch extensions that evoque hints of old-school Group B rally cars and DTM racers.

They're not just for show, either; they accommodate 275mm-wide front tyres and 285mm rears, which form part of track widths that are up by 44mm and 18mm respectively when compared with the standard 2 Series Coupé.