Two hot hatches walk into a bar. Where they meet a coupe. So what could happen? That’s exactly what Mat Watson wanted to find out. Therefore, he left the bar behind and headed to a race track for the ultimate fun battle: BMW M2 CS versus the Toyota GR Yaris and the Ford Fiesta ST. Before we jump into the video and the final results, let’s recap some of the performance numbers.
The M2 CS is arguably BMW’s most fun car to drive in 2021. The nimble and compact sports coupe features the S55 3.0 liter six-cylinder engine from the F80/F82 M3/M4 generations. It makes 444 horsepower and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque, sending the power to the rear wheels via the excellent 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It’s also the heaviest of the bunch: around 3,500 lbs.
One the other side of the aisle you have the Toyota GR Yaris weighing at around 2,800 lbs. It is powered by a 1.6 liter three-cylinder engine delivering 257 horsepower and 266 pound-feet (360 Newton-meters) of torque. It’s also the fun one sending the power to all wheels via a six-speed manual.
Last but not least fun to drive, it’s the Ford Fiesta ST. It features a 1.5 liter EcoBoost engine with 197 horsepower and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm) of torque. It’s the only one with a front-wheel drive getting the power from the engine via a six-speed manual as well. At 2,600 lbs, it’s also the lightest one.
Clearly, each car has its own advantages, so we have to see what role does the curb weight play in this case. Will the M2 CS compensate for its extra weight with the larger displacement? Or will the Fiesta ST get by everyone with its tiny 1.5 liter unit? Let’s take a look!
