One of the revelations of 2018 was, without a doubt, the BMW M2 Competition. An improvement over the outgoing M2, the Competition model came out with a new engine altogether as well as a couple of other tweaks to make it ever faster and more enjoyable. While the difference compared to the M2 was rather noticeable from the get go, the question that popped in everyone’s minds was how the M2 Competition would fare against rivals from other brands.

The answer will vary depending on what car you’re using against the new M2. The biggest challenge will come from Porsche, of course, and its 718 Cayman S. The Cayman has become a sort of cult car in recent years as it has been the benchmark of the segment ever since it came out. Even though the new model uses a turbocharged engine, it still delivers the performance you’d expect from it, as well as the balance you’ll be seeing from a Porsche. Could the M2 Competition really challenge it?

On the track it seems like the two are extremely close. The guys from French publication Motorsport Magazine took the two out to their usual testing grounds at Magny-Cours and raced them on the GP track. The BMW M2 Competition came out on top with a lap time of 1:59.78 while the Porsche Cayman S did the same lap in 1:59.8. Yes, it’s barely there but there is a small difference recorded on the stopwatch and it’s in favor of the car wearing the blue and white roundel.

The lap time however is more impressive when you look at what other cars have been beaten by the M2 Competition. The M3 Competition was just as fast as the Cayman S and a bit slower than the M2 while the AMG C63 S Coupe, for example, was almost 3 seconds slower. The original M2 was almost 4 seconds slower as was the Civic Type-R.