ROAD TEST 5743
BMW M4
The M5 CS was a slam-dunk five-star car. Has Garching done it again?
MODEL TESTED
BMW M4 CS
Price £122,685
Power 543bhp at 6250rpm
Torque 479lb ft at 2750-5950rpm
0-60mph 2.9sec
30-70mph 2.5sec
Top speed 188mph (claimed)
Average economy 26.2mpg
Touring economy 32.4mpg
CO2 emissions 232g/km
70-0mph 40.5m (12deg C, dry)
BMW’s recent appetite for special versions of its mainline M cars shows no sign of letting up, and the latest derivative to join the ranks is this: the M4 CS. It’s a model its maker says exists in the “broad space between racetrack experience and soul-stirring road performance”, and there’s certainly evidence to back up that sentiment. The car’s engine, cabin and use of composite materials closely mirror that of the hardcore, Porsche 911 GT3-baiting, rear-drive M4 CSL of 2022, yet the highly adaptable fourwheel drive system of the regular M4 Competition is present, as are the back seats that were sacrificed to save 21kg in the track-ready CSL.
Garching’s form when it comes to cars like this can be variable, but when it nails the recipe, the results are always world class. The previous M4 CS was a success but a qualified one, its honed dynamics not entirely justifying an at times frustratingly spartan cabin. But since then we have also had the M5 CS – a five-star Autocar road test car and perhaps the greatest super-saloon of all time.
BMW has never offered cars like the M4 CS cheaply, and a price the far side of £120,000 will certainly give even M diehards pause for thought. But if this car is as good as it can be, it could justify the outlay. Massive performance, handling exploitability and genuine usability in a single package is on the cards.
DESIGN & ENGINEERING ★★★★☆
PROS Massively potent, versatile powertrain; detail chassis tweaks
CONS Only 40kg or so lighter than the standard car; polarising looks
How far to take an M4 in mediumrare CS form is rather a delicate art, if you’re M. Too little deviation from the standard Competition recipe and you risk impotence in the line-up; too much and there’s a chance you’ll narrow the bandwidth in a manner that’s acceptable for the collector-grade CSL but fatally undermines anything ‘lesser’.