New BMW M4 CS Debuts As A More Sensible & Attainable CSL

The all-new BMW M4 CS bridges the gap between the standard M4 and the limited-edition CSL.

After more than one year since the manic BMW M3 CS made its global debut, BMW is finally giving the CS treatment to its two-door twin, the BMW M4. Designed to bridge the gap between the standard M4 and the limited-edition 3.0 CSL, the new M4 CS promises to deliver an intense and emotional driving experience, courtesy of several CS-specific improvements and upgrades.

The M4 CS is powered by the same S58 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six mill as the M3 CS.

For starters, the M4 CS gets a familiar 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six S58 engine, which has been tuned to match the M3 CS’s total system output of 543 HP and 649 NM. This power boost not only makes the M4 CS 20 HP more powerful than the newly-updated M4 Competition but also makes it the joint second most powerful M car with a straight-six engine, with the top spot belonging to the manic 3.0 CSL.

Similar to the M3 CS, said engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox by ZF to help the M4 CS achieve a faster 0-100 KM/H sprint time of 3.4 seconds and an electronically-limited V-Max of 302 KM/H.

Beyond its upgraded power plant, the new M4 CS also benefits from a slew of chassis and mechanical upgrades. Apart from the rear-wheel-biased xDrive AWD system, the M4 CS also gets a retuned chassis, as well as specific tunings for its 8-speed gearbox, adaptive M suspension system, M servotronic steering system, and integrated braking system.

The M4 CS's strict diet regimen sees the sporty coupe coming standard with tons of carbon fibre parts.

Although not as extreme as the 3.0 CSL, BMW M engineers have also put the M4 CS on a pretty serious diet, with the car featuring tons of carbon fibre parts, including on the roof, hood, front splitter, air intakes, side mirror caps, rear diffuser, rear spoiler, and many more. Not to mention, the M4 CS also rides on staggered 19- and 20-inch forged M light alloy wheels, all of which come standard with track tyres plus free optional ultra-track tyres.

Thanks to this extensive diet regimen, the new M4 CS weighs 20 KG less than the M4 Competition Coupe xDrive, tipping the scale at only 1,680 KG. For reference, the 3.0 CSL weighs only 1,625 KG due to the more extreme weight loss program put up by the M team.

Besides the liberal carbon fibre usage, the M4 CS also gains some additional design cues to help differentiate it from the standard crop of M4s. Key highlights include the M4 CS badge on its polarising front kidney grille and a slew of red accents, while its headlights now light up in a special yellow hue as a tribute to the BMW M’s GT race cars.

Elsewhere, the new M4 Cs is available in four different hues, namely Brooklyn Grey Metallic, Black Sapphire Metallic, Riviera Blue Metallic, and Frozen Isle of Man Green Metallic, the latter two courtesy of BMW Individual Selection.

Just like the exterior, the carbonification work continues as we get inside the M4 CS.

The strict diet regime continues as we get inside the M4 CS, with this sporty coupe getting M Carbon bucket seats as standard, plus several carbon fibre trims scattered around the car. Just in its four-door twin, you’ll also find plenty of ‘CS’ lettering on the M4 CS’s cabin, plus several red-hued accents to contrast against the carbon-laden space.

On the tech front, the M4 CS comes standard with the BMW curved display setup, featuring a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch central infotainment screen – both powered by the BMW iDrive 8.5. Besides the M-specific graphics, the M4 CS also gets a built-in lap timer and a drift analyser, plus several individual driving settings, including gearbox shifts, suspension setup, driving modes, and many more.

Set to be produced at BMW’s Dingolfing plant later in July this year, the all-new G82-gen BMW M4 CS is poised to make its first public appearance on May 10 at both the upcoming IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Laguna Seca, US, and in Europe at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps World Endurance Car race.