When the BMW M4 GTS was launched, German car enthusiasts collectively went wild. They could finally own a road-legal race car, a DTM racer with a license plate. With this car you could go to the track all day, post lap times that would make an open-wheel racer blush and then casually drive to the convenience store, buy your groceries, stuff everything into the trunk (right next to the water injection tank) and head home. In theory, this should be the best of both worlds, right?
In theory, yes. However, there is a glaring problem with this plan: track-day specials aren’t particularly good on the real-world roads. Harsh suspensions and potholes don’t mix, there is no sound deadening and the exhaust will get on your nerves after four hours of driving on the highway.
So, BMW set out to build a middle-ground option: something between the hardcore GTS and the regular M4.
Some time later and out came the 2018 M4 CS. Performance-wise, this new coupe sits above the M4 Competition Package as the range-topping member of the M4 lineup, since the production of the GTS has ended.
If the name rings a bell you obviously know your obscure BMW models (good for you!). Typically, this moniker has been given to limited-production, streamlined coupes with a few high-performance parts added in for good measure.
This new version is no different. Thanks to some tweaks under the hood, the twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six now produces 454 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. That’s an improvement of 29 hp and 37 lb-ft over the regular M4, in case you were wondering.
Those numbers wouldn’t mean much if the rest of the car couldn’t keep up, but the M4 CS stole some mighty fine tricks out of the GTS’ playbook to keep its weight down. The roof, rear spoiler, diffuser and front splitter are made from lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Add to that some lightweight door trims, and handles (which were presumably VERY heavy before) that were replaced by simpler door pulls. Overall, this carbon-heavy diet was good enough for a loss of 32 kg over the standard M4.
That’s all fine and good, but we still haven’t got to the most important question: how fast is it? Very fast.
To be more precise, the M4 CS gets to 100 km/h from a standstill in 3.9 seconds. This is 0.3 seconds faster than the M4 Competition Package, but 0.2 slower than the GTS. This BMW can also turn and stop on a dime, thanks to 6-piston front brakes, ceramic disks, stiff springs and large roll bars. But as a member of the BMW family, it won’t beat you up over long distances. Inside, the comfort level is maintained with leather seats with Alcantara trim.
Official pricing for North America hasn’t yet been announced, but seeing as the M4 Competition Package starts at $90,000 and the GTS used to go for $154,000 (if you could find one, that is), we can expect prices to be somewhere between the two.
If you want one, the time to act is now; production will be limited and they’ll go fast.
