BMW introduce limited-run M4 CS
Debuted at the Shanghai Motor Show this week, the M4 CS fills the gap in the line-up between the M4 Coupe with Competition Package and the uncompromisingly track-focused BMW M4 GTS.
With its accentuated sporting presence, the new M4 CS continues the decades-long tradition of successful M special editions, which began in 1988 with the E30 BMW M3 Evolution. The new BMW M4 CS will be built at the original BMW plant in Munich and will be priced at €158,690 (OTR) here in Ireland.
The M4 CS also sees BMW M introducing a new nomenclature for its models. Positioned above the standard M models will be the performance-boosted competition versions.
Then come the CS special-edition models, a notch higher still. Positioned on top are the performance maximising “brand shapers” which display a clear motor sport or club sport character but are also fully road legal.
The 3.0-litre high-performance engine raises the output of the M4 with Competition Package by 10 bhp to 460 bhp. State-of-the-art M TwinPower Turbo technology allows the M4 CS to dip below the four-second mark for the 0-100km/h sprint, stopping the clock at 3.9 seconds.
The top speed of the M4 CS, which comes as standard with the M Driver’s Package, is electronically limited to 280km/h. With its two mono-scroll turbochargers charge air cooler, High Precision Injection, VALVETRONIC variable valve timing, and Double-VANOS fully variable camshaft timing, the six-cylinder in-line engine takes a clear and consistent aim at the higher echelons of performance.
This new beast is also equipped as standard with the seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT) with Drivelogic. This cutting-edge transmission has a separate oil cooler and enables both automated gear changes and manual interventions using the shift paddles on the steering wheel.
It changes gears in fractions of a second with no interruption in the flow of power, but employs a long seventh gear to keep revs low and minimise fuel consumption over longer motorway journeys.
The suspension of the new BMW M4 CS largely mirrors that of the M4 with Competition Package. The links and wheel carriers at both the front and rear axles are made from forged aluminium and are therefore extremely light. That keeps the unsprung masses low and benefits driving dynamics.
The M4 CS is fitted as standard with Adaptive M suspension whose geometry has been tuned to deliver optimised performance on both the road and track. The new BMW M4 CS has also been honed on the most demanding test track of them all for high-performance sports cars: The legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Its ‘Ring lap time of 7 minutes, 38 seconds puts the CS in super-sports car territory.
