► BMW M4 CS is here
► 454bhp 6cyl turbo
► Unveiled in Shanghai
Here’s the latest in a long line of limited-edition M cars: the new BMW M4 CS. It was unveiled overnight in Shanghai – and it’s everything Munich knows about making fast sports cars distilled into one driver-focused coupe.
BMW M GmbH says it will roll out further versions of its cars, as it seeks to broaden its sales impact. The regular M cars will form the backbone of its range, topped by ‘performance-boosted Competition versions,’ according to Munich. ‘Then come the CS special-edition models, a notch higher still. Positioned on top are the performance-maximising “brand shapers” which display a clear motorsport or club sport character but are also fully road legal.’
So get used to seeing more M cars in future, as an M2 CS already in the works. Sounds like a good thing to us…
Read our full guide to the Shanghai motor show here.
The BMW M4 CS has been given a gentle working over in the engine and chassis departments. The twin-turbo straight six is boosted to produce 454bhp – up 10 horses on a regular Competition Package M4 – and it’s derestricted to remove the 155mph speed cap. The seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission is standard and the redline is set at 7600rpm, quite high for a twin-turbo unit.
Suspension largely follows the layout of the M4 Competition Package, with the Adaptive M Suspension pack offering Comfort, Sport and Sport+ settings. The stability control programmes and M active diff are recalibrated for the CS model and BMW quotes a Nurburgring lap time of 7min 38sec, placing it betwixt M4 and M4 GTS.
We test the BMW M3 Competition Package
BMW M4 CS specs
BMW has issued the full technical specification of the CS at its world debut in Shanghai. These are the numbers that matter:
- Engine Twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight six
- Max power 454bhp @ 6250rpm
- Max torque 442lb ft @ 4000-5380rpm
- 0-62mph 3.9sec
- Top speed 174mph (limited)
- Combined fuel consumption 33.6mpg
- CO2 emissions 197g/km
- Tyres 265/35 R19 (front), 285/30 R20 (rear) track-biased Cup
The unique lightweight wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slick tyres come as standard, but buyers can spec more road-friendly Michelin Cup Sport rubber at no extra cost.
Inside, the M4 CS gets lightweight BMW sports seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara, and that classic nod to race track – door handle deletion – appears, with a pull loop instead. Extreme lightweighting? Hardly, when all CS cars get the top hifi system and Professional sat-nav.
Anoraks take note: other ways to spot the new M4 include the yellow-flashed brake callipers grabbing ceramic discs, the exposed carbonfibre front splitter plus Gurney flap mini spoiler and diffuser combo at the rear.
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How much does the BMW M4 CS cost?
In Europe the price has been confirmed as €116,900. That points to a UK cost of around £98,000.
That’s one helluva lot for a 4-series – but then BMW has a long history of making desirable, limited-edition smash hits. If the CS is as good to drive as its namesakes, it might just be worth that much and more.
Read more from the Shanghai motor show here