Sports coupe for those who like it just right
FUTURE MODELS/ BMW has made a Goldilocks version of its four-seat, two-door M4 coupe, writes Michael Taylor
Even within the corridors of M, there are people who think the BMW M4 is too soft and others who think the M4 GTS is too hard. And that’s where the M4 CS, which we first heard rumours of in September 2016, comes in.
Developed largely on the Nürburgring, it whips around the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 38 seconds to sit neatly between its softer and harder brethren.
Where the GTS is a pure track car, the rear-drive CS is a fast road car that’s happy on the track but foregoes the GTS’s outrageous rear wing and adjustable front splitter and still manages to whip to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds.
Instead of a big rear wing, the 1,580kg sports car uses a small Gurney flap on the carbon-fibre boot lid, a fixed front splitter and no roll cage, all of which BMW claims keep it stable at up to 280km/h, when its speed limiter chimes in.
BMW also sidestepped giving it the CSL badge, even though it uses a carbon fibre roof, boot and bonnet and even though the engine delivers another 50Nm of torque and an extra 7.5kW.
Now listed at 338kW, the twin-turbo straight six engine also pumps its torque up to 600Nm, which edges the M4 Competition Package by 10%.
It revs out to 7,600r/min before striking its limiter, but the engine delivers its power peak at 6,250r/min and its torque peak between 5,380r/min.
The 3.0l engine still uses two variable-geometry turbochargers along with variable valve timing and lift, which not only help it to deliver a wide spread of performance but to eke out a claimed 8.4l/100km and 197g/km of CO2.
The changes are more than a software tweak and a new badge, because its suspension tune has been completely reworked to be firmer than the M4 Competition Package.
Like the rest of the M4 range, it has Comfort, Sport and Sport+ 4,000 and driving modes, with different damper settings changing its character to suit each situation.
It hasn’t completely ignored the harder, faster, limited-edition GTS track car, utilising its rear diffuser and adopting its pioneering organic light emitting diode tail lights.
One of the greatest changes is the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) around the car. Besides the rear diffuser, the CFRP bonnet is 25% lighter than the alloy version on the M4, while the roof is 6kg lighter than the metal one, effectively lowering the car’s centre of gravity.
It rides on custom 19-inch front alloys and 20-inch rears, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (265/35 R19 fronts and 285/30 R20 rears), though everyday drivers can switch to the more rain-friendly Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber.
Four-piston brake callipers at the front and two-piston units at the rear anchor the car, though carbon-ceramic discs and a sixpiston front end come in an optional package.
Inside, it uses front seats from the M4 Competition Package, upholstered in Merino leather and Alcantara, along with an Alcantara-wrapped MSports steering wheel.
It’s not a completely stripped-out go-fast car like the GTS. It has climate-controlled air-conditioning, BMW’s HiFi Professional sound system and its Professional navigation unit, along with optional adaptive LED headlights.
When is it coming to SA? BMW SA says it should be here in the third quarter.
ONE OF THE GREATEST CHANGES IS THE USE OF CARBON FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTIC AROUND THE CAR