BMW has revived the fabled CSL badge once again, giving the G82 BMW M4 the special treatment as it gets 542bhp and loses 100kg over the Competition model.
Believe it or not, this new BMW M4 CSL is only the third model in BMW history to receive the special CSL treatment, yet its presence is recognised around the world and renowned for its brilliance. This also happens to be BMW’s 50th birthday, so this new M4 CSL has a lot to live up to.
To achieve more performance, BMW has used a simple equation, add power and lose weight. Headline figures are 545bhp, up 39bhp on the Competition model, with a 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 197mph. To help it achieve those performance figures, the BMW M4 CSL tips the scales at 1652kg, shaving 100kg off the Competition’s weight.
Power is of course sent to the rear wheels, rather than the new xDrive system seen in the M3 and M4 models. No manual option here, unfortunately, nor will it get a fancier twin clutch gearbox either, it sticks with the 8-speed ZF auto, but gets faster response and shift time.
As is the case with CSL badged cars, it’s in the chassis department where things get particularly spicy. The ride height is down 8mm, while the ordinary coil at each corner of the car now gets a secondary helper spring to allow the main spring to maintain contact with its seats, improving control when driven hard. There are also new anti-roll bars and more camber built into the front axle’s swivel bearing.
At the rear axle, rubber mounts connecting the upper and lower control arms to the rear subframe are now solid ball joints, and the subframe is now rigid bolted to the main chassis.
To achieve the weight saving, there’s a new titanium exhaust that shaves 4.3kg, wheels and carbon ceramic brakes that save 21kg, fixed seats that save 24kg, the removal of the rear seats saves 21kg, plus 1.2kg saved on a carbon bonnet, 6.7kg saved on a carbon bootlid and 15kg of sound deadening removed. Quite the diet!
Under that carbon fibre bonnet there’s a new aluminium brace rather than a carbon one, otherwise it’s business as usual. Tweaks to the ECU come in the form of increased boost pressure from the turbos, up to 2.1 bar from 1.7, which accounts for the increase in performance.
Here comes the kicker, UK pricing for the BMW M4 CSL start at £125,900, which is almost the same money for the Porsche 992 911 GT3. That being said, both will be nearly impossible to get your hands on, with only 100 examples of the M4 CSL coming to the UK.
Comparing it to the GT3, on paper at least, the M4 CSL loses out pretty heavily in the performance department, with lap times around the Nurburgring being 6:55 in the GT3 and 7:15.6 in the BMW M4 CSL. Although this is BMW’s fastest production car to have lapped the Nurburgring… Which would you buy?
