The BMW M4 CS is coming, and it’s expensive

BMW has revealed specifications and pricing for the M4 CS in Australia, and brace yourself – it’s expensive.

The M4 CS will launch in October wearing a $211,610 sticker, putting it a long way clear of the range-topping M4 Competition ($154,900) and much closer to the strictly limited, and sold out, M4 GTS ($294,715) than anticipated.

Buyers stumping up the extra $56,700 compared with the M4 Competition will get an extra 7kW and 50Nm taking CS performance figures to 338kW and 600Nm. Only M’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be offered.

Helping to achieve a quicker 0-100km/h sprint of 3.9sec is a weight saving of 35kg, largely down to the use of lighter components borrowed from the track-honed GTS, including a carbonfibre bonnet. Kerb weight sits at 1580kg.

Other changes to the CS on top of M4 Comp specification include Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (Pilot Super Sports are a no-cost option) on staggered 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloy wheels of a design unique to CS. A CS aero package, exclusive colour options ($4400) and model-specific calibrations for the Active M differential, steering and dynamic damper control round out the main differences. M carbon-ceramic brakes are a $15,000 option that upgrades front and rear stoppers.

BMW will take orders for the M4 CS until the end of this model cycle, meaning there is no strict cap on the number it will build. Worldwide production is expected to end up somewhere between 2000 and 3000 units.

How many of those will make it to Australia is yet to be announced, though Wheels believes Australia will receive between 30 and 40 examples over the next 12 months. BMW is once again tipping demand to outstrip supply and a waiting list to follow, in keeping with local buying habits and a keen appetite for M division product Down Under.

But is the CS worth the price premium? As the effective flagship of an expanded M4 range (now that the GTS is all gone) it does have a role to play in giving M4 buyers a more exclusive alternative to the M4 and M4 Competition.

Where the value proposition becomes a little perplexing is when viewed side-by-side with the new $139,900 BMW M4 Pure, which will launch alongside the M4 CS later this year.

The M4 Pure has the same outputs as the M4 Competition, 331kW and 550Nm, albeit in a package that focuses on sporty essentials and less on creature comforts at a saving of $15,000 to the M4 Comp, and $71,710 less than the M4 CS that it sits just 7kW behind.

Wheels questioned BMW Australia about the positioning of the M4 CS, and a high price for the car out of Europe was cited. In Germany the M4 CS costs €38,700 ($A56,800) more than a regular M4. Owning a CS will be a similarly expensive undertaking in every market.

The CS could be seen as a bargain compared with the truly special M4 GTS, though that car had a more extensive list of parts engineered exclusively for it, including water injection, carbon ceramic brakes, adjustable suspension and more. For comparison, the M4 GTS was limited to 700 cars globally and made 368kW, and the same 600Nm as the CS. Of those 700, 25 examples came to Oz.

At $211,610, the CS is out on its own in terms of a competitor set. It is outgunned and undercut by the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe, which has 375kW and 700Nm for $162,115. Audi will soon be challenging in the fast mid-size coupe segment with its new RS5, bringing 331kW and 600Nm for around $158,000.

We’ll be keen to see whether or not the M4 CS is good enough to carve out its own bit of clear air in the Aussie market when it arrives in October.

2

2017 BMW M4 Coupes