BMW Oz reveals M4 CS price and spec

BMW Australia has announced a $211,610 (plus on-road costs) price tag for its new M4 CS Coupe before it joins the German car-maker’s local mid-size sports car range from October.

That makes it over $70,000 more expensive than the cheaper new entry-level M4 Pure coupe variant released this month at $129,900 plus ORCs, and $56,710 pricier than the facelifted M4 Competition coupe ($154,900) on which the CS based.

However, the $200K-plus M4 is also almost $85,000 cheaper than the limited-edition M4 GTS it replaces as the flagship M4. Just 25 examples of the track-ready, 368kW M4 GTS were quickly snapped up in Australia last year, despite an astronomical $295K price tag.

BMW isn’t saying exactly how many examples of the M4 CS it has secured but, while it won’t be a limited-edition in the same vein as the M4 GTS or DTM and should remain in production over the current M4’s life cycle, supplies will be limited.

This morning’s M4 CS announcement by BMW Australia follows news earlier this week that BMW is also working on a mechanically-similar M3 CS sedan and last week’s news that BMW could also release a hotter CS, GTS, CSL or Competition-badged version of the smaller M2 Coupe, extra supplies of which have been secured due to overwhelming local demand.

Only a handful of options will be available for the M4 CS in Australia, including one non-metallic paint (Alpine White), two metallic paints (Black Sapphire and San Marino Blue) and two special BMW Individual paint finishes: Frozen Dark Blue II and the bespoke Lime Rock Grey, both costing $4400 extra.

Other options will include M Carbon Ceramic brakes, roller rear sunblind, sun protection glazing, a headlight washer system, TV function and Apple Car Play integration.

“The queue for the M4 CS starts here,” said BMW Group Australia CEO, Marc Werner.

“From its uniquely aggressive appearance to its additional performance over the M4 Competition, the BMW M4 CS is a worthy hero for the recently-updated M4 range.

“Lighter weight and more power ensure an even more dynamic drive than the M4 Competition, but with additional everyday capability and luxury than the M4 GTS,” he said.

Reviving the ‘CS’ (for Club Sport) nameplate first seen on the curvaceous 3200 CS of 1962 and last seen in 2005 on the UK-market E46 M3 CS (known as Competition Package in Australia), the rear-drive M4 CS is quicker than the M4 Competition but more liveable than the GTS special.

Engine performance comes from BMW’s twin-turbo 3.0-litre inline six, in this case tuned to deliver 338kW/600Nm and accelerate the car to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

That’s just one-tenth slower than the 368kW/600Nm GTS – BMW’s quickest production model – and 0.2sec quicker than both the M3 and M4 Competition (331kW/550Nm) and the standard M3 and M4 Pure (317kW/550Nm).

Matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmissio, the M4 CS engine employs two mono-scroll turbochargers, direct fuel-injection, fully variable VALVETRONIC valve timing, fully variable DOUBLE VANOS camshaft timing, dual-branch sports exhaust system with quad 80mm outlets and electronically-controlled exhaust flaps and magnesium oil sump.

Peak power is delivered at 6250rpm, M4 GTS-matching maximum torque arrives between 4000 and 5380rpm, redline is 7600rpm and the M Driver’s Package is standard, allowing a 280km/h top speed.

The CS comes with specific tunes for the three-mode Adaptive M Suspension, Active M Differential, DSC, ABS, M DCT and M Servotronic steering systems, and rides on forged 10-spoke alloys wheels painted Orbit Grey, weighing around 9kg per corner and measuring 9x19-inch up front and 10x20-inch at rear.

Like the GTS, these are fitted with aggressive Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres -- 265/35R19 front and 285/30R20 rear at the rear – while four-piston front and two-piston rear brake calipers haul up the hot M4’s 1580kg mass.

This is kept to a minimum by a unique exposed carbon-fibre front diffuser, and a carbon-reinforced plastic bonnet, roof and rear diffuser, above which is an exposed carbon ‘Gurney’ lip.

Inside, there’s M4 CS door sill panels, Alcantara trim on the door armrests, passenger side dash (with etched ‘CS’ designation), centre console and combination leather sports seats (from the M4 Competition), which along with the steering wheel echo the GTS by featuring blue and red BMW M stitching.

Other standard features include iDrive6 infotainment, Navigation system Professional with 8.8-inch high-definition screen, single-zone climate-control, 12-speaker stereo, head-up display with specific M contents, BMW Individual Anthracite roof lining, hands-free Bluetooth and USB connectivity, DAB+ digital radio tuner, front/rear parking sensors, speed limit information, automatic headlights and wipers and a range of BMW ConnectedDrive services.

BMW M3/M4 pricing (plus ORCs):
M3 Pure – $129,900
M3 – $139,900
M3 Competition – $144,900
M4 Pure – $139,900
M4 coupe – $149,900
M4 Competition coupe – $154,900
M4 convertible – $161,900
M4 Competition convertible – $165,900
M4 CS – $211,610