Tested: The 2025 BMW M4 CS Puts Up a Heroic Performance

If you missed out on the 1,000-unit production run of the 2023 BMW M4 CSL, well, maybe you should thank the universe for looking out for you, because this BMW M4 CS dressed in Superman’s spandex is the real hero. The CS sells for a $16,000 discount compared to the CSL, yet it accelerated quicker, stopped shorter, and cornered harder in MotorTrend’s instrumented testing, and crucially, it does it all without being unbearable to drive on public roads.

How Quick Is the BMW M4 CS?

The only thing that’s slow in the M4 CS is activating launch control. After punching in a Konami code of drive mode settings, you stand on both pedals and wait for several seconds with the engine spinning at 2,700 rpm. When the instrument cluster finally gives you the go-ahead, the pace picks up from the moment you lift your left foot. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires hook to the pavement like a cat’s claws snagging a screen door as the 543-hp twin-turbo inline-six powers off the line. The eight-speed automatic slams into each gear hard and fast, throwing your head forward and back as the torque momentarily dips and then comes roaring back.

The all-wheel-drive M4 CS rips from 0 to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds, covers the quarter mile in 11.1 seconds at 124.9 mph, and tracks as straight and stable as a Shinkansen bullet train at 130 mph and beyond. That makes it 0.2 second quicker than the rear-drive CSL to 60 mph, though the two cars finish the quarter mile dead even. (It’s worth noting that the CS merely matched a four-door 2022 BMW M3 Competition xDrive with 40 less horsepower both to 60 mph and through the quarter mile.)

See All 36 Photos36

Would You Like Some Grip with That Power?

When we tested the M4 CSL two years ago, we wondered if something was wrong with the example we drove based on its abysmal braking and handling figures. The CS’ stellar numbers give us a clear answer to that question. The CSL’s antilock brakes struggled to coordinate the bite of its carbon-ceramic brakes with the grip of its track rubber. As a result, it scattered stops from 60 mph across a 13-foot window, the longest of which stretched a trucklike 119 feet. The CS, in contrast, stuck all five 60-mph stops in either 95 or 96 feet and clustered three stops from 100 mph between 265 and 269 feet. The left pedal of the M4 CS swings through its short travel with a firm feel and easy modulation for carbon-ceramic brakes, though there’s relatively little feedback.

It’s a similar story with the handling. The CS bested the CSL with its 1.05 g average cornering grip (compared to the CSL’s 1.02 g average) and a 23.4-second figure-eight lap time (versus 23.7 seconds) as the sticky Michelins machine-gunned every loose pebble against the fender liners. As with the M4 CSL, there's a bias toward understeer under trailbraking. You expect something that looks like a race car to scare the crap out of you when you turn stability control off. Not so with this car. Its slight front-end push and prodigious grip allow you to dive into turns with reckless abandon.

The fun ratchets up mid-corner and through the exit thanks to the simple joy of power oversteer. In 4WD Sport, the M4 CS motors out of corners with a happy little tail wag. In 2WD mode, tickling the throttle excites big, laugh-inducing drifts. One way is fast; the other way fun.

See All 36 Photos36

Re-Entering Civilization

Arguably the biggest difference between the CS and the CSL shows up on public roads at a saner pace. Where the M4 CSL is unapologetically violent in everything it does, the BMW M4 CS adapts to its environment. Driven on the mean streets of Metro Detroit with the adjustable bits set to full squish, the CS does the mild-mannered Clark Kent thing, quietly and comfortably blending into everyday life.

Unfortunately, this civility comes at the expense of steering feel. The CSL transmits road texture in a way few modern BMWs do. The CS, on the other hand, turns in accurately and predictably but mutes every signal coming from the road back to the driver. Sport mode gives a much better sense of on-center than Comfort, but there's no feedback either way.

Having rolled both cars across our scales, we now know the “L” (for lightweight) in CSL is good for precisely 266 pounds. The 3,856-pound CS owes most of that extra mass to its all-wheel-drive system, though some of the extra poundage comes from restoring a few key creature comforts. There’s more sound deadening, rear seats, and—crucially—adjustable seat backs on the front buckets.

That’s not to say the M4 CS is cushy. There’s still no armrest or cupholders for the front occupants, and getting in and out of the deep seats requires more exercise than most Americans get in the typical day. Our test car, with less than 3,000 miles on the odometer, was already showing significant wear on the outer bolster from drivers sliding across it to make the task easier.

See All 36 Photos36

Paying the Price

The only thing stopping us from delivering a full-throated endorsement of the M4 CS is the price. At $124,675 to start, it’s just slightly cheaper than a bare-bones Porsche 911 or slightly more than a 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 that’s been tailored to your tastes.

But for those who worship at the temple of BMW (or who relish power oversteer, or who love street cars that look like race cars), it’s easy to see the draw of the M4 CS. It’s hardcore without being violent and equally at home on a track or an epic back road—a special car capable of turning every drive into something special.