With the new G80 BMW M3 CS finally here, fans are starting reminisce about the last-generation model. While this generation’s car is only an M3 CS (the M4 is the even more potent CSL), the previous generation had both an M3 CS and M4 CS and fans are remembering just how great both were. In this new video from AutoTopNL, we get to see the F82 BMW M4 CS, an excellent car with looks that are more appreciated now than ever before.
The BMW M4 CS was an interesting car when it first came out. At the time, the standard F82 M4 wasn’t exactly beloved among BMW purists, as its steering was numb, its exhaust note was lame, and it just overall felt lackluster compared to M3s of the past. However, when the M4 CS debuted, it felt as if the M Division finally woke up a sleeping giant because the addition of those two letters made the M4 come alive. At the time, our review said that the M4 CS was what the standard M4 should have been all along.
Under the hood was a modified version of the normal M4’s S55 engine, a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged I6 with 460 horsepower and 443 lb-ft. That was a step up from the standard engine’s 444 horsepower and 406 lb-ft from the M4 Competition Package. While the M4 CS never offered a manual transmission, much like today’s M3 CS, it didn’t use a traditional torque-converter automatic like the current car. Instead, the M4 CS used BMW M’s seven-speed DCT (dual-clutch transmission), which was quicker and far more engaging to use than the current ZF auto. Also unlike the new M3 CS, the F82 M4 CS was only rear-wheel drive. While the new M3 CS’ all-wheel drive will make it absurdly fast off the line and nearly unflappable through corners, it won’t have the finesse of the old car’s purer rear-driven nature.
One area where the M4 CS improved over the standard car more than most was its exhaust. The standard S55 engine just never really sounded great, even with aftermarket exhausts. However, whatever tune BMW gave the engine for CS-duty, along with its titanium exhaust, made a huge difference, as it sounds quite good. There’s also a rawness and realness to its exhaust that the new M3 doesn’t have.
The BMW M4 CS is still an incredible car and one that all BMW fans wish they could own, especially now that the new M3/M4 generations are quite controversial.