LET’S NOT FOCUS TOO MUCH ON THE ‘L’ for now. Much has already been said about the new M4 CSL’s credentials to wear that particular badge despite a decent 100kg reduction in mass compared with an M4 Competition. Instead let’s focus on the lengths to which the M division has gone to create this car and mark its own 50th anniversary. And discover if the result honours all the great cars that have gone before and sets a new benchmark for the M cars of the future. Deal?
Okay, then. There aren’t enough pages in this magazine to go into great detail about each and every mechanical, structural, hardware and software change, but here’s a brief overview. The headlines are a 39bhp boost to the 3-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six for a total of 542bhp at 6250rpm and 479lb ft from 2750 to 5950rpm. The CSL is limited to 190mph and covers 0-62mph in 3.7sec and 0-124mph in 10.6. It rides 8mm lower than an M4 Competition, there are helper springs front and rear for maximum control in extreme situations, greater camber at the front, and rose joints replace much of the rubber in the rear axle. Dampers are also retuned for this application with Comfort, Sport (configured for use on the Nordschleife) and Sport Plus modes. It goes almost without saying that the CSL is strictly rear-wheel drive. Just 1000 will be made, with 100 coming to the UK priced from £128,820. That’s getting on for a £50,000 premium over the M4 Competition.
Delve deeper and you discover that even the familiar, for example the superbly effective M Traction Control, has been reconfigured. It’s still activated by disabling DSC and levels 1 to
