BMW M3 CS
Nick Hall takes one of Bavaria's finest exports and finds there's little it lacks
BMW M3 CS
Niche cars are out of control in the modern world and if you want a two-seater Sports Utility MPV Hatchback Turbo, you’ll find it somewhere. Some are utterly pointless -- think Golf Plus. Some, like the BMW M3 CS, however, are carefully polished diamonds.
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This is a halfway house between BMW’s outgoing BMW M3, soon to be replaced by the new shape 400bhp fire-breathing 3 Series, and the formidable M3 CSL. The strictly limited CSL was launched in 2003 and instantly became a legend, taking the fight to Porsche’s 911 and Ferrari’s 360 but, at almost £60,000, it was an awful lot of money for a 3 Series BMW. It also came with just one transmission choice: the SMG semi-automatic.
Undoubtedly it was the fastest way to change gear at the time and BMW is at the vanguard of movement. But while perfect, clutchless gearchanges are available at the blink of an eye, speed through technology isn’t for everyone.
Taking the clutch and manual box away sterilises the experience and robs the driver of the satisfaction achieved from a perfect downchange on the way into a corner, with the merest hint of opposite lock to catch the slide.
Cars like the M3 are all about those times when the family is at home, a familiar road opens out in front of you and invites you to attack. It’s an aggressive machine and the SMG appeared totally at odds with the ethos of the lightweight, full-blooded CSL.
It makes sense
So this, the last model that will come from the E46 line-up makes an awful lot of sense. At £43,555 it’s expensive, but still in touch with the real world, and it’s different enough from the standard M3 to be well worth the investment – sharing many of its more exclusive predecessor’s features without impinging on its exclusivity.
The CS is something of a CSL-lite, not quite as hair-raising, not quite as loud. Crucially, though, it has a proper gearbox and that makes for a more basic kind of fun.
The £2,400 option package over the price of a standard M3 buys CSL-look 19-inch wheels, bigger front brakes, a faster steering rack and a more advanced traction control system. As the standard M3 is often lauded as the best coupe on the planet, BMW risked gilding the lily with such minor changes, but it has pulled it off.
The extra cost is a mere triviality, but order the Interlagos Blue, red, anything but black. As the CS has no distinguishing badge, a black CS would look like a bad, home-brewed CSL copy and that’s just not the thing to do to an M3.
Inside there’s an Alcantara-clad steering wheel, which adds to the sporting vibe, but isn’t the most forgiving thing on a long trek and could in fact spawn a new generation clad in stringback driving gloves . Still, the seats are far more comfortable than the CSL’s borderline racing buckets and the M3’s overall ride defies belief for a car with such sporting purpose.
The best compromise?
The M3 is the best compromise between performance and practicality outside of the more expensive Porsche 911 range. It’s still firm and the wheel needs a strong hand to keep the car online at cruising speeds, but 300 mile-stints in this car will melt away when you consider the speeds you’ll be doing.
And when this car hits one of those back roads, without a Gatso in sight and tightening off-camber bends, you won’t mind the extra effort in the car park, as the M3 CS truly comes alive.
The quicker and more sensitive steering rack makes has a major plus side, though: racecar-sharp turn-in. It’s as if the front wheels are connected to human hands by nerves, rather than a medley of components.
Bodyroll is negligible and BMW’s famous 50/50 front/rear weight balance means that the 1,570Kg M3 CS will flick through bends with perfect sports car poise. With the electronics off it will slide, but it’s never threatening and you’d have to really provoke it to throw this car into a hedge.
The M3 and the 911 are two of the only cars you can jump into and feel at one with, a car with a crystal clear limit and infinite feedback through the wheel. There’s a reason why the M3 legend is revered throughout the automotive world and it’s a driving experience everyone should try at least once.
Heavy hips
It’s not the lightest machine in the world, thanks to being loaded up with creature comforts and none of the weight-saving measures of the CSL, but a well balanced car can handle a few extra kilos on its hips without sacrificing that all important poise.
The 3.2-litre six cylinder that powers the M3 CS has won the engine Oscars for five consecutive years, which isn’t surprising when you feel how the 343bhp and 269lb ft of torque are delivered.
It accelerates to 60mph in 5.2s and will hit the electronically limited 155mph top speed without trauma. Mid-range acceleration is ballistic and four a car with four seats, it’s hard to believe the response from the inline Six pumping menacingly under the bonnet.
Pushed hard it also produces a metallic scream that will stay with you right till the 8000rpm redline, and potentially forever. Outside of the exotic supercar class, and the V10 M cars, this is one of the finest sounding engines in the world.
Finest driver's car
The new M3, when it arrives in 2007, will boast a 400bhp V8 engine and far more tricks than this machine. Until then and perhaps even after, this will remain the finest driver’s car in the BMW range. In keeping things simple, the Roundel might just have found a niche we can all appreciate.
In some respects the biggest problem the M3 CS has is the M3 CSL which is available on the second-hand market for much less money and is a much more impressive car to drive, if you can do without some creature comforts.
_VTEC_ said:
The one thing I disliked about the CSL was the mandatory SMG. Now the only things the CS lacks are the sportier seats and the Carbon intake. Both of which you can buy similar of at the aftermarket.
You're welcome to try buying the upgrade parts on the aftermarket, but you'll not have much luck. You can't buy CSL parts from BMW without a valid CSL chassis number. That little 'ol carbon airbox, that people probably imagine is just like any other CAI is actually around 1 metre in length and costs a cool £3000-4000, that's without taking into account all the changes to the intake throttle and fueling. Then of course the carbon roof would cost over £1000 for parts alone. When you start adding up all the changes made from the M3 to CSL it's pretty easy to see where BMW came up with the £58k asking price. Maybe they should have been less ambitious with their engineering ambition, but I've yet to find anything superfulous to driving enjoyment in 2.5 years of owning one.
What stands out in the CSL compared to the M3 is how much lighter it feels and how much less interia comes into play when changing direction, then there's the additional violence when accelerating. It's a lot of fun even navigating a roundabout (again and again!) and doesn't need a track to make you smile. The CSL would still be 100-140kg lighter than an M3 CS (depending on options) and that counts as a lot in my book, but I'm sure the CS is still a fun car to drive.
Anyway coming from the perspective of what makes most difference in the CSL (i.e. what differentiates it most over the M3) none of that is on the CS. The quicker ratio steering rack is probably the least noticeable change and not something I would choose to shout about, particularly when compared to some of the Porsche racks.
If I was just looking for an M3 (for daily use) then I'd get a CS because the quicker rack and M-track DSC mode would make it a better drivers tool, and there's no downside over the M3 apart from the alcantara wheel and the loss of mult-function steering controls (all of which could be changed by dipping into BMW's parts list).
Most interesting thing to notice is that it's not a CSL. First thing I noticed was that it wasn't fast enough (not pulling through the gears as quick as a CSL would), then you'll notice that it doesn't have an alcantara steering wheel, nor does it have the correct interior trim. Then when you finally catch glimpses from the outside you can see the lack of a CSL front valance or CSL bootlid. Clearly someone has gone to all the trouble (and expense) of fitting the CSL's carbon fibre airbox, without seeming to do much more. It also looks a little soft with more roll than you'd find in a CSL. My CSL certainly sounds much louder and more guttaral than that, but then I've got race cats fitted.
Interesting though.
BAZ 999 said:
Hi Dr.D , Zod & Baz 1985,
Many thanks for your advice and info. I've tried to read as much as I can about the CS and CSL. Although I haven't driven either of these yet (which is my next step really), I was unsure how suitable the CSL would be on a daily basis as I would need a few comforts like a CD player and air con. at least. For work, I'm a Senior Fire Officer and have to use my car to go to fires etc. with blue lights and sirens. It sounds good fun and is with the RS focus at the moment, but I was concerned that the CSL was purely a 'track day' car and would be too aggresive with extra hard ride.
The ride isn't bad, in fact it's firm but still compliant. No chance of rattling your fillings or jarring your spine, just heavily damped and controlled.
I really find it hard to advise people on the every day usability of the CSL because mine sits in its own comfy garage being used only on track-days and other social excursions. The only thing that's not very user-friendly is the way it demands you pay attention, not because it's scary but because it's very alert and hyperactive. I've driven mine 700 miles in a day, so it's fine for long journeys too. Also the materials used on it are less sturdy than normal. The front bumper which is more easily cracked than a normal PU bumper, costs £2500 to replace (and isn't easily mended). Then there's all the CF inside which can be scratched if your're not careful and some of the surfaces (such as the seat backs) can also easily be scratched. So it's designed for light-weight and performance rather than standing up to a weekly trip to Homebase. But as long as you understand that, then there's no reason why you cannot enjoy it every day.
So you would need to replace the ECU, buy the Alpha-N controller and the carbon intake itself, plus a few extra bits. To give you an idea about how much extra kit is involved, the carbon intake in the CSL measures just over '1 metre' in length (extending all the way back under the front bulkhead) and used to cost around £3k new, the ECU and Alpha-N controller would probably set you back a few grand as well, so it would not be a cheap conversion to undertake unless you found the parts in a breakers yard.
When the CSL came out people used to say that it was over-priced, but there was good reason for its £18k premium over the M3.
The CS is a lovely car, but it's basically an M3 with the CSL's quicker steering plus the M-track button. It's probably easier to just keep it as it is, or find a nice CSL to start with.
I've had my CSL for the past 6 years (since new) and much prefer to use it as a weekend or special occasion car.
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