Wednesday 25th October 2017

BMW M3 CS spied

Forget about the price for a second - this should be the best turbocharged M3 yet

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While the BMW M4 CS wasn't a spiritual successor to the much admired E46 M3 CS (the Competition Package versions having adopted that position), it did seem to finally realise the potential in the F82 M car. Gone were the occasionally wayward (and sometimes downright terrifying) sensibilities of the standard car, replaced by a sports coupe of great composure, confidence and poise. Just a shame it's £90K really...

Don't expect that price to suddenly drop for this, the new M3 version - though the promise of something that drives as well as the M4 CS in the better proportioned, broader and, let's face it, cooler four-door saloon is a hugely appealing prospect.

Caught lapping at you know where, this M3 CS appears to have carried over all the recognisable tweaks from the M4. See the wheels, most obviously, and then those parts camo'd up: bonnet, front and rear spoilers. If they're made from the same lightweight carbon fibre as the coupe, that ought to knock a few precious kilos from the stock model's kerbweight.

Expect the M3 CS to be mechanically identical to the M4, with a nominal 10hp gain from the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six and a standard DCT gearbox. A Nurburgring lap time in the region of the coupe's 7min 38sec would be good too...

Plenty to be keen on basically, a M3 (hopefully) made brilliant by the same tweaks already applied to the M4. Our sources and the advanced state of the development mule suggest a 2018 launch date - Geneva perhaps - so get pally with your dealer now. And set aside about £85K.

Search BMW M3s for sale on PistonHeads Classifieds

[Photos: SB Medien]

[robm3]

For some reason these new m3/4’s just leave me cold, perhaps because they stuffed the first versions up and charged more for the proper experience.
Ah well, maybe I’m getting old

[robm3]

robm3 said:

For some reason these new m3/4’s just leave me cold, perhaps because they stuffed the first versions up and charged more for the proper experience.
Ah well, maybe I’m getting old

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy BMW engineering, in fact I have a 428i convertible (vert?) as my 'mileage mule' right now, it's done about 30K miles and still tight as drum, great economy, feels planted and lively etc...

It's just these new M3/4's don't grab me like the desire I had to get my first M3 (an E46). I actually think a 330i or 430i makes a more compelling case.

Strangely I'm off to test drive a giulia quadrifoglio (is that a 'foggy' in Brent speak then?) which I find myself more drawn too even though I know it'll let me down in so many ways a BMW product doesn't.