Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 1+ year, you know the range-topping version of the G80 generation BMW M3 is no longer the Competition but the CS. Consider it a four-door alternative to the M4 CSL, albeit one with xDrive all-wheel drive, unlike the CSL's RWD setup.
Powering it is still a 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six, yet an upgraded one. The thrust is rated at 479 pound-foot (650 Nm), and it enjoys 543 horsepower (550 ps/405 kW). That's 39 hp (40 ps/29 kW) more than the standard M3 Competition xDrive, and the torque is the same in both cars and in the M4 CSL, for that matter.
The extra oomph and additional work that went into the latest BMW M3 CS have slashed one-tenth of a second from 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) compared to the M3 Competition. The acceleration is a 3.3-second affair, three-tenths quicker than the M4 CSL. The rear-wheel-drive M3 Competition needs 3.8 seconds for the sprint, and the base M3, with its 473 hp (480 ps/353 kW), can do it in 4.1 seconds.
When BMW's M Division unveiled the M3 CS more than a year ago, they said it was capable of lapping the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 15.677 seconds. This applies to the 12.8-mile (20.6 km) long course, whereas the 12.943-mile (20.823 km) configuration was dealt with in 7 minutes and 20.207 seconds. Thus, it was the brand's fastest street-legal machine on the infamous racetrack.
Photo: Screenshot Youtube | SportAuto
But can you really achieve that time in the real world? Sport Auto answered this question by putting Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel of the latest BMW M3 CS and telling him to floor it. The outlet then timed the entire lap and filmed the run from the cockpit, resulting in a very exciting video that just made its way to YouTube. The footage is a little over eight minutes long, yet it includes more than the actual drive, as the track-focused sports sedan was way quicker than that.
Equipped with sticky tires from Michelin, 275/35 and 285/30 at the front and rear, respectively, wrapped around the 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, the BMW M3 CS ran the course in… Actually, let's not spoil the outcome, as the video is certainly worth a watch. And while we won't tell you how quick it was, we will reveal that it came very close to the time posted by BMW's M Division over a year ago.
Before wrapping it up, we will remind you that the M3 CS is available from just under $120,000, excluding destination, which makes it some $43,000 more expensive than the standard M3. The M3 Competition and M3 Competition xDrive start at $80,200 and $84,300, respectively.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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