From the March/April 2024 issue of Car and Driver.
Lap Time: 2:50.0
Class: LL3 | Base: $128,195 | As-Tested: $132,695
Power and Weight: 543 hp • 3893 lb • 7.2 lb/hp
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4; F: 275/35ZR-19 (100Y) ★, R: 285/30ZR-20 (99Y) ★
It’s no surprise that the BMW M3 CS outpaces the all-wheel-drive M3 Competition, given its 40 extra horsepower, specific chassis tuning, and $29,900-higher price. But the CS’s 3.5-second advantage should’ve been even greater.
The M3 CS is essentially a continuation of the M4 CSL but with two more doors, a back seat, all-wheel drive, and an extra 313 pounds. The CSL’s 2:47.5 dance around the VIR playground makes it the quickest BMW we’ve lapped, which elevated expectations for the M3 CS. But a tire snafu ruined the four-door’s rise to the top.
BMW homologated four tire models for the M3 CS: the high-performance Pirelli P Zero PZ4 and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and the track-focused Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2. When the CS arrived on a set of PZ4s with a backup set of Cup 2s, it wasn’t a big deal—we’d use the former while feeling out the car and the latter for the max-attack lap. But when it came time to mount the Cup 2s, the fronts were the wrong size. After BMW scrambled to overnight a pair, the ones that arrived were Cup 2 Rs, a tire that isn’t available on the CS.
A set of the right Michelins would shorten braking zones, amp up lateral g’s, and increase corner exit speeds. Admittedly, there’s likely a quicker lap on the PZ4s. We drove our fast lap with preservation—respecting the puckering Turn 10 and not abusing the brakes or going all out on the Climbing Esses—because we thought we’d have the right tires for the final push.
Still, the M3 CS’s 2:50.0 lap impresses. BMW’s 543-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six fears no straightaway. At full steam, its 155.0-mph assault on the Front Straight trails the 627-hp M5 CS by just 2.2 mph but finishes the lap 0.3 second ahead. The eight-speed automatic shifts so hard that you’d swear its internals will eventually scatter across the Infield, but its aggression is relentless.
The CS’s steering, though, sends zero feels through its fuzzy wheel. Instead, it’s the fluid in your inner ear, the pressure applied to the rib cage from the carbon-fiber bucket, and the howl of the Pirellis that let you know you’re at the lateral limits. But the steering is responsive and the M3 CS is happy to throw its schnoz into corners.
We hope to have the M3 CS back next year on track tires to post a lap time that represents the supersedan’s true capabilities—and perhaps closer to the top spot in the four-door segment.
David Beard studies and reviews automotive related things and pushes fossil-fuel and electric-powered stuff to their limits. His passion for the Ford Pinto began at his conception, which took place in a Pinto.
Source: www.caranddriver.com