BMW M3 CS now available as an estate with 542bhp, all-wheel drive and all the carbon fibre
Pray for the owner’s labradors
BMW has revealed what must be one of the final derivatives of the current-generation M3/ M4 family before the legendary nameplates adopt electrification, and it’s a good one: the M3 CS Touring.
BMW M car devotees will know that the CS badge denotes a more-special-than-the-standard Competition model, if not quite as extreme as the CSL, and the CS Touring is no different, adopting the same technical specification as the M3 CS saloon and M4 CS coupé, but adding it to the more practical — and arguably more desirable — Touring estate car body.
More than the sum of its parts
On the face of it, the upgrades are subtle, though as with the other body styles they are likely to be quite effective.
Under the bonnet is a mildly retuned version of BMW M’s trusty twin-turbocharged straight-six engine. In this installation the 3-litre motor runs to a higher turbo boost pressure, helping it churn out up to 542bhp, a 20bhp bump over that of the existing M3 Competition Touring.
There’s also a lighter exhaust system and more rigid engine mounts to give the CS its own personality and the promise of sharper responses.
As with the regular M3 Touring, the CS comes as standard with all-wheel drive, featuring lots of modes for the driver to play with — including a setting that completely disables the stability control and sends all of the engine’s output to the rear wheels, making full use of the electronically controlled rear differential.
Presumably, that’s not the way to replicate the CS’s official 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds, which is 0.1 seconds faster than the Competition car can manage.
It shouldn’t be difficult to achieve that figure given the only gearbox option is an eight-speed auto (again, with plenty of modes of operation, including fully manual), though we suspect the headline performance stats were made possible by using the stickiest tyres available. The CS comes with track tyres as standard, “ultra-track” tyres as an option and plain old “sport” tyres as a no-cost option for those owners who can admit to themselves that they’ll never bring this car to a race circuit.
Track-ready if you are
That would be a shame, as BMW M has had its wicked way with the M3’s underpinnings as well, stiffening up the whole structure while tweaking the adaptive damping, steering and brakes. Buyers can opt to go further in that regard by paying more for carbon-ceramic discs, which are usually distinguished by a gold finish. More gold colouring can be found on the CS’s lightweight alloy wheels — 19in up front, 20in at the back. Or go for black, to be boring.
They’re not the only visual giveaway, as the CS features lots of carbon-fibre goodies inside and out, most obviously in the form of the special bonnet and an ankle-scraping aerodynamic front splitter. The prominent radiator grilles have a red outline, which is a feature carried through to all the car’s CS badging. We suspect most people will be too mesmerised by the yellow LED lights up front to notice all that, though.
Just four paint colours will be available — British Racing Green, Laguna Seca Blue, Frozen Solid White and Black Sapphire metallic.
Not a stripped-out cabin
Despite the references to track use and motorsport, the CS formula is not one that makes its drivers compromise in terms of interior ambience or equipment for ultimate weight reduction. Sure, there’s a minimised centre console between the front seats, and lashings of carbon fibre, but there’s also the full suite of infotainment features on BMW’s usual curved-screen setup and all the electric luxuries expected at this price point.
Aside from all the carbon and the CS badging, there’s a glorious Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel fitted, along with BMW’s “M Carbon” sports seats that manage to look like they mean business and yet have heating and electric adjustment built in.
The rear-seat passengers aren’t quite so well looked after, but the CS Touring retains its practicality in terms of 40:20:40 split-folding back seats and a boot that grows in capacity from 500 litres to a maximum of 1,510 litres with the rear bench fully flat. And the characteristic opening rear window in the rear hatch is also present and correct.
The cost? Well the M3 CS Touring won’t be cheap, of course, retailing at £120,600. The first UK deliveries start in March this year. BMW won’t put a number on availability but has stated that the car will only be in production for a certain period of time, making this a likely future classic.
Related articles
- If you were interested in the new BMW M3 CS Touring, you might also like to read our review of the ‘regular’ BMW M3 Touring
- Have you seen the next-generation BMW M2?
- Any interest in the pure-electric Audi A6 e-tron?
Latest articles
- Kia expands electric range with PV5 vans, EV4 hatch and saloon and hint at small EV2 crossover
- Super-rare BMW M4 CS limited edition pays homage to race ace Valentino Rossi
- 5 of the best seven-seat cars to buy in 2025
- Vauxhall Mokka 2025 review: The compact Mokka SUV hasn’t changed all that much, and we’d still have an Astra
- Spectre Black Badge is most powerful Rolls-Royce yet
- The 7 best compact SUVs and crossovers to buy in 2025
- Young Driver training firm replaces ‘woefully unreliable’ Vauxhalls with Suzuki Swifts
- Subaru Forester 2025 review: Improved, but still hard to recommend
- Polestar 4 second look: The sleek antidote to toxic Tesla
