What's the news?
BMW has added 10hp to the engine of the BMW M3 and dropped its kerb weight to create the sharpest four-door M-Sport hot rod yet - the M3 CS.
With power now up to 460hp, and torque rising to 600Nm, the CS can sprint from standstill to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, and has had the normal speed limiter removed, allowing it to hit 280km/h if you have a handy Autobahn about your person.
The 3.0-litre straight-six engine is basically unchanged, keeping its twin-turbos, and Valvetronic variable valve timing system. BMW claims it'll manage 8.3 litres/100km (34mpg) on average, in spite of the power boost, and has emissions of 194g/km.
The CS does get a motorsport-inspired sports exhaust system, which has switchable modes, and which exits through a new carbon-fibre rear diffuser.
As per the standard M3, the CS gets the Adaptive-M suspension system, which switches between Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes. There's also the Active M Differential, which can either help you put down the car's power on slippery surfaces, or which can help you be a sideways hero when on track. BMW says that the CS' chassis settings are very similar to those of the previous Competition Package M3 model.
The CS does get unique forged alloy wheels, which are 20-inch rims at the back, and 19-inch at the front. They're exceptionally light, apparently. Those are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. If you fancy, though, you can have more road-biased Pilot Super Sport tyres. Composite brake discs are standard too, and you can have carbon-ceramic discs as an option.
Meanwhile, BMW has had a good do at getting the M3 CS' weight down thanks to liberal use of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). As well as the roof, the bonnet is now made of this strong, light material (it's around 25 per cent lighter than a normal M3 bonnet), and other items (rear spoiler for example) in CFRP have helped to bring the kerb weight down to 1,560kg.
On the styling front, there's a big three-part fonrt air intake and splitter (CFRP again) and the bonnet gets a DTM-style airscoop.
Inside, you get sliver-and-black leather and Alcantara trim, and M3 Competition Package seats, which BMW claim offer good support on a race track, but proper on-road comfort too. There's Alcantara on the steering wheel, and the gear-shift surround, and M-Sport stitching on the seatbelts.
If you fancy one in Ireland, it'll be available to order from January, with deliveries in March. Don't expect change from €160,000.