2025 BMW M4 CS: intentionally intense and emotional

The BMW M4 CS shows its motorsports roots on the street and on the track

By Bruce Brown Published May 9, 2024

2025 BMW M4 CS driver direct frontal shot driving on single-lane blacktop in a rocky desert setting with mountains in the background. — BMW / BMW

I can imagine BMW M4 engineers sitting around a table, saying, “OK, now let’s give them THIS!” followed by laughter with vicarious diabolical joy, thinking about how much fun drivers will have. BMW intentionally designed the 2025 BMW M4 CS to deliver “a more intense, emotional driving experience.” The strategy to reach that goal was two-fold: less weight and more power.

Recommended Videos

Why the BMW M4 CS matters

BMW / BMW

With BMW’s deep bench of M series cars for enthusiasts, the automaker can focus on the needs and preferences of specific groups of drivers for each model or variant. BMW slots the stunning M4 CS between the M4 Competition Coupe with M xDrive and the track-focused, limited-edition BMW M4 CSL. The M4 CS is lighter, has tighter handling, and produces 20 hp more than the Competition Coupe with M xDrive, but it stops short of the race car harshness of the Nurburgring-record-setting M4 CSL.

2025 BMW M4 CS: the defining features

2025 BMW M4 CS interior shot of front seats, dashboard, and center conole parked in a garage witha corrugated wall. — BMW / BMW

Highlights of the 2025 BMW M4 CS include a 543-hp 3-liter TwinPower Turbo inline six-cylinder engine, chassis tuning to attack hills, curves, and braking areas, plus generous use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts and panels to save weight. BMW says the M4 CS, with intelligent all-wheel drive and 8-speed M Steptronic transmission, can accelerate from 0-to-60 mph in an estimated 3.2 seconds.

BMW is slated to begin production of the 2025 M4 CS in July 2024. Customers can order the car at their dealer beginning at the end of May. The 2025 BMW M4 CS starts at $124,675, including destination and handling fees.

2025 BMW M4 CS direct rear shot parked in a garage witha corrugated wall. — BMW / BMW

Topics

Auto News

A Digital Trends Contributing Editor and Contributor for TheManual.com, Bruce Brown writes e-mobility reviews and covers…

Auto

2025 Chinese Grand Prix: McLaren advances on P1 and P2 win, Ferraris disqualified

Ferrari"s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified after the Grand Prix

The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix winners celebrate on the podium.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris delivered for McLaren in the 2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix. Piastri took P1, and Norris took P2, together scoring 43 Championship points for McLaren. Added to the 8 points that Piastri and Norris earned in the Sprint race, McLaren gained 51 points in the Constructors' Championship standings, a significant lead over the other teams after just two races in the 2025 F1 Grand Prix schedule.

Mercedes driver George Russell finished in P3 for the third spot on the winners' podium. Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen was in p4, and Haas driver Esteban Ocon scored points in P5 after Ferrari"s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified due to FIA F1 technical regulations after the Grand Prix.
Why were Hamilton, Leclerc, and Gasly disqualified?

Auto

F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix preview: Hamilton wins Sprint and Piastri score GP pole

Hamilton wins Sprint and Piastri scores GP pole position in F1 2025 Chinese GP

Starting grid front runners for 2025 F1 Chinese GP are Piastri, Russell, and Norris.

The second race of the 2025 F1 schedule, the 2025 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, is this weekend. The main Grand Prix race on Sunday will start at 3:00 a.m. ET, which is 3:00 p.m. local time in Shanghai.
This is the second race in the 2025 F1 season. It's also one of just six this year that includes a Sprint race. Sprint races are exciting for fans because they offer more racing action and allow drivers and teams to earn extra Championship points. Points are awarded to drivers finishing in the top eight positions of the Sprint race.

The weekend schedule started with a Free Practice session on Friday, followed by Sprint Qualifying later. Saturday featured the Sprint race, where drivers could earn up to eight Championship points. A few hours after the Sprint race, the standard Qualifying event determined the starting positions for the Grand Prix.
F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix: the race track
Shanghai International Circuit Courtesy of F1
The Shanghai International Circuit, built in 2003, hosted its first Grand Prix in 2004. The event was paused due to COVID-19 and only returned last year. The circuit is 3.39 miles long, and the race consists of 56 laps, totaling 185.6 miles. Michael Schumacher set the record for the fastest lap at 1 minute, 32.238 seconds in 2004, which may be broken Sunday.
The racetrack was repaved this year, making it slicker than last year's surface. It is quite different from the Melbourne track in last week's Australian GP. The Shanghai circuit has two DRS zones, two extremely long straightaways, some long sweeping turns, and a notably sharp, needle-like turn. The long straightaways are located between turns 13 and 14 and between turns 16 and 17, making this track especially interesting for racing.
F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint race results

Auto

F1 Australian Grand Prix 2025 results: Norris wins, rookies spin out in the rain

Rookies and pros both had trouble staying on the track

McLaren CEO Zak Brown and F1 driver Lando Norris in front of pit garage after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after winning Constructors' Championship.

If you like drama in racing, the 2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix didn't disappoint. Intermittent rain caused havoc on the track, and six drivers didn't complete the 57 laps, including four of this year's full-season rookies.

McLaren driver Lando Norris, the pre-race favorite, started and finished in first position. However, several other drivers, including new-to-Ferrari driver seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, were in the lead at times during the race.