The 2025 BMW M4 CS is the best M car I’ve ever driven

I admit to being skeptical when BMW offered this 2025 BMW M4 CS to me for a week. We’ve been through every G8X by now, and I doubted this example would be any different. Much like the M4 GTS last week, they’ll take out the comfort, add in the S-P-O-R-T, and ruin the car.

Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. This is BMW’s best car. It’s that good.

The 2025 BMW M4 CS Overview

The feel of a car used to be completely mechanical. If you wanted to go faster, you could change out the suspension, adjust final drive ratios, and add some bore and stroke to an engine. Now, it all comes down to lines of code. Want more boost? R2-D2 will be happy to beep-boop your M car. It’s all done with computers.

That’s certainly easier, but makes it difficult to know what’s actually changed. Did BMW really do anything aside from adding gold wheels and matte paint? Tech doesn’t solve everything either – we still need to change at least some of the parts. Every time BMW has done this, they mess it up. They think it’s about pure speed, but if that were the case, a 911 Turbo would outsell the GT3. You know that’s not how it works – we want the experience.

So for this M4, BMW actually did change some parts, added plenty of carbon fiber, upped the power, slapped on stickier tires, and yea, adjusted some tuning. But instead of just thinking of track times (and believe me, this car will smoke an F-16), BMW actually gave us something special.

Also special? The price of $137,675. Sir, this is a Wendy’s. But let’s not stand in judgement yet, as I did last year. BMW might count dollars, but we can count the ways they’ve added real soul.

Performance Score: 10. Make it so

To give a hint as to just how fast this car is, it laps VIR quicker than an M5 CS. It does the quarter-mile in 10.7 seconds (just 0.2 seconds behind a Corvette Z06), will match a McLaren P1 to sixty, and matches or bests a 992 911 GT3 in almost every speed category.

So maybe BMW is giving us a big discount?

Engine

On paper, this doesn’t look like a big overhaul. It has 20 more horsepower than a regular M4 Competition with xDrive (40 more than an M4 without), for a total of 543. I’ve been in plenty of M5s with more.

BMW didn’t do much – simply upped the boost, but it’s enough when combined with a 70-pound weight reduction and reprogrammed transmission to provide the kind of acceleration usually reserved for catapult launches. M xDrive is standard here, unlike the rear-wheel drive only CSL, so the car always hooks with almost no perceptible delay. Place the car in Sport Plus mode, and the M4 offers the kind of throttle response usually reserved for the most nuanced of feet. Tiny dips are met with a quick rise in revs – it’s like playing a guitar, and so well-done.

There’s a titanium muffler here to replace the stock unit, and it does make the M4 CS louder. So loud in fact, that you might be shocked at how much the car drones in Sport Plus. You’re probably going to mod this anyway, right? I dunno – maybe this is one you leave alone, especially the engine. What a gem.

Transmission

BMW’s ZF eight-speed continues on in the G8X, and as you might guess from a car reviewer that owns said car, it is wonderful.

But BMW’s done a bit more here, with unique tuning (coding) that gives the transmission a snappier feel, and a downright aggressive one when you select its most angry mode. Here perhaps is where you might notice a bigger gap between both the CSL (even more aggressive), and Porsche’s PDK in its higher-end 911s like the GT3 RS. Both of those cars are a karate chop to the neck when you’re flat out.

I don’t think you lose much speed for civility in the CS. It’s much better – just right in Comfort mode for daily life, and ready to pretty much eat anything once you unleash it.

Chassis and Steering

I do not understand why every single M car does not get the steering rack the M4 CS has. It isn’t quite Porsche-level in its feedback, but it’s light years ahead of the base car. There’s heft, directness, and dare I say some semblance of feedback. It’s so good in fact, that I’ve looked into coding the CS’s feel into my own M3. That’s all it is, lines of code.

Turn your attention to the chassis to find more than The Matrix. There’s unique springs, dampers, anti-roll bars. Michelin Pilot Super Sports, and traction control. Combined with the aforementioned weight reduction, the CS has that it factor I just love. BMW M tuned the all-wheel drive system to send more power to the rear wheels in Track Mode, enabling a playfulness to the chassis that belays its speed-focused ride-or-die mission. This is a much less intimidating car to drive than a GT3, but one that still requires some level of work to control, leading to a sense of accomplishment.

When Ultimate Driving isn’t the goal, the CS is pretty much able to handle itself well, but I wouldn’t want to drive one every day. The base model’s stiffest setting is the CS’s softest, and you really notice a difference once you drive them back to back.

Guess what – I don’t care. This is BMW M’s best chassis since the E46.

Brakes

BMW also changed the feel of the braking system, making the pedal a bit firmer and more responsive, and it’s a minor but welcome improvement. The CS you see here is equipped with carbon ceramic brakes, an $8,500 option. It’s easy to spend your money, but at this price point I’d go with it. This M4’s performance warrants the stopping power of Captain America’s shield.

Add it all up, and you have a car that can keep up with things costing twice as much. But it’s the feel of it all on a back-road that I fell in love with. BMW – do this for all your M cars.

Lifestyle Score: 7. Hold me

The M4 GTS has an entire suspension bridge where the back seat was supposed to be – ditto the CSL (minus the GW Bridge). But with this car, BMW realizes that perhaps you might want to carry more than one other person and a thong. The CS doesn’t suffer for it at all – far more rigid than the F82, yet never kills your back.

However, we must make do with standard Carbon Fiber bucket seats. For the first time I don’t mind them. They feel absolutely ridiculous on a grand touring car like an M8, but we need them here to hold us in place. Yes, they remain hard to get into and out of, another reason why I wouldn’t want to drive one every day. But once you’re in, you won’t move.

Elsewhere, the trunk is the same size as the rest of the lineup, so feel free to take this food shopping, bring a spare set of track tires, or even an extra thong or 50.

Fuel Economy: 7. At least the paint is green

It’s rare  for me to worry about fuel. When I need it, I get it. So I had little reservation about igniting the afterburner every chance I got. Red lights, grandma in the left lane, a cloud in the sky – all valid reasons to rip it.

Because of this, I averaged closer to 16 MPG during the CS’s stay, though the car can get as much as 23 MPG on the highway. The transmission isn’t neutered here, looking to save you a penny of fuel. Instead, like a crazed puppy, it’s so happy to kick down a gear whenever you need.

My rear-wheel drive M3 gets about 18, though that’s a larger sample size. There’s really no penalty for more power or grip.

Features and Comfort: 7. Choice is an illusion

The GTS was spartan inside. Uncomfortable even. Porsche’s RS cars are better, but still minimal. However, BMW left just enough in the CS to provide a dose of daily comfort.

Into the blackness

There’s nothing wrong inside the 2025 BMW M4 CS. In fact, it feels rather special. But I can nitpick, so I will.

First, everything in here is hard. There’s no arm rest, the seats are like rocks, and the center tunnel has turned into carbon fiber. Looks great, but tends to creak over bumps.

Then, the color scheme, or lack thereof. You get black extended leather with red stitching as your only choice. BMW makes so many beautiful leather colors, it’s hard to accept black as the only option.

There’s an M steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara, iDrive 8.5 with a full suite of safety systems, wireless phone charging, and power everything, so you’re not really roughing it. I also like the M4’s door handles as oppose to the M3 – offers something to grip, especially for passengers.

Before we head outside…cup holders. There aren’t any. In fact there’s no place at all to hold your drink aside from your hand, and those are gonna be real busy. BMW, I just want some iced coffee from Dunkin’.

Tastefully done

BMW has brought some really tasty touches to the G8X – feels like it was made for the enthusiasts.

In addition to the carbon fiber roof everyone gets, the CS also has a carbon (CS-specific) front lip, hood, rear diffuser, and mirror caps. Try to order that hood for your pathetic base model, and BMW will ask you for $20,000. It’s clear they don’t want you replicating the look.

This being a 2025, the M4 is now in its LCI era, with “snake-eye” headlights that are yellow for this car, along with a CS-specific grille that I loved so much I stole. There’s also new laser taillights that look great, and capping it off are unique bronze wheels that are stunning but even harder to clean than the 825Ms.

The M4 CS has a limited color palette that includes Riviera Blue, Black Sapphire Metallic, Brooklyn Grey Metallic, or this, Frozen Isle of Man Green for $4,500. I’m a blue guy, but the frozen paint adds an additional layer of special on this car, and I’d strongly consider it.

Others sport coupes to consider

• Lexus RC-F Track Edition
• BMW M4 GTS
• Corvette Z06
• Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition
• 911 GT3 RS

They finally got the G8X right with the 2025 BMW M4 CS

I’ve made my case – this is a special car. It’s not perfect, but perfect cars usually aren’t special. Still, we can’t finish this story without talking about price

The sticker on this fully-loaded example is $137,675. That’s a lot for a BMW. That’s a huge amount for a 4 Series. You must pay for this car twice – first when you purchase it, then when you sell it. You need only look to the CSL for an example of a car that won’t hold its value. In five years, this M4 could lose over a third of its original sticker.

And yea, that 4 Series part. Do you think all the Lambo and Ferrari owners are going to let you into all the cool car meets? “It’s an exotic, I swear!”

Despite all that, I think this car is actually a terrific value. It’ll eat most of those exotics like Venom eats bad guys. The speed and feel is two-thirds of a GT3 RS for half the price. No, it’s not naturally aspirated and a manual isn’t an option – stop caring about such things. Perhaps the only car I can think of that might best it is a Corvette Z06 when all things are considered.

But at the end of the day, I’m a BMW enthusiast, and the M4 CS is the car I’d take home. I think it might be the best M car ever made.

All it took was a few lines of code.