'IF YOU DROP BACK, I WILL SLOW DOWN; IF YOU are close, I will speed up,' says Sven Esch, a driving dynamics engineer at BMW M. I doubt he'll have to speed up. I have driven around the Salzburgring once before but it was literally half a lifetime ago and, looking at the circuit map, I'm sure there's at least one new chicane. So I can't see myself pushing him along after one warm-up and a few flying laps in the new M4 CS.
Sven will be leading in an M3 CS, the saloon with the same 542bhp straight-six as the latest M4 coupe. As we exit the pitlane, I find myself wondering why he isn't also in an M4 CS, although that thought recedes at the sight of him weaving to warm up his Michelin Cup 2 Rs. I feel obliged to do the same.
The idea is that we'll be led round at speed so we can learn about the car rather than trying to remember which way the track goes. As warm-up laps go it's pretty hot, but it shows that the track is quite simple, and that the M4 CS is poised and confidence-inspiring. But I have questions. The main one is why aren't we getting the chance to drive the M4 CS on the road? Perhaps it's the potential to find ourselves on the autobahn in a shower on Cup 2 Rs.
BMW has already delivered quite a few of the many permutations available to it with M3 saloon and Touring, M4 coupe and Convertible, plus Competition, CS and CSL specs, and rear-drive and M xDrive four-wheel drive. The M4 CS seemingly brings nothing new to the party but may be the most desirable derivative of all.
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Esta historia es de la edición July 2024 de Evo UK.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
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