BMW M4 CSL – Lighter, Faster and Rear Wheel Drive
BMW's CSL model line is the pinnacle of its M range and the latest to wear the iconic badge is the new M4 CSL. It makes more power from its twin-turbo inline-six engine, is almost 40kgs lighter than the M4 Competition and gets a host of other upgrades too.
By Karan Singh
The BMW M4 CSL is the fastest series-production BMW to lap the Nurburgring.
BMW’s CSL line has always given birth to the most hard-edged, no-compromise cars to roll out of M town, and the new M4 CSL is no different. It is even lighter than before, gets more power, and ditches the xDrive system for maximum sideways action.
Under the CFRP hood of the CSL is the familiar 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six engine. Although the power has been bumped to 542bhp – 40bhp more than that of the M4 Competition – the torque output, at 640Nm, has gone down by 10Nm – perhaps to keep the rear wheels in check.
Its performance figures are quite impressive – it takes only 3.7 seconds to do the 0 to 100km/h sprint and 10.7 seconds for the 0 to 200km/h dash. Of course, the M4 CSL should also be handy around corners, thanks to its lowered ride height and a strict carbon fibre diet, which has resulted in a kerb weight of just 1625kgs.
The power is sent solely to the rear wheels via an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission. The wheels are shod with the (very sticky) Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Rs tyres of staggering sizes – 275/35 ZR19 (front) and 285/30 ZR20 (rear).
The use of the M Carbon bucket seats has helped it shave 24kgs over the standard ones, while the removal of the rear bench has shaved another 21kgs. Other lightweight components include the carbon-ceramic brakes, CFRP roof and bonnet, and titanium rear silencer, among others.
All this has allowed the M4 CSL to lap the ’Ring in 7:20.207s. That’s fast. For reference, the equally hardcore but more powerful Jaguar XE SV Project 8 had clocked a lap time of 7:23.164s.
If you want one, well it’s going to cost you quite a bit of money. But even if you were to empty your savings account and manage to arrange (approximately) Rs 2.5 crore, you’d be out of luck. BMW is building only 1,000 examples of the M4 CSL, and by the time you will read this, they would, probably, be all sold out.
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