Without question, the most exciting new BMW for the North American market is the M4 CSL. In Europe, the M3 Touring likely beats it out in terms of sheer excitement, due to it being the first M3 wagon in history. However, we don’t get the M3 Touring in the ‘States, so our most exciting car is the M4 CSL and it was on display at Legends of the Autobahn, during this year’s Monterey Car Week.
Seeing the BMW M4 CSL in person is always thrilling, as it’s the most extreme track-oriented M car ever made. It’s also the revival of the CSL name. Its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine makes 543 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, which makes it more powerful than any other M3/M4 in history.
The specific BMW M4 CSL at Legends was wearing its exclusive Frozen Brooklyn Grey paint, which is the best color option for it. We’ve seen it in Black Sapphire Metallic as well and it’s just too much; too dark and too aggressive. The matte grey paint contrasts with the red and black accents better.
There are also some very cool details on the M4 CSL that aren’t seen as well in photos. For instance, the strut tower brace looks far better than the standard M4 Competition’s and the yellow headlights make it look more special than your average M car. The back seat, or lack thereof, is cool, too. It features a netting so you can hold your helmet when you’re not at the track and some nice “CSL” badging.
Without driving the BMW M4 CSL, we can’t say for sure that it’s going to be the best driving of all the M3 and M4 models. However, it has the best power-to-weight ratio of all G8X models by far, it has the most track-ready suspension setup of them all, and it has the most extreme aerodynamics. Considering how good the M4 Competition is already, we can only imagine how fun the M4 CSL is going to be. We’ll be testing it soon enough and we’ll be able to find out then. Until now, check these photos from Monterey.
