Hottest-ever 3-series saloon gets the Club Sport makeover first applied on the two-door M4.
Is this just another variation of the same theme?
Well, kind of. Since the M3 saloon and M4 coupe are basically the same cars – albeit with different amount of doors – the M boys at BMW have decided to extend the latter’s Club Sport treatment to the former. While some colours may be slightly different from the M4 CS, the M3 CS adopts the same racy principle: sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that are road legal, exterior carbonfibre bits and generous use of Alcantara in the cabin.
Is the technical upgrade the same?
Exactly the same. The S55-coded 3.0-litre twin-turbo sixer produces an identical 460hp in the M3 CS, 10hp more than the Competition Package and 29hp more than in the stock model.
The increments in improved performance are also identical. The M3 CS goes from 0-100kph in 3.9sec, 0.1sec and 0.2sec quicker than the Competition Package and the regular dose accordingly.
Should I be enticed by it?
Well, that depends. If you always had a soft stop for fast saloons, then the M3 CS might be it.
But the M3 CS will be rarer than its M4 sibling because BMW has announced a lower production for the four-door: 1,200 units against 3,000, both in limited-run form.
Production of the M3 CS begins in March next year, with orders to be taken in January. Expect it to cost Porsche 911 money, that is, north of 10 million baht if sold in Thailand.
