I have driven a fair few BMWs in my life. Therefore, I, and any other enthusiast worth their salt can tell they are special. Then there’s the M Division which makes them even better. I drove an M340i in India and it was a crazy good car. Now imagine that it isn’t even a full-fledged M car. During the #xBhpPowerTour 2023, I got the pleasure of driving not one but two such cars. I’ll start with the one you see here- the BMW M4 CSL. 

Around a year ago, I was driving the BMW M4 Competition in the same spot, thinking, “What a car… I don’t think it can be topped.” Then, BMW went ahead and did just that with the M4 CSL. CSL stands for Competition Sport Lightweight so you can imagine how BMW managed to better the phenomenal M4 Competition. It is lighter and sportier. As for competition, well, how does 7:18.137 min sound? That’s the lap time that the M4 CSL posted around the Nordschleife. Go figure…

As always, we’ll start with the looks. I have always maintained that I quite like the new M3 and M4s. A lot of people don’t and I’ll leave it at that. But even for many of those people, the new design has grown on them. I like the aggression, the stance, and the sleekness of the new design. The M4 CSL takes things up a notch… or two. The stripes, the canards, the diffuser, and so on; the aim was to make the M4 look even more menacing and with the M4 CSL, BMW achieved that swimmingly. 

One of the more appealing bits is the presence of the sixth element. Carbon fibre has been generously used in the M4 CSL and it not only makes it look better but also saves weight. More on that later. The roof, the seats, and even the boot- carbon fibre. At 1,625 kilos (kerb), it is around 100 kilos less than the M4 Competition. Not only that, it is one of the lightest in its class. Less weight equals more fun. And the M4 CSL is a ton of fun!

Lightweight but not devoid of power and speed; that is how one can describe both the Acer Swift 5 and the BMW M4 CSL.

Then there’s the engine which makes more power than ever. The twin-turbo inline 6 now makes 550 horsepower, all of which is sent to the rear wheels, what a terrifyingly exhilarating prospect… Despite all of this power being sent to the rear wheels only, the M4 CSL can do 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds! That sounds quick and I can assure you that it feels that way. Floor it and despite the track tyres, you’ll find the M4 CSL on the brink of breaking traction. On the brink, mind you. The M4 CSL almost made me miss the xDrive. Almost, mind you! 

All of this fury and intent is evident on the inside as well. The seats are racing bucket seats, the driving position is commanding and there’s practically no sound damping so you can hear everything; from the tyres screeching for traction to the maniacal engine feeding them even more power while burbling like an ancient beast. It is so engaging that if you are not used to it, it can get overwhelming. 

The steering is very responsive. It feeds you all the data you need and responds to every input with enthusiasm. Because of the weight, power and RWD configuration, it feels extremely nimble and agile. With all that and the seating and the dynamics, it feels like a proper race car, a race car that is road-legal… barely. 

Driving on the road to Stelvio Pass is fun but on a weekend, there are tons of moving things around; cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers. The road itself is challenging enough with the hairpin bends and all and with the traffic, even more so. And yet, I found myself having a blast on the serpentine tarmac. 

The reason why I could do that was the braking. With carbon-ceramic brakes, the M4 CSL packs a punch in braking as well. Since this car is so engaging, maybe a manual would have been icing on the cake but I am overestimating myself if I think I could have done better than the 8-SPEED M Steptronic transmission that you get in the M4 CSL. 

So the BMW M4 CSL is a heck of a car and more than that, a driver’s delight. But all of this comes at a price. The M4 CSL is almost double the price of a standard M4. With what I have said so far, it is for good reason too. The bigger blow is that it is a limited edition and only 1,000 units will ever be made. If you are thinking about selling sizable assets, don’t bother, it is sold out. Now you can imagine how special I felt as I threw it in the hairpin bends with a gusto that only an M car can inspire.