2025 BMW M4 CS: Competition Sport Returns With 543 HP

BMW freshened up the M4 for 2025, but now we know the updates go beyond just new headlights and a bigger infotainment screen. The automaker is adding a new model to the lineup: the 2025 M4 CS.

Related: 2025 BMW M4: New Tech, More Power, $80,095 Starting Price

Not L

For the 2023 model year, BMW built a limited run of 1,000 M4 CSLs (short for Competition Sport Light) globally. This is not that lightweight rear-drive coupe: The CS (Competition Sport) is a less lightweight, all-wheel-drive coupe. Unlike the CSL, the CS still has a backseat, and its carbon-fiber sport seats aren’t as aggressive (and they are, in fact, heated).

While not as extreme as the CSL, the M4 CS is thoroughly worked over. Its engine makes the same 543 horsepower and 479 pounds-feet of torque as the CSL, up 20 hp over the regular M4 Competition xDrive thanks to higher turbo boost pressure and revised engine management. An eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD are the only drivetrain available on the CS. Stiffer engine mounts help sharpen the car’s responses, and its lightweight exhaust system sports titanium mufflers and active flaps, imbuing the vocals with an added edge in Sport and Sport+ driving modes.

Drift, Drag, Document

BMW’s M Drive Professional software is standard on the M4 CS. The system’s headline features include traction control with 10 settings for steadily decreasing your safety net, as well as M Drift Analyzer and M Lap Timer. The CS also gets unique tuning for its suspension, adaptive dampers and steering, as well as a front strut-tower brace. BMW says the upgrades are good for 0-60 mph in just 3.4 seconds and 0-124 mph in 11.1 seconds. The top speed is electronically governed at 188 mph.

Dressed Up to Slim Down

It’s easier to make a car look lighter than it is to actually make one lighter, and BMW spruces up the 2025 M4 CS with all manner of carbon-fiber exterior bits: the hood, roof, front splitter and air intakes, rear diffuser and spoiler, and mirror housings. The grille and BMW roundels are black with red accents, and the headlights welcome the driver with a yellow glow instead of the usual white, an homage to the M4 GT racecars. The 3D-effect fiber-optic taillights from the CSL are standard here, too, and the CS is available in four colors: Riviera Blue, Frozen Isle of Man Green, Brooklyn Grey and Black Sapphire.

The M4 CS rolls on V-spoke wheels in matte gold or matte black. High-performance tires measuring 275/35ZR19 up front and 385/30ZR20 out back are standard; alternatively, BMW will fit two levels of even higher-performance rubber at no extra cost. The standard M Compound brakes are squeezed by calipers painted the buyer’s choice of red or black, while those who upgrade to the carbon-ceramic brakes get to choose between red and gold pincers.

Inside, the CS is trimmed in black and red Merino leather. As in other 2025 M4s, BMW’s iDrive 8.5 infotainment system is standard, boasting the Curved Display that combines a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 14.9-inch central touchscreen.

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Availability and Pricing

BMW will begin taking orders for the 2025 M4 CS at the end of May. Pricing (including $1,175 destination) starts at $124,675. That’s about $35,000 more expensive than the regular M4 Competition xDrive but $16,000 cheaper than the 2023 CSL.

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