The New BMW M4 CS – A Civilized Beast
The BMW M4 CS is a powerful car. The twin-turbocharged 460bhp straight-six engine pulls strongly, even in higher gears. Taking it for a spin on the North Manama Causeway on a sunny afternoon with surprisingly light traffic was a highly enjoyable experience. The seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic offered lightning-quick gearshifts and the ride was firm but tolerable.
I soon discovered that this car has a huge amount of front-end grip, doesn’t roll in corners, and handles beautifully. And on reaching the slow-moving traffic snarl-up at the traffic lights by Bahrain Financial Harbour, it crawled and blended with the rest of the traffic at low revs like the wolf in sheep’s clothing that it was.
There are all sorts of high tech engineering in the M4 CS such as adaptive dampers, heavily revised aluminum suspension, and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
Inside it’s beautifully equipped with a classy dashboard and seats that are electronically adjustable and provide excellent support. Because the M4 CS is so well equipped as standard it’s not necessary to spend much on optional extras.
BMW’s iDrive infotainment system is one of the best in the market. Its colour screen and rotary dial controller require no fumbling around and prodding a screen on the move, and its menu structure is extremely easy to follow.
There’s plenty of legroom in the rear even for two tall adult passengers. The rear seats fold 60:40.
It has plenty of safety kit, too, and the BMW 3 Series (upon which the 4 Series is based) achieved the maximum five-star rating in crash tests.
