New BMW M3 CS Touring review: the ultimate estate car

Verdict

Normally we’d think that the idea of a hardcore version of a practical estate car would be a little daft, but the small number of improvements to the CS model not only make it faster and more exciting than the standard M3 Touring, but better to live with every day, too. A more supple ride combined with even more devastating pace on track – plus the bonus of maintaining room for five and a 500-litre boot – means that this is about as close as things get to a car that can do it all.

This is the BMW M3 CS Touring: a car which shows that M division isn’t shy in sparing its more practically minded customers the chance to access the CS experience. 

And if the past CS models are anything to go by, they’re in for a treat. From the previous generations of the M2 and M5, plus the current M3 saloon and M4 coupé, those two letters have come to represent the sweet spot in their respective M car ranges; more performance, more ability, but not really at the expense of comfort. 

Not that the styling would have you believe that – the CS takes an already intimidating looking M3 and turns up the menace to a level that makes Hannibal Lecter look a bit meek. That huge front grille has been opened up further with fewer elements inside, and is bordered with a narrow red pinstripe. The same goes for the intakes either side, which are flanked by an enlarged front splitter, which, like the deeply sculpted bonnet, is made from carbon fibre.

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Staggered alloy wheels (19 inches in diameter at the front, 20 inches at the back) save 1kg per corner over a standard M3’s rims and are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. At the back, the changes are rounded off by a carbon fibre diffuser, CS badging plus a subtle red stripe on the trailing edge of the boot spoiler. 

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Inside, there are more changes to trim weight. The centre console is all new; the carbon fibre unit loses a little storage compared to the standard car’s, while the carbon fibre bucket seats – usually an option on other M3 cars – are standard on the CS. 

Those seats are still something of a bone of contention. They certainly look dramatic, but a hump in the seat base between the thighs can get in the way, especially for those who left-foot brake – something that isn’t beyond the imagination of the driver of a car that, as we’ll soon see, is more than capable of holding its own on a track. Combined with a high dashboard line relative to the seating position, plus an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel that some drivers will find doesn’t quite adjust low enough, and the driving position feeling a little compromised.

The criticisms of the CS pretty much end there, though, because when it comes to the mechanical changes, BMW has judged things brilliantly.

M division hasn’t done anything wild here, but a series of subtle upgrades all start to add up. Those weight-reduction measures, for example, save just 15kg – pretty much impossible to notice in the context of a 1,925kg car – but they’re a step in the right direction nonetheless. 

Likewise, individual chassis upgrades are very subtle. The suspension gains springs that are slightly stiffer than those of the M3 Competition, the dampers are tuned to complement them, while the antiroll bar droplinks are rose jointed. Strut braces help to add just a touch more body rigidity at the front, stiffer engine mounts aim to improve body control, while the software for the braking system has been adjusted. Our test car was equipped with carbon ceramic discs – a hefty £8,800 option.

The M3 has never been short of power, but some minor changes to the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six, including engine management tweaks and a titanium exhaust back box, have liberated an extra 20bhp, taking the total to 542bhp. Torque stands at 650Nm, with drive, much like the Competition, going to all four wheels.

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We had the opportunity to drive the CS on the road and then track, with BMW providing us with a M3 Competition Touring on-road for a back-to-back comparison. While the changes between the two are minor, almost all of the differences swing in favour of the CS. 

Some of those changes are unexpected, too. The first thing you notice is that the standard Competition fidgets a little over low-speed bumps, but this is much more suppressed in the CS. Over larger bumps, there’s a touch less side-to-side movement, too. So while people might not expect to turn to a more hardcore model for more comfort, the CS is slightly more compliant than the standard car.

Appreciating the difference of those extra 20 horses and 15 fewer kilos isn’t something that’ll present itself during on-road driving every day, but the extra grip of the more sticky tyres also weighs in, and the result is a car that delivers staggering point-to-point pace on dry roads. The grip is one thing, but the CS also has the poise, balance and composure to make the most of it. Point it into a corner and it simply sticks. 

Jump on the accelerator pedal, and all 542bhp slingshots you out of the corner and onto the next straight with phenomenal traction. Officially, 0-62mph takes 3.5 seconds, and we don’t have the slightest reason to dispute that. The noise of that titanium exhaust lends the M3 some extra rasp that adds a touch more excitement to an already angry yet tuneful engine note.

This is a car, then, that’s so quick over almost any ground that you’ll need a track to make the most of it. Thruxton, where we drove it, proves to be a huge challenge for any road car; it’s hugely fast, yet there’s hardly a straight bit of tarmac anywhere. This makes braking tricky; getting slowed down for the first complex starts as the car is loaded up in the previous left-hander, requiring a deft feeling on the left pedal – plus body control that isn’t going to cause any nasty surprises. 

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It’s in these situations that you’d never believe that you’re pushing an estate car around so quickly, until you glance over your shoulder and see the spacious cabin behind. While there’s a lot of mass at play, the response from the brakes, allied to a chassis that feels neatly balanced front to rear, means that you can trust the car implicitly. 

That stability enables the brakes to be eased off through the turn – one way of trying to mitigate a touch of understeer that appears as you really lean hard on the front axle. We’d like a little more feedback through the wheel to really feel when that limit is arriving, though. Of course, the other way to deal with overloaded front tyres is to use that huge power to push the car around from the rear. The engine has so much effortless grunt from low down that there’s always power to play with, and the torque arrives so progressively that the throttle can be metered out really precisely.  

Coming from the right of Campbell into the left at Cobb, the direction change is superb, with a pointy front end helping the CS switch like a car that feels much lighter. Emerging onto the faster sections of track, it delivers incredible grip, and while that steering still lacks a little information, it loads up nicely as the speed builds. 

Tackle the staggeringly fast Church corner and the M3’s poise once again comes to the fore, with the speed building towards the final chicane, while the carbon brakes deliver relentless stopping power and show no signs of fade. 

And all of this in an estate car. At £120,600, it may not be cheap, but it would be a very fun way to embarrass some much more exotic machinery at a track day. Above all else, it’s still got a boot large enough to bring a set of spare wheels and tyres for the journey home, too.