BMW, the famous carmaker from Bavaria, has a long history of making some awesome sports cars. Every generation of M3 seems to have its own fan club. However, many fans had an initial mixed reaction to the company’s departure from their signature style with the introduction of a much larger "kidney" grille introduced on the newer 4 Series, M3, and M4 models.
Looking at one of the more polarizing new BMWs, YouTuber, TheSketchMonkey, took a look at the 2023 BMW M4 CSL and had a lot to say about the design and driving experience. Read on to hear his thoughts on the Competition Sport Lightweight M4.
Horsepower And Torque Of The 2023 BMW M4 CSL
SketchMonkey starts out by naming some of the raw specifications of the Brooklyn Grey BMW coupe. The CSL package turns up the boost on the 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight six-cylinder in the M4 and produces 543 horsepower and 479 lb-ft. of torque. Even though it’s the "lightweight" model, the car still weighs 3,600 lbs. This is relatively light today but not compared to cars 20 years ago. For instance, the Ford Shelby GT500 is a 4,100-lb car.
The BMW sends its power to the rear wheels through an automatic transmission. With a perfect launch, the M4 CSL will reach 60 MPH in 3.6 seconds and climb to a top speed of 191 MPH.
What BMW Has Done With Its Design
After running down the numbers, it's time to talk about one of the most controversial design elements of the M4, its front end. Sketchmonkey says how the “kidneys” on the M4 CSL seem to work a lot better than on the normal 4 Series. This he says is due to its more industrial race-focused design.
His major issue with the front end is the struts that come right into the sides of the front grille. In Photoshop, he shows how with a slight curve, the struts integrate into the design much better. Later, he also lines up the “shoulder lines” of the M4 CSL to mimic the M3’s look.
He seems to be a bigger fan of the rear of the car pointing out how good it looks good from a three-quarter view and the tasteful, integrated ducktail spoiler. Out on the road, he has some gripes with the interior screen of the car but, says that the car still feels super responsive and provides great road feedback, even with a little traffic.