NEW BMW M4 CSL: Worthy of the badge? | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- BMW’s M Division is on a roll. The M2 CS was brilliant, the M5 CS was bewitching, the reviews were effusive. Now, after an absence of almost 20 years, and in honor of M’s 50th birthday, BMW has brought back its most iconic badge of all: CSL. However, at first glance, the new G82 M4 CSL isn’t particularly ‘L,’ which stands for 'lightweight.' At a DIN curb weight of 1625kg or 3583lb, the new M4 is pretty chunky.
However, Catchpole wonders whether we should be so quick to judge? Since the badge doesn’t just represent lightweight, we decided that the new M4 should meet its predecessor; the amazing E46 M3 CSL. From the use of carbon fibre, to the extreme Michelin tyres, to the questionable gearboxes, to the tails of aquatic birds-the more you look at the two, the more there are interesting comparisons.
We hope you enjoy the film - there is some stunning FPV drone footage to feast your eyes on. And even if you’re more of a Porsche person, you will want to watch this video just to see Henry wrestle (fairly unsuccessfully) with a trio of helium balloons on windy Welsh hillside. Idiot.
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#HenryCatchpole #TheDriversSeatWithHenryCatchpole #neverstopdriving
The amount of fun he has in the e46 is a sure sign we are all moving in the wrong direction. Great Work Hagerty.
Thank you, i was going to say that, look at the styling as well.....20 years or so and it still look fantastic, and will continue to do so.
Keep consoling yourself, that E46 is nothing compared to this car, not by any tiny bit, you must own one and trying to feel a bit punch..
@@duffydon1741 Found the person who doesn't understand a thing about older vehicles
@@hussamjamil4980 that single round air inlet, as callback to the original csl always gets me... this thing e46 is just so pretty
I couldn’t agree more. He wasn’t able to break the same smile on M4
The E46 M3 looks like a masterpiece next to it.
Suzy Boyle looks cracking next to it 🙂
It's okay
of course i love e46 more than the new one(it is just incredible) but lets agree that new one is surely not bad. especially when you consider that new ‘’sport cars’’ weigh around 2 tons, a lot of them are hybrid or even electrified, and none of them can make you really smile…
In twenty years you will say the same abt the actual m3/m4 then and the one from right now. People wont appreciate such cars unless they have gotten old
The new M4 CSL isn’t bad per se, it just doesn’t have the design style that’ll make it a classic… the E46 lines (and performance) are timeless…
Yep, another great review - Hagerty + Catchpole doesn’t miss.
That M3 CSL is just beautiful and only gets better with time. I would’ve loved to see the CSL treatment done to the last-gen M2 CS. Would’ve been closer to the true successor, and silver without the stripes would’ve been perfect.
F87 M2 CSL Would’ve been the perfect modern M car
@@TryingtoLookatLife yep, exactly
The BMW M2 CSL actually exists. But in prototype form only.
@@pokest225 ahh - just saw the R&T article on it and actually remember seeing the Top Gear video on it. A limited run as a send-off to the F87 would’ve been perfect, though I don’t love the spoiler design in the prototype.
Henry Catchpole... Glad to 👀 you here mate! Awesome review 💯💯💯💯
Good to see you ib!
I would take E46 CSL over G82 CSL every time. What a great car.
The old one makes the new one look like a bang-for-your-buck style American muscle car..
Even Henry has a genuine smile in the older E46. Will take the older car everytime!
M3 E46 csl and the m4 csl both are great cars
The proper 3.0csl that is coming will be the true successor to those three letters
The e46 generation of the 3 series has always captivated me
I love all of Henry’s video reviews, including this one. But honestly CSL buyers, removing the rear seats and charging an extra £50k is ridiculous. Nobody, but nobody will think you look cool when you drive to Asda in one of these.
The profit margin on this car must be absolutely massive. Who's buying an M3 for six figures? Nuts!
Great review Sir.
That E46 looks sooooo good, then the BMW designers were given some crayons and a ruler and came up with the G82 🙄
The E46 m3 CSL might be the greatest BMW ever
Fun fact : this M4 CSL is heavier than the previous M4 and heavier than the current 3 series *wagon*
Cars just don't need to be fast to be fun. I wish the car industry would stop chasing numbers and deliver drivers cars focused on dynamics and engagement. I'd have that E46 CSL over the new one in a heartbeat... no thinking time required.
Yea the m4 csl newer faster more technology.. but e46 m3 csl is the winner by far.. its on another level
NOT ENOUGH CARDBOARD!!!!!
E46 is a real car. no fake noises
Wish you guy could work with @mkbhd there's a certain excite about driving the car that's missing from his videos...
Came here for The Catchpole...
In my opinion, Mr. Henry tries to psin the weight too much. It is not a way around it - 1625 is heavy as hell... End of story.
Yup. Pretty poor excuses (well others are heavy too so its ok)
It's true that proof is in the pudding--or driving in this case--but the comparison with other cars don't seem fair: with the exception of Turbo S, all of them have engines that boast between 2, 4 and 6 cylinders more than that of M4 CSL. And, according to the official specs, Turbo S is 4 lbs lighter than the CSL, despite having back seats, all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering and of course, space warping acceleration. Most importantly though, none of them tout any light-weighting.
Csl is Bavaria version of Sesto Elemento
Hagerty picking up Catchpole is the best move since picking up Budget Adam Sandler and Hyphen
Budget Adam Sandler 😂 That one will stick 😆
@@madcoyote Best part is that he gave himself that name too
Budget Adam Sandler will start to look real pale next to Catchpole, real quick.
But I guess he’s better suited to US audience.
@@drazenbudis7881 Henry seems pale next to Jason. Henry is still entertaining, but he still feels like a journalist, so it still feels like every other auto journalist. Jason on the other hand feels like a genuine car enthusiast first and a journalist second.
@@whatiwant8898 way too shouty and flashy for my taste
Ya ya ya the E46 CSL was pure magic back then, and still is 💪🏻💪🏻
And it wasn't... it's magic rn, but back then it was a stupid idea that looked great.
@ keeping up with the 911 and 360 surely was magic. And it still is now.
Mmmmm. But the gearbox was rubbish and slow now compared to lots of other new mainstream stuff. Brakes were awful too
that thing is ugly. kinda wished the E46 was never replaced
E36 M3 is definitely the best ever produced M3. The s54 is just something else.. and the cosmetics inside out are timeless. Have to agree I wish E46 just got refined and continued. Instead of them stealing Alfas steam lol
Just seeing his facial expressions while in the E46 csl is enough to tell you how great it is.
The whole time Henry was driving the E46 M3 CSL, I was just smiling like a massive idiot. What an insane and brilliant car!
would love to see a head to head test of g82 CSL vs guila GTAm
1:47 the 550 Marinello isn't called "lightweight", and no one complains about it's handling because it's presumed that it should handle like a luxury-sport car, not a lightweight sports car.
@Ouchwitz Summer Camp LLC so what if it’s a v12 it’s slower than the CSL now
@Ouchwitz Summer Camp LLC if that’s the case then bmw has made the best v12 for mclaren f1
@@kunalmore5212 let's not forget the F1 was ACTUALLY light-weight
@@kunalmore5212 yes, if BMW didn't build the best V12 for Gordon Murray, he would've had someone else do it.
@@kunalmore5212 That's not the point. V12 is heavier. Also 550 is covered in leather. Comparing a "lightweight" sportscar to a luxury GT boat is stupid.
Should have been called the CS and not the CSL, as for your argument about the other cars being heavy, they aren't portrayed as a lightweight car's.....cmon Henry play fair...the CSL is heavy.... 🤦🤦
I enjoyed watching this clip and owning an E46 M3 CSL myself it was very nice to see both old and new being presented. BTW, next year the E46 M3 CSL will turn 20 years old! In the automotive world a big gap technology wise. In my humble opinion that makes the E46 CSL oh so much more special, not to mention the glorious intake sound. Nonetheless BMW M did a great job with it's newer brother.
They did a horrible job. It’s not special enough. It’s heavy and ugly. Also why don’t they honor the Batmobile? Have two version one that’s more Street focused the other track? No I don’t care about the GTS. Why don’t they make a very special bmw?
There’s room for a M2 CSL next year then.
Oh, it IS so much more special, no question about it!
Take good care of it, because we literally will never get a car like that ever again.
I wish you many more years of fun with it, because after all, old BMW´s want to be moved or they´ll start to get cranky. 😉👍
@@Schmitzelhaus Rest assured, it is being well taken care of and gets to breath heavily on yearly occasions.
@@Leos-World That´s what i like to hear!
All the best and have a good one. 😁👌
The funny part about all the comparisons he provided for "heavy cars" is that A. They're all too heavy and B. They're all GT cars with sporting intentions. They, unlike the CSL, are comfort oriented first, speed second. Additionally, I always find these "lightweight" cars have weight pulled out in the wrong places-- They pulled 100kg out, but they could've removed more. Why does a lightweight car have AC, a giant LCD screen system, power seats and an automatic gearbox? All of that could've been removed and then optionally added back in. (Like the power seats I put on the list).
Its a CSL not a GTS
And yet the CSL only came with automatic and no one complains about it.
Aston's F1 Vantage is meant to be a car that can be used as a track car (i.e. compete with a GT3)
@@josephsu95 That's not an excuse. The L part of CSL is "Lightweight". It's not a GT car, it's an enthusiast's M4 for more hardcore drivers.
@@Corvolet5 I do and it's annoying. The e46 had a shitty SMG gearbox and this CSL has a slushbox.
As someone who lives and drives in the UK, the biggets issue with the M4 CSL (and the M4) is not their mass but their width and size. The sort of roads that these days you can actually have fun on are mostly far to narrow and tight for cars of this size and this performance. Whilst the old E46 M3 was never a small machine as judged against its peers of the time, it certainly was just about small enough to offer more fun, more of the time......
20 years ago reviewers castigated the M3 CSL for terrible brakes and a shoddy gearbox. Now they all love it. Definitely looks amazing and the engine is a gem but it's so funny how perceptions get altered over time! Also, these days it's seriously hard to make a 1400kg coupe with safety regulations as they are. Great review, I think the M4 CSL will age well and have a similar following over time because every reviewer driving it seems to be grinning manically. I'd be interested to hear Henry's thoughts on it with Cup 2R tires on a dry track.....
have u seen Clarkson's review of the E46?
@@mistreku yep, and I just rewatched it after you mentioned it. If you gave Clarkson a white car he'd claim it's black.....lol. Yes I know people really liked it but there was a lot of complaining about gearboxes and brakes all the same. Funny to also see the exact same "is it as good as a GT3" conversation at the end, its like 20 year old deja vu.
He even mentioned how the brakes were bad and the gearbox is not good. I agree with contemporary reviews.
That’s because modern cars today are so bad….we have to fall back to better engineering times.
@@Tracertme modern cars have to be built to a different safety standard than cars of yore. Which car would you rather be in when you get in a car crash? People really think engineers can't design cars like those from a few decades ago if the non performance requirements are the same.
That CSL is amazing to look at and to hear, it really one of the best BMW ever made.
The M4 is big, ugly and in the way.
I was owner of e46 CSL and for me sound is way better than M4 CSL. I know it's fast but I think driving M3 CSL is more fun?
Supercharge the m3 and then see where we at
The elephant (and by "elephant," I mean "giant prehistoric beaver") in the room is of course that absolutely ghastly front end. This car has otherwise nice enough lines, but the front is deal-breaking ugly.
And sure, a 550 Maranello is heavier...but a 550 Maranello is also beautiful (and has the correct number of pedals on the floor).
His facial expression in each car is all you need to know from this video
I remember ripping the E46 M3 CSL around the Hockenheimring with my dad. What a great memory and what a car. To me one of the most special BMWs ever built. Can’t compare the new G82 to it.
Nothing beats an e46 M3 CSL for looks, it still has to be one of the best proportioned cars ever made.
There’s been so much video shot and words written about this car, and I’m sure they’re all right, it’s a great car. But there is no way in this or any other life I’d spend that amount of money on an M4 over an M5CS, or a Porsche GTS for that matter. BMW marketing and accounting have lost their minds!
They’re all sold, globally, and currently going for £100k over list. I think BMW know their market, plus it’s a car you own “as well as” not “instead of”.
@@MOTOMAD555 Limited edition cars will sell out regardless. I don't think that is a fair indication of how BMW know their market. And like you said, because it is a car you own "as well as", most owners, maybe even including yourself, treat that car as much a collectible as a fun car, maybe even more of a collectible than a fun car.
Nah they know what they’re doing lol
Very interesting, having owned a M3 CSL and now owning the M4 CSL. I sold the M3 CSL after a while as the SMG gearbox was so frustrating and the seats were terrible (Uncomfortable). I bought another E46 M3 manual and copied all the good CSL bits with the addition of brakes that worked, it was a great car. The M4 CSL is a weapon, mines on CUP 2 R's and has the fixed back bucket seats (Even better than the 918 Buckets in my GT3). In the dry it's sensational. The wet is hilarious with so little traction, I've never had as much fun driving well under the speed limit!
Congratulations!
Why are you on youtube ?
How did you source the CSL parts?
@@Eren-da-Jaeger everyone likes watching a video or two
@@CarCrazy24 with lots of money
These videos are like a masterclass in car review videos. Amazing work. 👏
I know BMW are very proud of the fact they used frickin lasers in the rear lights of the M4, but did they actually have to write 'BMW Laser' on it? My god how tacky and pretentious. The contrast between the old and new shows just how shouty they've become as a brand. What happened to understated German styling backed up by unexpectedly superb performance? They whole point of buying an M car used to be that most normal folk can't tell the difference. It was a factory-built sleeper, perfect for the motorist who enjoyed actually driving the car vs showing it off.
Very accurate
The sound that the E46 makes is unlike anything else on the road.
Reminds me of the Mclaren F1, which is about the best thing to sound like.
One of the most beautiful sounds of all time. That and an Integra Type R. RIP fun motoring for the masses.
Sounds like a fart can honda from the back. Truly horrible. That induction though...incredible.
With the current C63 going 4 popper I’m lovin that BMW stuck to straight 6
It's a matter of time BMW do the same
Yep, another great review - Hagerty + Catchpole doesn’t miss.
Henry you’re review of the new CSL is not blinded by the overall weight, which seems to dominate everyone elses opinion. But the M3 CSL is still the one I’d have sans automated gearbox as you eluded too.
BMW ///M Fanboy here. I like the previous generations better even though this is much faster.
To each their own.
I hope everyone is having a great day. Happiness and Wealth to you all.
They should of made the M2 csl instead. It's much closer in dynamics then the M4
Should HAVE.....
This is a good reviewer, but am I the only one disappointed that Jason C. Wasn’t in it?
Totally agree was hoping for Jason
Yes, except for Ray.
@@_Chev_Chelios meh. Doubtful
I hate that hagerty is funneling people onto their channel using top car reviewers
In terms of design its like comparing Mona Lisa to McDonalds menu. E46 is just timeless piece of art that the new car simply cannot ever hope to match.
This is the problem with the g82 CSL...its 140k...for that price you're in a whole new bracket of cars its gonna compete with. I don't think id be wrong saying most of the owners of the CSL wouldn't even be taking it on track.
But personally M has lost it for me, the weight, the size of these new cars just isn't something that works for me. M kinda lost it after the e9x generation, NA and linear power delivery is something that not many can appreciate. The spikey torque and messy electric steering in the f8x and newer gens just don't feel right IMO. (not that Electic power steering can't be good, ex Porsche)
From what I understand, Most of the weight savings are from lighter wheels, and suspension and some creature comforts in the car. Those are hellishly easy to make up in a standard G82, even if its doesn't have the "CSL" badge. Besides the point, it is a "cool car" just very strayed off...and stupidly expensive. from what I see an M car as.
Fantastic Video By Hagerty per usual
Beautiful cinematography, Mr Catchpole in fine form, brutal machine that is catastrophically ugly. And not just better as a manual but lighter too. Why shave 400g out of the lights and leave 20kg in the gearbox?
Henry is just the best on the internets now. Fabulous video
Great video and stunning cinematography as usual. You never know, but I think it's a safe bet that the E46 will forever be the most desirable CSL and possibly BMW there ever will be.
The M2CS is the best modern M car for me
Brillant video Mr. Catchpole. It is a shame that we won't be getting hybrids with an NA engine. Cruise silently around the city, and have fun in the country. I don't need 600 or more hp from turbo hybrids, I just want more emotion without the guilt.
It's very interesting reading through all the comments.......Catchpole seems to have found every M3 CSL lover/owner on the planet with this video. Perhaps a little confirmation bias here? lol. You get the same in the Car magazine review of the M4 CSL against a GT3......all the GT3 lovers come out the woodwork. With standalone (no comparison) reviews the negative ones get negative comments, but if you just read the comments on the positive M4 CSL reviews (e.g. Joe Achilles), guess what, everyone loves it!
What does this tell us? Absolutely nothing interesting.
Further proof of how far BMW has fallen off it’s own game. The magic of M USED TO BE in their unique and bespoke engines. Engines that were a showcase for the brand’s ability to create mechanical masterpieces. Now it’s all just software and styling. Styling that, by the way, will never age as gracefully as the previous generations. I miss my E46 M3. Sadly it committed suicide. Like so many M cars do. My E92 manual seems determined to do the same. I’m fighting to keep it wheels down. However, once it’s transitioned my time as a BMW driver will be no more. The current heap of garbage simply serves as little more than an insult to their customers.
There is no BMW M3/M4 CSL better than BMW M3 e46 CSL!Design/ lightweyght/ the look of the car ! The BMW M3 e46 CSL is the ultimate legandary machine for the road !The ultimate BMW to drive on road!
Great review but it’s so ugly. No thanks.
He was all smiles in the E46 CSL but not so in the new CSL.
We have gone backwards , BMW should not of called this car CSL at all. M2 would have been better.
50 grand more over the M4 model is a joke. You can buy an M4 and remove the weight.
BMW can do this as the drug dealers and posers will buy it.
Nope. I’m all for progress and moving forward but BMW needs to dig deeper and loose the bastard M4 moniker and bring the glory back to an M3. The red accents, hood stripes and overall looks are an embarrassment. I’ll keep my E92 and E36 M3’s…. oh the glory days.
E46 is so good looking. Me thinks that the M in M division has long since shifted from Motorsports to Marketing. Where as they used to be Engineer driven side projects, now M cars are just there to keep up the image that BMWs are Ultimate Driving Machines. They exist to get RUclips views so that people go into the dealership and buy that diesel X1. I'm not saying this is bad, it's a fair trade, but I wish they could find a way to put the heart back in as well as all the clinical marketing horsepowers.
I was thinking, wow this M4 CSL is good despite that nose. AND then you brought in M3 CSL and I said, that is even a better car despite 20 years old and had a tear in my eye.
Draw your tearz
The M4 CSL would have been fine, if for two things; drop the ridiculous Halford stripes, and pick any other letter to follow CS than L.
I would take an E46 csl all day over that. Who cares about the times, the power, the price tag. All I care about is that sound and old school BMW bodylines that haven't been matched since
Nope, M4 CSL is not worthy of the badge. Heavy, forgettable and inconsequential.
What a stupid argument, other heavy cars drive well, this heavy car drives well, therefore calling it lightweight is OK...
Yeah no.
Adding a slushbox to a BMW ///M car and calling it a CSL is just plain BLASPHEMY!
No amount of letters would make a turd appealing. I'm sorry, this is fraud on BMW's behalf.
A (3,583 LBS) vehicle is not a lightweight example by no means, SMDH. I guess my 2002 Slick Top E46 M3 with CSL intake and Super Sprint exhaust with the back seats removed/carbon boot/LTW glass back three windows, I could place a CSL badge on it and say I have a CSL 😞. Nope, I'm sure the M4 CSL is a great vehicle to drive and lets just label it want it actually is a 2023 M4.
Let’s not make excuses for heavy cars… the “L” shouldn’t be on this car but hell, bmw lost its way years ago 😖
Damn that new bmw front fascia is ugly as hell. To think that someone presented that and management said: "yes that looks good"...
Nothing will beat the E46 M3 CSL period. Look at him smiling...
I wish I would have kept my e46 m3! Sold it 12 years ago and regretted it ever sense! 😩
The brake critique is really kind of silly. I’m no mechanic but swapping the pads for track pads solves ALL of the braking concerns on the track and can be done very easily.
That E46 shape has just aged fantastically
Please do not compare the esthetics of these two cars. E46 is a design masterpiece, and a new one is just ugly fast food
Dear BMW M Division, settle down with the massive grills 🙏
“the greater weight of expectations” brilliantly clever! Thank hank you for that Henry, I’m a fan going back to print evo.
E46 show's how BMW Utterly Lost the Plot going forward.
BMW should really stop using the beaver grill🤦♂️
we all can see that he cannot hide his big smile while he is driving e46 csl.
E46 CSL one of the best looking cars ever made
I'm never getting used to Catchpole on Hagerty 😕
Sometimes a car is just too ugly to be considered an option. Seeing the new, bloated chipmunk-faced heavyweight next to the perfect proportions of the E46 means I just can't appreciate the new car.
Well said and agree 100%
Fantastic video as always. Does anyone know where this was filmed? (The road shots I mean not the track) it looks stunning.
Well done, Henry! The E46 is stunning in every way.
I did watch this for the e46, more than the M4. Yet again, an amazing film. This crew do it the best. Thanks
Undoubtedly a brilliant car but it’s just too big & heavy to be nimble. Surely the M2 would be a better candidate for CSLing??
So, it's pretty ugly, way too expensive, and not nearly as exciting as an E46. BMW is going in the wrong direction.
Excellent video as always!!
Watching Henry unable to wipe that smile and giggle off his face driving the E46 and then in comparison watching him drive the G82 pretty much tells me the E46 was and still is the better car
As an E46 M3 owner coming on 8 years now with the carbon aribox, the sound of that induction is what makes it all worthwhile and it only gets more dramatic as the revs climb to 8300rpm.
Henry mentions that the E46 CSL has a thinner exhaust too, to clarify for accuracy, the CSL has a thinner exhaust manifold, but the rest of the exhaust is the same as a normal E46 M3. The backbox for example remains the same 25KG stainless steel part. 2005 and 2006 model E46 M3s had the CSL manifold as well, which is why they sound a bit more meaty from the factory.
If only the S54 sounded better