We’re taking a small break from the 2023 IAA Munich and heading some 260 miles away to the Nürburgring to share an action-packed video of the M3 CS’ full lap. The super sedan was one of the four cars tested at the Green Hell back in April, alongside the M2, M4 CSL, and the forthcoming M4 CS. Behind the wheel of all these M vehicles was development engineer Jörg Weidinger.
As a refresher, the G87 set a new record for production cars in the compact class while the M4 CSL improved upon last year’s time to set an official record in the middle class. As for the M4 CS, it was even faster, but we’ll have to wait some more to find out its lap time. Hitting speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph), the M3 CS didn’t disappoint either since it was about 10 seconds faster than the new M2.
It completed the full 20.8-kilometer (12.9-mile) course in 7 minutes and 28.760 seconds while for the 20.6-kilometer (12.8-mile) configuration, the sports sedan needed 7 minutes and 23.975 seconds. However, it wasn’t enough to set a new record among sedans as the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is still the lord of the Ring’ for cars that have four doors.
It’s worth pointing out that the M3 CS is a smidge faster than the M5 CS, although the latter’s hot lap wasn’t organized by BMW. Instead, Sport Auto’s test driver Christian Gebhardt was behind the wheel. It’s likely too late now for the M division to do a proper Nurburgring run with the M5 CS considering the next-generation model will debut in 2024.
The new M5 G90 will put on weight by switching to a plug-in hybrid powertrain, so we’re not so sure it’ll be able to go faster around the ‘Ring than the F90. As for the M3, the G80 is sticking around until mid-2027 or so, meaning BMW still has plenty of time to upgrade it further.
Source: BMW M / YouTube
