Article Summary
- The limited-run M3 CS is exclusive to North America and costs $108,450 before options.
- It’s offered strictly with rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission.
- The M3 CS is almost 75 pounds lighter than the base M3, provided you get the optional carbon-ceramic brakes.
It’s been a little over three years since the M3 received the Competition Sport badge for a hardcore special edition. You’ll be surprised to hear the CS is back for 2027, but it’s not the car you remember. It eschews xDrive and the automatic transmission in favor of a pure rear-wheel-drive setup and a manual gearbox. Predictably, it becomes the lightest version of the “G80” money can buy. While its predecessor was a global model, the new model is reserved for North America.
The last hurrah of the sixth-generation M3 fills a gap by giving purists what they have wanted for so long. Rewind to 2018, and even the old F80-generation M3 CS was strictly an automatic affair, as BMW only sold the car with a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box. With three pedals, rear-wheel drive, and a strict diet, the final G80 is the closest thing to a CSL.
The newcomer sheds nearly 75 pounds compared to the base M3 it’s based on, but with a caveat. The full weight loss is achieved only if the car is equipped with carbon-ceramic brakes, which aren’t standard equipment. The upgraded brakes alone account for 31.5 pounds of the reduction, with a further 42 pounds shaved through other measures.
The 2027 BMW M3 CS Has All The Competition Sport Upgrades
The return of the M3 CS brings the usual Competition Sport ingredients, combining carbon fiber–reinforced plastic for many exterior elements with forged wheels, a titanium rear silencer, and bucket seats. Inside, the center console and interior trim also make use of CFRP. Since it’s not a CSL, it remains a practical sedan with rear doors and rear seats intact. Beyond the weight loss, there are other changes compared to the standard six-speed M3. BMW has lowered the ride height by 6 mm with different springs and a revised rear axle link. M engineers also carried over the M4 CSL’s shock absorbers and developed new auxiliary springs.
The twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six continues to produce 473 hp and 406 lb-ft, launching the sports sedan to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. With the M Driver’s Package included from the outset, the M3 CS Handschalter reaches a top speed of 180 mph. But this isn’t about headline numbers; it’s about rowing gears in the lightest new M sedan money can buy in 2026. Like the Z4 M40i Handschalter, the CS uses the same German suffix, which means “hand shift.”
Price: $108,450 Before Options
Hardly a surprise, but the M3 G80’s swan song doesn’t come cheap. Pricing starts at $108,450 (destination and handling included), provided you stick with Black Sapphire or Isle of Man Green. Spending an extra $4,500 unlocks two Individual colors: Techno Violet and Imola Red. The options list also includes an M Front Strut Brace for $1,100, ultra-track tires for $600, and those carbon-ceramic brakes mentioned earlier.
Predictably, the Handschalter is the most expensive M3 available for 2027, the car’s final model year. However, it still undercuts the M3 Competition xDrive-based CS by a little over $11,000.
As with other recent CS models, BMW doesn’t say how many cars it plans to build, only that it will be “built in very limited numbers.” The Handschalter will be available to order in July, with deliveries starting in the fall.
End Of An Era?
With reports suggesting the M3 G84 arriving in 2028 exclusively with xDrive and an automatic transmission, we may be witnessing history here. As one era is ending, another is about to begin. Coming in 2027, the M3 (ZA0) will be the first electric BMW M model.