Paradise regained: BMW M4 CS review

Forgive me for starting a test of one car by talking about another, especially when that ‘other’ is you-know-what but there is, I hope, a point to be made here. Although I’ve not really thought about it in such terms before – which is amazing given how many years of my life I’ve expended on the subject – I think one of the reasons the Porsche 911 has been so successful for so long is that it is neither too much, nor too little.

Its compact size (compared to mid-engined supercars) means it’s manageable in a wide range of environments, while there’s enough power, precision and things to think about to make it so much more than a toy. It’s a serious driving machine without the drawbacks of serious driving machines.

When did BMW last produce one of those? Quite recently you might say, for did the company not four years ago produce the M5 CS, and did that not beat every generation of previous M5 when we gathered them together to test? Well yes, but I’d argue that a large and spacious four-door saloon can only excel by the standards of other large and spacious four-door saloons. It’s a fine, superlative even, sporting family car, but not a real sports car.