Ferrari 296 vs BMW M4

What's the difference?

Anyone who says electrification somehow muddies the Ferrari formula is wrong. This plug-in Prancing Horse is among the most potent and direct vehicles I’ve ever driven, and the electric motor only adds to the experience.

Brutal, bruising and utterly brilliant, the M4 CS will be an acquired taste due to its no-compromise approach, but those willing to take the leap will find a performance car like few others at their disposal.

It is hard not to swoon when you gaze upon the 296 GTS, and I say that with no bias - I don’t think all Ferraris have looked this good.

But this is Ferrari at its dreamy, sweeping best, from the tarmac-kissing front — which generates so much downforce and cooling it negates the need for active aero — to its swollen haunches and the glass-topped engine window.

So what’s the difference between this and the GTB? Largely it is the ability to drop the folding roof, meaning you can feel the wind in your hair and that exhaust in your soul. To be honest, though, I reckon it looks better top up...

It’s a cockpit-style driver’s set-up inside, and there’s lots I love and some things I don’t. But let’s start with the steering wheel, which might be one of the best in existence.

It feels magic under the touch, as do the giant flappy paddles which remain fixed in place as you turn the wheel.

It’s also surprisingly comfortable in the figure-hugging sports seats, though climbing in and out of them is not necessarily something you want to do in front of a crowd.

Downsides? There is plenty of tech in the 296 cabin, but it’s all controlled from the steering wheel, making it fiddly and annoying to use.

Also, there are F1-levels of complexity on the control-everything steering wheel, and if I’m being honest, there are some buttons or switches, the function of which I still don’t fully understand.

The M4 CS is familiar in all the right ways, but definitely looks significantly jacked up compared to its lesser siblings.

Part of that is the extensive use of carbon everywhere, from its bonnet panels to its roof, front lip, side skirting and boot spoiler. But also because of its super-muscular angles and creases, including the huge dome in its bonnet.

Also exclusive to this M4 CS is the light treatment, with the front LEDs lighting up with yellow highlights the brand says are supposed to be reminiscent of GT racing cars.

At the back, the rear lights are flush with fibre optic lighting, lending a flowing and unique light signature that looks epic at night.

Inside, it's a sea of carbon, with the lightweight racing seats, the dash inserts and the centre console all lined in it. It is a perfectly finished space, though, and one that's also flecked with red, including a 12 o'clock band on the thick-rimmed steering wheel, the seat backs, the contrast stitching and the paddle shifts.

Be warned, though, it takes some acrobatics to climb into or out of the CS. The seat bottoms have these super high edges that double as grab handles, but require some awkward contortions to navigate.

In short, it looks angry, this M4 CS, inside and out.

What do you want to know around practicality? We’re talking two seats, about 200 litres of cargo space total and a couple of smallish storage spaces in the cabin. And… that’s about it.

Next question, please.

It all boils down to how you classify practicality in a car like this. I mean, the basic stuff is all there – it's got two doors, four seats and a boot capacity of 440 litres.

It measures 4801mm in length, 1918mm in width and 1399mm in height, and room for front seat riders is good, but less so for anyone you squeeze into the back. There are even ISOFIX points for a child seat.

But if you consider practicality the practical pursuit of performance, then the M4 CS has plenty of perks.

We're talking a $254,900 entry price for the M4 CS, which – despite my attempts at justification – is a lot. Remember, the regular M4 is $168,700, and the M4 Competition is $186,500, so we're talking a sizeable premium here.

BMW justifies that price increase in two ways. The first is scarcity, with the M4 CS limited to just 50 examples in Australia. And the second is by dialling up every aspect of the M4's performance to terrifying levels.

The engine outputs are up, the weight is 20kg down, there are better brakes, better seats, a louder exhaust, a stiffer chassis – it goes on and on.

We'll get to some of the performance stuff in a moment, but here's what else your money buys you with the M4 CS.

It starts outside with staggered alloys, 19-inch up front and 20-inch at the rear, wrapped in track-ready rubber. There's also hi-po 'M Compound' brakes with red calipers, lightweight carbon racing seats that are heated up front, an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, the 'M Carbon' exterior package with carbon bonnet and roof, adaptive 'M Suspension' and a titanium exhaust that howls like the winds of hell.

The less performance-focused stuff is similar enough to the other M4 models including a 12.3-inch centre screen with digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a second 14.9-inch screen that handles your driving data and a head-up display. There's also twin-zone climate control, Merino leather upholstery and ambient interior lighting.

But all of that is secondary, really. This is about performance, specifically of the brutal kind.

Now we're talking. The powertrain here is both tremendous and terrifying, pairing a 3.0-litre twin-turbo-petrol V6 with a rear mounted electric motor, and a 7.5kWh battery, to deliver a total 610kW and 740Nm. That power is fed through an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.

Those are, frankly, scary numbers, and enough, Ferrari says, to dispatch 100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and to push on to a top speed of 330km/h.

BMW has found yet more grunt lurking in its trusty 3.0-litre 'M TwinPower' six-cylinder petrol engine, with the M4 CS now pumping out 405kW and 650Nm.

That's a decent jump from the 390kW and 620Nm served up by the M4 Competition, and a giant leap from the outputs of the 'base' M4 – 353kW and 550Nm.

Predictably, then, the CS is the fastest of the lot, knocking off the run from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds, compared to 3.5 and 4.2 in the Competition and M4, respectively. The top speed is also dialled up to 302km/h.

All that power is channeled through an eight-speed automatic and sent to all four wheels on demand, with the help of an 'Active M Differential'.

As well as the ability to start up and slink away silently, the Ferrari 296 GTS’s little battery will deliver a 25km EV-only driving range, and contribute to the overall claimed fuel use of just 6.5L/100km.

Charging is AC only, and the the brand reckons it takes around 90mins to top up using an 11kW charger. The self-charging is on-point, though, with the Ferrari able to quickly recoup energy from braking and the like to top up the battery without needing to plug in.

The M4 CS is fitted with a 59-litre fuel tank, which – given the BMW's official fuel claim of 10.2 litres per hundred kilometres – should deliver a driving range on a full tank of 541 kilometres.

But... BMW also says the regular M4 – you know, the one that makes 52 fewer kilowatts and 55Nm less torque – uses 10.1L/100km, so do with that information what you will.

The engine is undoubtedly a highlight, and we’ll get to that in a moment, but I first want to talk about the steering in this car.

It might sound like a weird point to get hung up on, but it is sensational, and maybe the best I’ve ever experienced. Generally speaking, super-responsive steering can risk feeling overly sharp and uncomfortable when cruising, but somehow the 296 manages to feel super natural, super responsive, and super engaging, without every feeling sharp or darty. It’s just predictable, responsive, and spectacular. 

Honestly, it is a highlight of a drive experience filled with highlights, with another being the dual-nature of this drop-top supercar. Long before I got anywhere near a twisting road I needed to navigate the usual nightmare that is Sydney, tackling traffic, suburbia, freeways, tunnels and expansion joints galore, and the 296 never felt uncomfortable.

Instead, the 296 slipped into a comfortable kind of lope, never jarring or rough, and eminently easy to get along with. And yet, when you arrive on the right road that veil of sensibility drops, and the Ferrari quickly reminds you of its potential.

For a start, the acceleration is properly, startlingly aggressive. Engage the 'Qualification' drive mode (which unlocks the full might of the Ferrari's electrified powertrain) and flatten your right foot, and you'll find the world suddenly hurtling past your windows, and your knuckles will no doubt whiten as you feel the rear tyres fighting for traction against the onslaught should you try it on anything but the straightest of roads. 

It's addictive, but it's just one element of a near-perfect combination on offer here, with the 296 GTS the stiffest Ferrari drop-top to date, which becomes immediately clear as you start to attack corners with ever-growing confidence.

Grip, stability and stiffness in spades, the GTS delivers. And all accompanied by an exhaust howl so angry and evil it’s hard to believe it’s being generated by a V6.

It’s a thing of very near perfection.

The hardest and angriest M4 of all time is, perhaps unsurprisingly, hard and angry. This is a race track specialist, but because I don't happen to own one of those, my first experience with the barking (and barking mad) M4 CS was navigating my way back from BMW's inner-city dealership.

Like it or lump it, you're going to read some Porsche comparisons here, because you're talking not too far off base 911 Carrera money, and suddenly I find the two Germans doing battle for a spot in my dream garage.

First things first, the BMW won't be much chop for daily driving for most people. Happily, I have a sickness for uncomfortable sports cars. It tells me that no compromises have been made in the pursuit of punishing performance.

A good thing, too, because the BMW, at city speeds, can be punishing. Everything feels heavy, the seats aren't overly comfortable – especially the hard bits that tend to dig in when cornering – and it stiff-arms its way over road imperfections, that exhaust booming and barking as it does.

Again, I loved it, and you probably will, too. But it's still not the kind of car I'd relish sitting in the morning peak hour rush in.

But escape the confines of the city and the BMW M4 CS suddenly makes a whole heap of sense. The acceleration is genuinely brutal, and wonderfully theatrical, with that quad-tipped titanium exhaust barking and snarling as you rocket towards 100km/h.

The steering is brilliant, with feedback fed to your wrists via that thick-rimmed wheel, and the entire experience feels sharp, super engaging and edgy.

You can push the M4 hard and fast, and I'm certain my limited talents would run out far before the BMW's would, but there's this thrilling sense of peril sparked by the aggression of the experience, that I love.

It's like the magic of a roller-coaster, I guess. Even if you know nothing is going to happen, you never really know, right? And in that lies the magic.

But back to original question, this or a Porsche 911? There's no doubt a Carrera is a better all-rounder, in terms of comfy commuting and race track fun, but this angry M4 is all shouty theatrics, all of the time.

I bloody love it.

Expect no ANCAP rating here, I'm afraid. But the BMW 4 Series does wear a five-star rating from 2019.

The M4 CS gets six airbags (driver and passenger, side airbags, head airbags), along with what BMW calls its 'Driving Assistant Professional', which bundles active cruise control (with stop and go function), front and rear cross-traffic warning, 'Steering & Lane Control' and 'Lane Keeping with Side Collision Warning'.

Standard is a three year warranty, but you can extend that for up to five years. Then, if your car has less than 90,000km on the clock, you can opt into the 'New Power15', which gives you up to 15 years total warranty coverage and is fully transferable.

The first seven years scheduled maintenance is free-of-charge.

The M4 CS is covered by BMW's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with condition-based servicing available in packs, which will cost you $3530 over five years/80,000km, or $2900 over four years/60,000km.