Which one would you buy: BMW M4 or E46 M3 CSL?

The idea was as simple as it was brilliant. Grab one of the purest M cars BMW ever made, a 2003 M3 CSL, and throw it head to head with its newest descendent, the turbocharged M4.

The task: find out which is best.

On paper, it’s a walkover for the M4. The modern car is safer, more comfortable and light-years ahead for speed thanks to its 317kW/550Nm twin-turbo straight six. But numbers aren’t everything.

The M3 CSL has sweetness, playfulness and predictability the M4 just can’t replicate. And then there’s the noise it makes. The M4 can only dream of such raspy, high-pitched goodness.

So it’s digital v analogue. New v old on the road and the track. Watch the video to see which one wins, and tell us which one you’d prefer.