After driving the BMW M2 CS, I’ve been dying to try the upcoming BMW M5 CS. The former is quite possibly the best M car since the E46 M3 and has a beautiful handling balance that completely shames all other current M cars. If BMW can harness some of that M2 CS magic and apply it to the M5, it will have a truly unique and special machine. In this new video from Piston Heads, we get to see if the BMW M5 CS is the car we hope it is.
On paper, it just seems like another special edition marketing ploy. It uses the same engine, just with 627 horsepower, up only ten horses from the M5 Competition. However, dig into it a bit more and you’ll see that the M5 CS means business. A carbon fiber hood and roof reduce weight, it ditches its standard back seat for two racing buckets, it gets the same lightweight carbon fiber front seats as the M3 and M4, lowered, stiffer suspension, better brakes, revised steering, revised rear diff, bespoke suspension tuning, and so much more. The M5 CS is no “M is for Marketing” cash-grab. It’s a comprehensive overhaul of what the M5 can be.
This new video proves that the M Division’s efforts paid off. According PH’s Dan Prosser, the BMW M5 CS is very, very good. In fact, he gave it just about the highest praise he could — it feels more like an M3 than an M5. The fact that the M Division could take a very large, very heavy M5 and make it feel like a much smaller, lighter M3 is extremely impressive. It also just seems like a lot of fun.
We can’t wait to drive the M5 CS and see if it really does have some of that M2 CS magic. If so, it’s going to be one of BMW’s all-time greats.
