When I first drove the BMW M5 CS, I felt that it was the best driving BMW in ages. I actually thought I was going crazy. Surely it couldn’t be that good, right? As it turns out, it absolute can be… And don’t call me Shirley. C’mon, I had to.
In this new video from Harry’s Garage, host Harry Metcalf drives the BMW M5 CS and questions whether it’s the greatest M5 ever. While that’s likely to cause some debate among BMW enthusiasts, the fact that it’s even in the conversation is impressive.
Cynical BMW enthusiasts that haven’t driven the M5 CS might think it’s just a special edition version of the regular M5, with a few extra horses and some snazzy colors. But that’s not the case. The BMW M5 CS feels entirely different from the standard car and it feels like something genuinely special.
Under the hood is a familiar 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 626 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. According to BMW, it can hit 60 mph in three seconds but we clocked 2.8 seconds in our independent testing. I also clocked a sub-eleven second quarter-mile time. However, its power and straight-line performance are the least interesting parts of the M5 CS by far.
What makes the BMW M5 CS so special is how it drives. Its steering, its suspension tuning, and its balance make it among the most fun BMWs of this century and among the absolute best driving cars the M Division has ever made.
Is it perfect? Of course not. The front seats are rather polarizing; some love ’em (me) and some hate ’em (almost everyone else). The back seats are awesome, as they’re two racing buckets rather than one bench seat, but they do make it less practical. It’s also $40,000 more expensive than the standard M5.
However, despite its few flaws, it’s still a sensational driver’s car and one that can seat four people and be driven daily. Does that make it the best M5 ever? Find out in Harry Metcalf’s new video.