Faster, lighter and exclusive enough to make you fight for your place on the waiting list – this is what BMW’s CS badge has come to represent and the latest M car to receive such a blessing is the M5.
Although in outright power terms the new M5 CS only gains 7kW over the M5 Competition, with 467kW available at 6000rpm, that’s still enough to make it the most powerful BMW production car of all time. But despite the marginal power gain, and the fact that maximum torque stays the same at 750Nm, the M5 CS is still three tenths of a second faster from 0-100km/h, which it does in three seconds flat, and this is because the CS is a good 70kg lighter than its M5 Competition stablemate.
The bonnet, roof, front splitter, mirror caps, rear spoiler and diffuser are all made from carbon fibre, as are the M Carbon bucket front seats. Back seat passengers also get to enjoy lightweight bucket seats, making this car a four-seater with a twist.
Visually there is much to distinguish the CS from the regular M5, including a Gold Bronze finish for the grille and 20-inch wheels and M5 CS badges on the grille, M gills, boot lid and the illuminated door sills.
Cabin glamour comes in the form of an M Alcantara steering wheel finished in race-derived material, carbon fibre gearshift paddles, seat belts with red and blue contrast stitching and velour M floor mats with unique piping.
But it’s not just faster and more exclusive looking, the M5 CS is also said to be more agile thanks to various chassis refinements and special mixed-size Pirelli P Zero Corsa track tyres. The chassis builds on the M5 Competition’s formula, and boasts M8 shock absorbers as well as a 7mm drop in ride height.
As with the ‘regular’ M5 models, the CS edition’s xDrive all-wheel drive system, which is rear-biased to start with, also offers a 2WD mode for drifting.
When you need to bring things to a stop – or storm around the track without worrying about overheating brakes – you’ll also be glad that BMW fitted M Carbon ceramic brakes as standard. These anchors also help with the weight-saving cause, being a good 23kg lighter than the M Compound brakes fitted to the M5 Competition.
IOL Motoring
