BMW M5 CS SUPER SEDAN DEMANDS YOU PLAY HARDBALL

IT’S A COMMON product strategy in the modern automotive business: when a sporting car gets long in the tooth and the base model is nearing a complete redesign, it’s time to debut the stonking model. In the majority of instances the end result is predictable. Sure, the car’s quicker, perhaps a little louder, visually distinctive, but more often than not, it’s just not that special.

- BRIAN MAKSE

The BMW M5 CS is one of those endof-the-line rigs and it’s the first 5 Series in history to receive the CS designation. From the earliest E28 through to the E60, these M specials were known simply as M5s. Then, with the F10, BMW muddied the waters and offered customers an appealing Competition Package, which increased power and buttoned-down the suspension.

With this latest F90 generation, the sedan started with the regular M5 model followed by the M5 Competition. Both are formidable machines that succeed in living up to the model’s almost four decades of heritage. With the new 5 Series on the horizon, the ultimate M5 arrives right on time and according to BMW, the CS stands for ‘Competition Sport’, which is a natural extension to the nomenclature. The question is, however, whether this M5 is worthy of the CS designation.

Save for minor aesthetic changes, it looks much like the standard M5 to the casual viewer. It uses the same 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 as the Competition, but with some software tweaks. Peak power is up from 460 to 467kW and is produced at 6000rpm. The torque is identical – 750Nm – but the curve’s been subtly massaged to produce maximum torque slightly higher in the rev range, so peak twist is made from 1800 to 5950rpm in CS tune. The V8 is fitted to the car with stiffer engine mounts.