When I first drove the BMW M5 CS, I thought it was the best BMW driving of the era. I actually thought I was going crazy. Surely it can’t be that good, can it? As it turns out, it can be absolute … and don’t call me Shirley. Come on, I was.
In this new video from Harry’s Garage, host Harry Metcalfe drives a BMW M5 CS and asks if it’s the greatest M5 of all time. While this may cause some controversy among BMW enthusiasts, it is also impressive in conversations.
Innocent BMW enthusiasts who haven’t driven the M5 CS may think it’s a special version of the regular M5, with a few extra horseshoes and some flashy colors. But that is not the case. The BMW M5 CS looks completely different from the standard car and it feels like something really special.
Below the hood is a familiar 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 626 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. According to BMW, it can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in three seconds but we clocked 2.8 seconds in our independent test. I also clocked a sub-eleven second quarter-mile time. However, its strength and straight-line performance are the least striking part of the M5 CS.
What makes the BMW M5 CS so special is how it runs. Its steering, its suspension tuning and its balance make it one of the best driving cars ever made in the funniest BMW and M divisions of this century.
Is it perfect? Of course not. The front seats are rather polarized; Some love them (me) and some hate them (almost everyone). The rear seats are great, as they have two racing buckets instead of a bench seat, but they make it less practical. It costs $ 40,000 more than the standard M5.
However, despite its few flaws, it is still an exciting driver’s car and one that can seat four people and be driven every day. What makes it the best M5 of all time? Find out in Harry Metcalfe’s new video.