A new year is nearly upon us, and next month, BMW is set to unveil a new range-topping performance model variant. Rumors of a supposed M5 CS have been swirling for a few years now, and yesterday, BMW M head Markus Flasch pulled the cover back to give us a preview of what’s likely to be the fastest new BMW.
The M5 might not initially seem like the ideal basis for which to apply the lightweight CS treatment, but that’s exactly what BMW is doing. The upcoming M car sheds 154 pounds compared with the M5 Competition, which is already among the fastest BMW models you can buy right now. In addition to adding lightness (as the expression goes), horsepower is also increased from 617 in the M5 Competition to 626 in the CS. Torque remains the same at 553 pound-feet, and it’s not yet clear what modifications—if any, aside from a slight remap—have been made to the S63B44T4 V8 used in rest of the F90 lineup to achieve the uprated output.
In addition to the core elements of reduced weight and increased power, the M5 CS will also visually differentiate itself from the regular M5 and M5 Competition by way of a handful of carefully chosen changes. These include forged aluminum Y-spoke wheels finished in Gold Bronze, a color which appears on other CS models and within the M Performance part catalog, along with being used to frame the kidney grilles of the M5 CS. The wheels house a model-specific set of M Carbon Ceramic brakes which employ large red brake calipers that are standard on the M5 CS. The Michelin tires we’re used to seeing on M cars have been eschewed on the new super sedan in favor of 275- and 285-section Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires front and rear respectively. The LED rings surrounding the headlights have also been given a motorsport-inspired aesthetic, with a distinct yellow light reminiscent of what’s used on BMW’s race car lineup.
No one other than BMW brass has yet seen the interior, but Flash describes the M5 CS as a genuine four-seater, with the M carbon bucket seats from the new M3 and M4 used up front, and some sort of split seating arrangement in the rear. Additional carbon-fiber interior pieces are also expected, not unlike those used in the M3 and M4 CS and the newer M2 CS. Model-specific drive modes are also speculated to be present.
The M5 CS will be the most powerful M5 (or 5 Series) ever produced, but when Car and Driver tested the current F90 lineup, the regular M5 was actually faster from zero to 60, with a time of 2.8 seconds, when compared with the M5 Competition at 2.9 seconds. Other sources have recorded the M5 Competition as being slightly faster, and the M8 Competition coupe can hit 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, while the M8 Competition Gran Coupé is also up there as one of the fastest four-door BMW models. Maintaining an edge on performance at this level isn’t easy, so just how much faster the M5 CS will be in comparison with the rest of the M lineup is anyone’s guess at this point, but combining a bump in power with a reduction in weight is certainly adhering to the proven formula.
To get a look at the upcoming M5 CS for yourself, check out the video from BMW M below.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]