BMW M5 CS 2021: 467kW monster sedan to arrive in Australia within months

---

BMW has ripped the covers off the new CS variant of the BMW M5, with the incoming Club Sport promising to be the super-sedan’s most extreme iteration yet, while also delivering a more agile experience on track.

The BMW M5 CS is officially the manufacturer’s most powerful car ever, with the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 467kW – an additional 7kW over the M5 Competition – while torque remains the same at 750Nm. 

That engine is coupled to an eight-speed torque converter automatic, that feeds power to a specifically tuned xDrive all-wheel-drive system that can launch the M5 CS from 0 to 100km/h in just three seconds –  a 0.3-second reduction over the M5 Competition.

The V8 will keep pulling well beyond local highway speeds and will reach 200km/h in just 10.4 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster than its predecessor, before topping out at an electronically limited 305km/h.

M5 CS has trimmed 70kg from the M5 Competition’s hefty 1,851kg kerb weight by making some drastic changes to the interior including swapping out the glove box for a lightweight carbon centre console.

Accommodation in the front sees a switch to carbon fibre bucket seats in the name of weight saving, while the rear middle seat is ditched entirely – with back seat passengers enjoying shapely buckets of their own.

But not all standards have been thrown to the wind: the lightweight seating is still covered in a supple layer of high-grade Merino leather upholstery.

BMW has cut the weight and enhanced the muscular appearance of the M5 CS with a carbon fibre splitter, mirror caps, boot lid, rear diffuser and ventilated bonnet.

The M5 CS’s iconic kidney grille has been trimmed with a distinctive gold-bronze surround, while the interior features an alcantara steering wheel and headliner along with red and blue BMW-coloured stitching on the seatbelts. 

BMW has given the M5 CS a chassis tune specific to the model, along with a set of 20-inch forged gold-bronze wheels dressed in unnamed ‘high-performance tyres’ – with Pirelli P Zero Corsa track tyres able to be optioned as a no-cost extra.

In line with the M2, M3, and M4 CS grades, BMW has worked to enhance the agility of the M5 by tweaking the suspension set up and sway bars, dropped the ride-height by 7mm and added the shock absorbers from the BMW M8 Gran Coupé.

BMW says these modifications have given the M5 CS a less fussy ride on the highway while also giving the car a more stable feel when on the limit at the track.

Bringing the M5 CS to a stop is a set of carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston fixed calliper units at the front and single-piston floating callipers at the rear. The combined setup is 23 kilograms lighter than the brakes fitted to the M5 Competition. 

BMW will ship 20 examples of the M5 CS to Australia at a price of $305,900 driveaway, ordering will be done exclusively online through BMW Shop. Ordering will go live at 12:00pm AEDT on January 27, 2021.

Australian M5 CS buyers should expect a delivery date of sometime in the second or third quarter of 2021.

BMW M5 2021: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• M5 Competition: $244,900 
• M5 CS: $274,900 ($305,900 driveaway)