Certain people love to hate BMW’s latest products, but you’ll have a hard time finding someone to criticize the M5 CS. The quintessential super sedan on the dawn of the electric era goes against the tide by sticking to V8 power without any hybrid assistance. It has already been discontinued since the Munich brand said from day one it would have a limited production run of only one model year, so you’re not going to see these cars on a daily basis.
The meanest M5 of them all was taken to the Autobahn in Germany on an unrestricted section to really stretch its legs. At the time of its release, the M5 CS was the most powerful production BMW ever, offering a colossal 626 hp from its twin-turbo 4.4-liter engine. We get to hear the alluring soundtrack delivered by the V8 as it flexes its muscles on the famous highway. Near the end of the video, the digital speedometer goes over 300 km/h, hitting 304 km/h. That’s 186 and 189 mph, respectively.
The M5 CS is the last of the V8-only breed taking into account that the next-generation M5 has been confirmed to adopt a plug-in hybrid setup. Thankfully, it’ll retain the eight-cylinder engine, but the M division will be installing its new S68 mild-hybrid powertrain coupled to an electric motor as seen in the 2023 XM. The high-performance SUV has 650 hp in its standard guise, with a 750-hp Label Red version coming next year. It’s too soon to say whether the future M5 will have access to the full output.
With the M5 CS being the last bastion of pure ICE power, you can rest assured it will go up in value once BMW M will start to launch more and more hybrid (and eventually all-electric) cars.
Meanwhile, the ”CS” badge has a bright future ahead as 2023 will see the introduction of both an M3 CS and an M4 CS. Further down the line, BMW might do another M2 CS, unless it has decided to go all out and launch an M2 CSL.
Source: Moscarblog / YouTube