BMW M5 review

The BMW M5 is a bit like Elvis Presley – when he was alive at least. You see, it’s ‘the king’ of practical, useable performance cars and has been so for several decades, but it’s got larger and heavier over the years. However, it can still put on one heck of a show. 

Anyway, the Munich monster is renowned for packing supercar pace into an executive car package, and the latest version is no exception. Although (whisper it) there’s something better out there. Yes, there’s a better car than the BMW M5 Competition. The good news is that it’s the BMW M5 CS, which is the M5 turned up to the max.

The BMW M5 Competition features an improved version of its 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, packing 625hp. But then BMW has gone on to trump itself by introducing the M5 CS, which produces 635hp. Both generate 750Nm of torque.

The four-wheel-drive systems mean both cars are serious dragsters, too, although they’re far more than just straight-line monster. Both grip the road and feel lighter to drive than they should. But the M5 CS is by far the better, helped by the fact it’s 70kg lighter than the M5 Competition. 

All from a car that will seat five adults comfortably (four in the M5 CS) too thanks to plenty of head- and legroom in the back row, while retaining the core 5 Series roots means there’s 530 litres of boot space too. The M5 CS has four individual carbonfibre-backed buckets seats to hold everyone in place when things get a bit brisk. Indeed, the front two are electrically adjustable and heated, and are exceptionally comfortable.

The M5 Competition comes very well equipped, but if you can't decide on its options, just go for the £19k Ultimate Pack which adds pretty much all of them all!

Hop inside and BMW’s already excellent infotainment system has been upgraded to feature both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through a wireless connection. There’s still the usual M-branded trimmings too, with M5 badging appearing on the mats and door sills, with seatbelt trimming to match the M colour scheme included as well. The CS adds a huge CS badge between the rear seats, and another on the dashboard, plus CS badges on the sills.

Watch our BMW M5 CS video review:

On paper, the BMW M5 sounds perfect, right? In reality, no. With a starting price of over £100k, the super saloon will make your eyes water on the forecourt and becomes hard to justify when the M550i xDrive exists. 

As a side note, that starting price doesn’t include adaptive cruise control either – with that feature part of the £5k Technology Plus Pack. When a car like Toyota Yaris has that as standard, it’s borderline daylight robbery from BMW. That’s just scratching the surface of options too, with a fully kitted out M5 Competition nudging over £120k. 

If you simply must have the more hard-edged driving experience the M5 Competition offers, you’re still grabbing yourself an absolutely fantastic car that can offer everyday usability without kicking up a fuss. Given the choice, though, we’d take home the M550i xDrive and use the change to add a few more extras. 

The case is much less clear where the M5 CS is concerned, despite the fact that it has a price north of £140k. It is so very good, so special and such a huge step up from the M5 Competition, that it’s worth paying the extra for. Think of it as a Porsche 911 GT3 next to a standard 911 and you’ll get the idea. If that’s you, head over to our deals page for the very best prices.

Watch our Mercedes-AMG E63 v BMW M5 group test: