2022 BMW M5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 2022 BMW M5 sports sedan has yet to show any symptoms of the ailment that has stricken many of its siblings: inflamed kidney disease. In 2019, the BMW X7 three-row SUV was the first vehicle from Bavaria to exhibit this (visually) painful swelling of its signature kidney grille. A moderate case until the 4 Series Gran Coupe developed a more pronounced growth of its kidneys.

Medically speaking, kidneys are necessary organs that flush out toxins from our bodies to maintain healthy fluids and blood flow. They are also significant in car speak because, similarly, automotive grilles maintain healthy airflow to keep a vehicle’s heart (engine) beating properly. So, the bigger the grille, the more air, right? Yes, but did BMW have to transform theirs into bulging fists of fury? The automaker also can’t use the big-air excuse when bloated kidneys afflict its EV lineup. No engine means no reason for the distended design.

This brings us back to the M5. The BMW 5 Series lineup, including the performance-oriented M5, was last redesigned for the 2017 model year and refreshed for 2021. Last year’s makeover included more aggressive exterior styling. The front and rear bumpers were revised to promote a muscular appearance; intakes and diffusers were made larger; headlights and taillights were slimmed and led directly from the new grille to accentuate the M5’s bulked-up features. Suffice to say, every BMW M5 is a carryover model for 2022—except the M5 CS. And it is quite the exception.

The 2022 BMW M5 CS (Competition Sport) is an all-new, über-performance variant. BMW wouldn’t divulge production numbers or its limit on them but the CS variant is confirmed to be a 2022-only model. It’s also the most powerful production Bimmer ever built. And funny how it doesn’t need sepsis kidneys to keep its engine roaring either.

If it weren’t for its exclusive colour scheme, the M5 CS would pass for an M5 Competition. The standard coat on the M5 CS is Brands Hatch Grey with BMW Individual Frozen Brands Hatch Grey and Frozen Deep Green available as options. Note that “Frozen” is BMW jargon for matte. The finishes are also referred to as metallic because they do contain metal flakes, even if the lack of a clear coat takes away the ooh-ah sparkle of typical metallic finishes.

There’s also the unmistakable 20-inch forged Gold Bronze aluminum alloy wheels and extensive use of carbon fibre. To match the wheels, the kidney grille surround and exterior badging are bronzed in the same golden glow. Otherwise, the accent is chrome on the standard M5 and black on the M5 Competition.

On the CS, the M-logoed calipers are painted red—a BMW first when paired with M Carbon-Ceramic brakes. Previously, the high-performance brakes featured gold calipers as standard, which are still available as a no-cost option on the CS. As part of last year’s refresh, the M5 Competition received black or red calipers as standard.

M5 Competition models wear 20-inch wheels wrapped in a 275/35R20 and 285/35R20 rubber set.

And then there is carbon fibre—everywhere. As if a thunderstorm made up of the lightweight, high-strength polymer dropped a deluge on the M5 CS, if it’s not painted, it’s carbon fibre. All M5s are equipped with a carbon fibre roof. But on the M5 Competition, that’s pretty much the extent of it. On the M5 CS, the list of carbon things is comprehensive: hood vents, front splitter, mirror caps, rear diffuser, trunk spoiler, and the engine cover. Aside from the engine cover, these features are painted black on the M5 Competition. And this is just on the outside.

Where the M5 CS differs from other M5s is through its use of colour and carbon fibre; its interior presents a whole new world. For starters, there is seating for four instead of five. The front seats are M carbon racing seats with tall bolstering (i.e., snug). The individual rear seats have less intense side bolsters but a bucket seat-like, nonetheless. Seating materials are black Merino leather and Alcantara with Mugello Red accents and contrast stitching. All M5 CS seats have integrated headrests that feature an imprint of the Nurburgring Nordschleife, that infamous German track used for racing, testing, and general public glee.

The M5 CS interior is outfitted in a single style: aluminum dark carbon structure. Other M5s have options in Merino leather upholstery and materials, like wood or metal. Not with the M5 CS. If you don’t like carbon fibre then you’re out of luck. You must like Alcantara, too, because the steering wheel is covered in it as is the headliner. And red should be one of your favorite colours because the red thread extends beyond the seats as well and is sewn into the dashboard, centre armrest, and door panels. Also in red are the “CS” logo, the steering wheel-mounted M1 and M2 buttons, and accents to the gear shifter assembly. Breaking through the red-and-black motif is the trademark BMW M tri-colour of light blue, dark blue, and red. The signature scheme appears on the seat belts, rear seats, and steering wheel. The M badge itself appears on the steering wheel, gear shifter, door sills, and floor mats in the cabin and on the grille, front fender, trunk lid, wheels, and brake calipers outside of it.

Across the M5 lineup, an eight-speed M Steptronic automatic transmission with Drivelogic and the rear-wheel-biased M xDrive all-wheel-drive system (AWD) are standard.

The M5 Competition tunes a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine to 617 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque available from 1,800 to 5,860 rpm. Its zero-to-100 km/h time is 3.3 seconds and its electronically limited top speed is 290 kilometres per hour. And then there’s the M5 CS. Tweaked for 627 hp, the M5 CS has a torque band that expands to 5,950 rpm and a redline of 7,200 rpm. The M5 CS reaches 100 km/h in 3.0 seconds and with the M Driver’s Package as standard, its top speed is 305 km/h.

What makes the M5 CS quicker is that it’s 105 kilograms (231 pounds) lighter. The M5 Competition has a curb weight of 1,971 kilograms (4,345 pounds). The M5 CS sees 1,866 kilograms (4,114 pounds) on the scale. The slimdown was largely due to all that carbon fibre. Its standard carbon-ceramic brakes also weigh 22.5 kilograms (50 pounds) less than the standard ones. A reduction in soundproofing also cut the fat. Sure, the M5 CS allows more noise into the cabin but an ENT would agree it’s hardly an aural sacrifice. You want to hear that engine note.

The M5 CS is stunningly quick but not in an out-of-control rabid squirrel sort of way. Despite its power and innate ability to wanna run amok, the M5 CS still exudes controlled confidence. Its power-to-weight ratio is 15.2 hp per pounds and it has a weight distribution of about 55/45 percent front/rear. Acceleration off the line is on the wow side of Wunderbar. And the vehicle greets every corner like a long-lost bestie because it hugs each one so tightly there is concern of suffocation. That brutish V8 spools in such a manner that the giddy-up is never too much or too little. If not for a hint of turbo lag, its engine performance is perfect.

Everything in the M5 CS is purpose-built to enjoy its masterful performance. A red-outlined Setup button next to the shifter lets you create individual driving profiles for the powertrain and chassis, which can then be activated by the red-painted steering wheel-mounted M1 and M2 buttons. Engine, suspension, and steering can be adjusted in Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus modes while the transmission can be preselected for multiple variations of D (auto) or S (manual shift). Separately, the M xDrive drivetrain system can be set to “4WD,” “4WD Sport,” or “2WD.” The factory default is a Sport-mode bias for M1 and Sport Plus for M2, though, theoretically, you can configure both to be identical.

Complementary to the M1 and M2 setup is M View. The default Road mode leaves all driver-assistance systems and information displays fully operational. Sport allows adjustment or deactivation of driver aids but also changes the instrument panel and head-up display screen to provide performance information such as tachometer, transmission, engine, tires, and suspension. Track, which has a disclaimer to not be activated on public roads (i.e., closed tracks only), will shut off the driver-assistance systems, audio, and centre display to keep the driver focused on dedicated driving specs within the instrument panel and head-up display.

Our test vehicle was outfitted with Pirelli P Zero Corsas. Not that the standard tires would’ve been less satisfying but the aggressive grip on the P Zero Corsas made the long flat straights, sweeping off-camber roads, and tight blind corners of our numerous drives an afterthought. And we drove the M5 CS a lot—even with nowhere to go. We were simply drawn to it.

Anything with an M badge is built for driving, usually fast. The M5 CS is no different in that respect. It is unquestionably fast. But specs aside, the M5 CS possesses something the M cars of late do not: a personality. This isn’t to say BMW M no longer means fun. They’re all fast and fun. But they’re also distant, numb, and kind of heartless. Stuffed with performance tech and trinkets, the driver isn’t a necessary part of the equation anymore except to hold the wheel. Even then, there’s a lot of dead steering feel going around.

But in the M5 CS, you’ll never feel more alive. There is engagement. There is joy. There is a driving connection so precise it’s as if the car knows what you’re going to do before you do it—or even think of doing it. This vehicle wants to be driven, but it wants you to do it. It is a proper sports car. And its two extra doors are not at all shortcomings.

The standard interior of an M5 Competition is outfitted with the aforementioned Merino leather seats in a choice of colours and matching wood or metallic trims. The M5 CS is not. The standard heated leather-wrapped M steering wheel is replaced with an Alcantara version, which is lightly cushioned and has a phenomenal feel. The paddle shifters are also larger in the M5 CS and feature carbon fibre inlays. Yet, its exclusive cockpit is more hospitable than the race car-leaning packaging suggests.

The seats are lightweight and track-day supportive, which fulfill the sports half of its personality. But they are also surprisingly comfortable. Even when the M5 CS was set up in its stiffest driving mode (Sports Plus), the form-fitting buckets and tall bolstering made serene drives just as pleasant as boisterous ones.

We did find some annoyances, though, including a bothersome (but pretty) carbon fibre piece smack dab in the middle of the seat-bottom cushion. It has no functional purpose other than to force manspreading. Racing seats don’t provide the best ingress and egress either, at least not in a low-profile sedan. And in our seating position we couldn’t freely swing the sun visor to the left because of interference from the seat’s headrest. A minor inconvenience, admittedly.

The rear seats are just as comfortable as up front but without the silly decorative carbon fibre piece. They are slightly raised for added thigh support and overall legroom is plentiful for adults. Brats (regardless of age) shouldn’t sit behind the driver, though, if only to minimize harassment. The front buckets feature air vents that anyone within reach or with a small shoe size can poke through. Ask us how we know.

But where the M5 CS earns exceptional marks for ergonomics and comfort, practicality seems to have been less of a priority for BMW. The cupholders, storage trays, and door pockets don’t provide adequate storage space, and what would be a centre bin is instead a fixed armrest. The rear seats don’t fold, so trunk capacity is locked in, and the standard power tailgate of the M5 is omitted from the M5 CS, too. Nooks, crannies, and functionality have all been sacrificed to the god of weight savings. At least the glovebox still exists but it's hardly usable beyond holding the owner’s manual, vehicle paperwork, and maybe a paperclip.

All 5 Series models (including M5 variants) come standard with 12.3-inch digital displays for both the instrument cluster and centre touchscreen. Also standard is Live Cockpit Professional featuring the iDrive 7 operating system. Split into three main sections, the driver display is fully customizable and overlaps with the centre display to provide key vehicle, travel, and functional information. The system also includes a head-up display, cloud-based navigation, satellite radio, and wireless compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Other infotainment features include BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant, which features natural voice recognition and AI learning, and Gesture Control, which is as gimmicky as ever. The standard Connected Package Professional complements every drive with features such as real-time traffic and parking updates as well as BMW Remote Services.

Techies will appreciate the wireless device charging, enhanced USB and Bluetooth connectivity, over-the-air updates, and WiFi hotspot capability—all standard. For entertainment, all M5s are equipped with a Harman Kardon surround sound system.

Also included is BMW’s Active Sound control system. It feeds simulated engine acoustics into the cabin. Are the sounds fake? Sort of. Without dragging you down a rabbit hole of technobabble, the engine rumbles produced have essentially been engineered to be peak V8 grunt. Consider how saving music files at a low bitrate degrades the sound quality. It’s the same idea.

But like most tech, you can turn it off, which means even the raucous M5 CS can sound mellow. We did this to see how much of a difference a “groggy” M5 CS sounded versus a caffeinated, showered, and ready-to-take-on-the-world version. Depending on the drive setting (and time of day), we either loved it, hated it, or did without it completely.

The M5 is heavy on gadgets but it’s not limited to abundant infotainment and connectivity. Its highly customizable performance settings for driver profiles, M modes, and M View mean the M5 offers a technology balance between excess and excellence.

The 2022 M5 delivers a high level of safety features, both standard and optional. Standard features across the model lineup include lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, city collision mitigation, rear collision preparation, automatic high beams, and speed-limit information. Also, the standard BMW Maps offers not just traffic information but also travel warnings such as road hazards.

Additional features are available as options including adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-keep assist with collision avoidance, evasion aid, front cross-traffic alert, emergency stop assistant, Extended Traffic Jam Assist, massaging seats, Parking Assistance Plus, active park distance control, drive recorder, and a 360-degree surround-view camera.

Of course, Herr Weight Savings has a hand in the safety equipment afforded to the M5 CS. You get cruise control but not the adaptive kind. And no 3D bird’s eye view of the car; just a regular ol’ rearview camera. It’s a reminder that the M5 CS is a performance machine that wants you to be hands-on and focused on the drive at all times.

The 2022 BMW M5 has not been crash tested by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), and neither has the 2022 5 Series, which the agency lists as a separate model. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) does not distinguish between the variants but its last crash test rating is for a 2017 5 Series. For the record, that redesign model year earned “Good” ratings on all evaluations except for LATCH child seat anchors and passenger-side lower foot injuries. In those categories, the second-best rating of “Acceptable” was listed.

In Canada, the 2022 BMW M5 Competition starts at $125,700, not including a $2,445 destination charge, and the one-and-done M5 CS has an MSRP of $165,900. Although additional packages are not available, CS buyers do have a choice of paint colour (gray or green), caliper colour (red or gold), and tires. As impressive as this list of options is, fuel economy is not.

All M5 models are rated by Natural Resources Canada to consume 16.1 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 11.0 on the highway, and 13.8 combined. After more than 480 kilometres of mixed driving, our overall average was 13.6 L/100 km. But observed highway consumption actually improved over the NRCan estimates. We managed 10.1 L/100 km on flat highways.

Numbers aside, those who purchase an M5 likely have no plans to be frugal with fuel. We don’t have deep pockets, but still didn’t care about the price of premium while driving the M5. The driving experience was worth every penny we could pull from our couch cushions.

The M5 has rivals, of course. There’s the recently updated Audi RS 7, sharply supercharged Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, similarly spec’d Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, and just-as-quick-but-pricier Porsche Panamera Turbo. The M5 and E63 often go head-to-head in comparison reviews because they are so close in many ways. The standout, however, is the M5 CS. Nothing comes close.

The M5 CS is not a one-size-fits-all or even one-size-fits-most sports sedan, but it is the best sports sedan. That’s not hyperbole either. Its purpose is not to be the quickest or most powerful, even though it is those things. But it's also raw and real. Factor that in with tangibles like performance, design, and amenities and you’ve got the purest track-ready sports sedan that can also easily double as a comfortable daily driver. And that is priceless.

Note: Images show a US model.