BMW is revealing a new M5 CS model that tends to be about 230 pounds less than the 4,243 piund M5 Competition vehicle. The CS registers at about 4,096 piunds. BMW has one of the strongest carbon-fiber roofings in the industry. Isn’t that a plus?

Most car companies are content with an ounce here and a gram there when they pull weight out of their cars. So when BMW announced that the new M5 CS would be 230 pounds lighter than the 4243-pound M5 Competition, we were skeptical. As bariatric physicians and our tech department are fond of saying, the scales don’t lie. At the weigh-in, the CS registered 4096 pounds, or 147 pounds less than the Competition. Not quite the result promised, but still a big move in the right direction.

To drop those pounds, a carbon-fiber hood joins the standard M5’s carbon-fiber roof, but the main weight loss comes from removing sound-deadening material and swapping the luxury-grade thrones for the lightweight racing-style front seats from the M3. BMW didn’t pull out all the stuffing, though, as the CS remains placid, measuring a low 66 decibels at 70 mph, matching a 2018 M5 we tested on the same surface.

To make the most of the lighter M5, BMW wrung 10 extra horsepower out of the Competition’s twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8. With 627 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque churning through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, the M5 CS posts a 2.6-second time to 60 mph and a quarter-mile speed of 130 mph in 10.6 seconds. The trans pops off shifts and shows its commitment in its most race-car-like mode as it slots itself into the right gear under braking to give you what you need for the corner.