2022 BMW M5 CS Interior and Cargo

As standard, the M5 CS comes with full Merino leather and Alcantara upholstery in a black finish. The aggressive look is relieved by the red CS logo dotted around the cabin and aluminum dark carbon structure interior trim. Red stitching elsewhere relieves the primarily dark environment. All four seats have headrests with an imprint of a Nurburgring Nordschleife map, a not-so-subtle hint at the CS's 7:29.57-minute effort, although this isn't the quickest effort among sport sedans.

The driver controls the car via a fat M Alcantara steering wheel with a 12 o'clock marker, carbon fiber shift paddles, and the distinctive red M1 and M2 buttons that can be used to instantly call up your favored driving settings. Finally, there is an Anthracite Alcantara headliner. Although all these racy finishes may seem gimmicky to some, what has not been compromised is the build integrity of the normal 5 Series - few sedans feel as well put together as this one.

Pop open the trunk lid and you'll find a well-designed space measuring 14 cubic feet. It's more than enough for weekly trips to the store or to accommodate large suitcases on business trips away. Standard hands-free opening of the power trunk lid also makes it easier to load the car when your hands are full.

The large center console has been removed to save weight, but large door pockets and cupholders remain. At the back, the two passengers have an additional small storage place between their bucket seats. With glossy carbon fiber front seatbacks, there are no usual map pockets back there.

BMW may have saved weight in a number of key areas, but the M5 CS is still a 5 Series and comes equipped with a long list of convenience and safety features. The M carbon bucket seats in front are 10-way power-adjustable and include power side bolsters, backlit M5 logos, three-stage heating, and a memory system for the driver's seat linked to the power-adjustable steering column. Other features include adjustable ambient lighting, four-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry with hands-free opening of the trunk, push-button ignition, wireless charging, remote engine start, and a universal garage door opener.

The safety specification includes a rearview camera, forward collision warning, active blind-spot detection, lane departure warning, and front/rear parking sensors.

BMW's Live Cockpit Professional pairs a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch central touchscreen running iDrive 7.0 software. A standard color head-up display has a special M View and, when Track mode is selected, the center display switches off to reduce driver distractions. With a touchpad, a touchscreen, and programmable bookmarks, the iDrive system is easy to use once you've adjusted to the many layers of its menu structure.

When you aren't setting record lap times, you can enjoy features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM with 360L, navigation, and Bluetooth. A 464-watt, 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system is standard.