Any Porsche with “Turbo S” on its hindquarters is nigh-impossible to beat in a straight line drag race. Even when they don’t make the most power, Stuttgart’s Turbo S drag strip dominance has been consistent for the past decade or so. So can BMW’s fastest car, the M5 CS, take on the Panamera Turbo S? Carwow recently found out in this new video.
Ironically, of all the lightning-fast Porsche Turbo S models, the Panamera is the least intimidating. It has less power than the BMW M5 CS and more weight, so the Bimmer is at an advantage on paper. However, Porsche’s work the most of their magic during launch control, where its brilliant eight-speed PDK, all-wheel drive grip, and software wizardry all combine to mysteriously create speed. While the M5 CS uses BMW’s launch control system, which seems as if it were designed by untrained primates. It’s honestly the most finicky, unpredictable bit of software I’ve ever used in a car. So can Mat Watson, in the BMW, get lucky enough with its launch control to beat the Porsche?
They did three drag races from a standing start and all three had very different outcomes. Though, in the first one, it looked as if Watson jumped the start by just a bit in the M5 CS and pretty easily won. In the next race, the two cars launched perfectly, at the same time, and the Porsche won. So they did one more race, in which they both seemed to have launched correctly, to see which was ultimately the fastest on the day. I won’t spoil the results, as it’s worth a watch.
However, it’s important to not that straight-line speed is not the M5 CS’ main priority. Sure, it’s good at it, and can rip off sub-11-second quarter-mile times and sub-three-second 0-60 mph times, but it’s main goal is to be the best damn driving sedan on the planet and I’m fairly confident it is just that. So, regardless of the outcome of this video, the BMW M5 CS is still among the all-time great super sedans ever made and is probably going to be the car of choice, among these two, for anyone that wants a proper driver’s sedan. Which is refreshing to hear because, for…
