It’s a well-known fact that BMWs are exceptional cars. They’re stylish, fast, and luxurious, and most importantly, they have the best safety features. But not every car is created equal—some are faster than others, which is why we have created this list of the top 5 fastest BMW cars. If you want a BMW that will get you from 0 to 60 and around the track in the shortest possible amount of time, these are the cars for you.
Despite some people arguing that the BMW lineup might have recently shifted focus from its nimble, fast, and powerful sports cars to more luxurious and eco-friendly ones, that’s hardly fair.
There’s no denying that car manufacturers, in general, have had to pull up their socks to save the environment, but that isn’t necessarily bad news for speed aficionados. Current BMWs are still some of the highest performing machines of all time, and if you look at its pipeline, BMW continues to make fast, fun to drive, powerful machines that every car enthusiast yearns to drive.
So what are the fastest BMWs to hit the roads up to today?
Currently, the fastest street-legal BMW is the 2022 BMW M5 CS, which can sprint from 0–60 mph in an astonishing 2.9 seconds and deliver a top speed of 190 mph.
When tested at the Nürburgring, Auto Sport test driver Christian Gebhardt managed an impressive lap time of 7:29.57, despite the added distraction of the glove box flinging itself open twice during the lap. Now, let’s look at 5 other fast-as-hell Beemers.
- M3 Competition xDrive Sedan
- BMW M4 GTS
- 2021 BMW M5 Competition
- 2022 BMW M8 Competition
- 2022 BMW M5 CS
5. M3 Competition xDrive Sedan
When the G80 M3 Sedan and G82 M4 Coupé debuted in 2020, the duo instantly overthrew Bangle-era cars as the most controversially-designed cars in BMW’s modern history—but nobody dared to question their performance.
As M cars always do, the M3 and its M4 coupé sibling turned out to be ultimate driver’s cars, offering thrilling performance with a 473 hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six and an extensive amount of upgrades compared to non-M variants.
The Competition models brought more distilled performance with the straight-six unit uprated to 503 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. The final evolution of Competition models (so far) adds xDrive, and despite these cars being around 100 lb heavier than their RWD counterparts, all-wheel drive significantly aids to their overall performance.
In terms of straight line performance, the M3 Competition xDrive can get from a standstill to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds as per BMW’s claims. However, the press concluded that the factory sheet is conservative about this sedan’s acceleration numbers as some journalists recorded times of under 3 seconds.
4. BMW M4 GTS
A proper street-legal track tool, the F82 M4 GTS embraces the M philosophy of utilizing cutting edge motorsport technology to achieve maximum track performance in a car that can still be driven on public roads.
With production officially limited to 700 vehicles (and unofficially to 803 customer cars), the M4 GTS made quite a lot of news in the car world, setting a blisteringly fast 07:28 Nürburgring lap time—and putting all BMW’s claims into measurable, highly impressive numbers.
This car’s secret lies in tremendous weight-saving, getting it as close as practicable to the power-to-weight ratio of a race car.
Furthermore, the 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine borrowed from the M3 and M4 was optimized to squeeze out 493 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. A 7-speed DCT enables quick shifts, sending torque to the rear wheels.
With just 300 examples officially destined to be sold in the USA, the M4 GTS is going to be a hit on the collector market in years to come—so getting your hands on one is a wise investment move that will yield big returns.
On the other hand, snatching one to blast it around a closed course is a great idea too, since the M4 GTS is one of the greatest modern BMWs ever made.
3. 2021 BMW M5 Competition
The M5 has been a staple M Car since it was first released back in 1985. When it was unveiled, it set a benchmark for family friendly sports cars—and now, after many years of constant development, the sixth generation M5 has maintained its presence at the forefront of high-performance sedans.
The 2021 M5 Competition is not a completely new M5, but actually a midlife facelift in which BMW altered the F90’s appearance by slightly reshaping the grille, installing sharper front and rear bumpers, and revising headlamp and taillamp design.
Under the hood of the F90 M5 is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. In the M5 Competition, this powerplant generates 617 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, which can launch the M5 to 60 mph in only 3.3 seconds.
The transmission on the M5 Competition is an advanced eight-speed M-Steptronic unit sending power to both axles via xDrive and an M-Differential aiding in high-speed cornering. The fun bit, though, is that the M5 can be switched from AWD to rear-axle biased with the flick of a switch, resulting in most torque being sent to the rear wheels!
The M5 Competition is 0.3 seconds quicker than the standard M5 and tops out at 190 mph, making this the fastest mass-produced BMW M5 to date.
2. 2022 BMW M8 Competition
Launched initially in May 2019, this one held the mantle for the fastest BMW model available until the #1 car on this list came along. Like the M5, the M8 is another car sending power to all wheels, resulting in phenomenal straight line performance.
The updated 2022 2-door coupe receives the same twin-turbo 4.4 liter V8 as the M5 Competition, though certain tweaks have been made to make it outperform the sedan. The BMW M8 Competition’s engine is mated to the same eight-speed M Steptronic transmission, powering all four wheels with an option to switch all-wheel drive off and let the transmission send all its horses to the rear axle wheels.
The engine produces 617 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. With this powertrain, the M8 is amazingly fast, reaching 60 mph from a standstill in just 3 seconds flat. The added M Driver’s package also entitles the buyer to a day-long high-speed driving course at a BMW Performance center and raises the speed limiter to 189 mph.
1. 2022 BMW M5 CS
Even more exclusive than the M5 Competition is the M5 CS, the latest expansion in the Competition Sport family. The M5 CS debuted in 2021, was limited to just one model year, and immediately sold out.
As of 2022, the M5 CS is the most powerful car in BMW M division’s history and features a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine uprated to produce 635 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque.
The M5 CS is 256 lb lighter than the M Competition, thanks to extended use of carbon fiber for the hood, mirror housings, front splitter, rear diffuser, and rear splitter.
This car is mind-numbingly quick with the ability to launch from 0 to 60mph in only 2.9 seconds, and its top speed is electronically governed at 189mph.
When tested at the Nürburgring by Sports Auto, the test driver, Christian Gebhardt, achieved a blistering lap time of 7:29.57. These figures cement the BMW M5 CS as the fastest BMW production model ever.
Images courtesy of BMW
You missed the 2020 M550i. 0-60 in 3.6 sec. The 2021 LCI M550i also after acceleration recall fix.
This car is often overlooked. It was the fastest 5-series ever in the period between the F10 M5 ceasing production and delivery of the F90 M5.