BMW M5 CS Drag Races 730-HP ABT RS6-R, It's Very Close

We've just recently seen an Audi RS 6 going up against a BMW M550i. And although the BMW wasn't slow at all, it was slightly slower than its opponent. The BMW M5 CS that's been brought over for today's race seems to be the same car we saw going up against an Audi RS 7 about two weeks ago. The RS 7 didn't stand a chance in that race. If you consider the similarities, that should mean that a stock RS 6 couldn't handle the M5 CS either.

But for this race, the host of the show, Daniel, came up with something better than a RS 6. I'm talking about the ABT RS6-R, a limited version of Audi's performance station wagon. Only 125 of these vehicles will be built, and they are already sold out. Aside from the visual upgrades, the RS6-R is also faster than the original model. The engine has been tweaked to provide 730 horsepower and 678 lb-ft (920 Nm) of torque.

With that in mind, the ABT RS6-R should be able to go from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.2 seconds. That means it's almost half a second faster than the standard Audi RS 6. But will it be enough to win against the M5 CS? After all, the BMW has 100 horsepower and 125 lb-ft (170 Nm) less than its opponent. But we should also consider the weight factor. The M5 CS weighs in at 4,188 lbs (1,900 kg), whereas the RS6-R is considerably heavier, at 4,740 lbs (2,150 kg).

As the two cars line up for the first run, both lanes are already wet due to the rain. With past generations, the Audi driver would have perceived this as a clear advantage. But nowadays, both cars have the benefit of an all-wheel-drive system. The RS6-R is off to a formidable start, but as they approach speeds of 105 mph (170 kph), the M5 CS is coming back into the race. By the time both cars are up to 6th gear, the BMW overtakes its opponent, and just barely wins the first run.

Looking at the telemetry results, the BMW needed 4.12 seconds to get up to 62 mph (100 kph). Then, another 6.87 seconds were required to reach 124 mph (200 kph). It ran the quarter-mile (402 meters) in 11.69 seconds and it crossed the half-mile (804 meters) marker in 17.92 seconds with a trap speed of 155 mph (250 kph). The RS6-R was faster on its way to 62 mph and across the quarter-mile line, but slightly slower everywhere else.

A rerun is in order, and they both line up once again. It starts off the same way, but this time the RS6-R gets its revenge with a very fast run. The gap after the half-mile marker was very small, at 0.11 seconds, and you can't help but wonder how this race would go on a perfectly dry surface. Before moving on to the rolling race, they decide on doing a third run in the same format as before. And the RS6-R wins for the second time in a row.

For the rolling race, they start at 37 mph (60 kph). The relatively lightweight M5 CS rockets ahead, and the gap between the two cars is almost shameful for the Audi. Even so, the ABT RS6-R has won three out of the five runs. And that means it's time to celebrate with some AWD donuts. But ultimately, the lesson we've learned here is that you need a whole lot of horsepower to be able to defeat the BMW M5 CS in a straight-line acceleration challenge.