PRACTICAL CHOICE GIVES UP LITTLE IN DRIVING PLEASURE
Located in Portimao, Algarve Motorsports Park has a 4.7-kilometre circuit that is demanding and very fast. If there’s anything wonky about a car’s handling, it’ll come out somewhere along the undulating, serpentine and high-speed course.
My 2020 BMW M8 Coupe Competition tester has exhibited nothing but stellar road holding. Its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 claims 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 94 horses over the M850i xDrive Coupe and 17 more than the non-Competition M8. That brute power drives all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and transforms the circuit’s nearly kilometre-long front straight into a short chute between turns. It also drops a half second from the M850i’s zero-to-100 km/h time, to 3.2 seconds.
Brakes haul it down hard repeatedly from more than 240 km/h without fading, though they are the optional, $9,500 carbon-ceramic brakes. Even after I’m asked via radio to turn off the stability control, it reveals no faults, at least none when considering it weighs 1,960 kilograms.
The M8’s AWD system and its electronically controlled Active M rear differential both contribute to the car’s turning ability via torque vectoring. It steered precisely, and readily forgave driver-induced miscues.
This is the same car, or at least, the carbon-fibred hardtop variation, that brought me to the track in near coddling comfort. While the ride is firm in Comfort mode, the engine is smooth, quiet and almost docile if driven accordingly in town. Switching to Sport or Sport Plus firms up the suspension considerably.
From the driver’s seat of any of the M8 models you’ll see an uncluttered digital instrument cluster with speedometer and tachometer dials flanking a configurable central display, as well as in the standard head-up display. BMW’s iDrive displays control buttons in a sidebar on the left of 10.25-inch touch screen atop the centre stack. The screen can be tailored to display navigational, infotainment and car-setting info, and it works like a tablet, allowing you to swipe across for different tabs.
The driver-centric cockpit is surrounded in warm and inviting materials, cueing you to the M8’s blend of luxury with performance. The instruments and controls are logically laid out, and the front seats are comfortable and have deep side bolsters for added support when cornering hard. Of course, the rear seats are there mostly for appearance; the rear quarters are cramped and access is difficult. But if you want more room for passengers, BMW would gladly steer you toward the 8 Series Gran Coupe.
M8 pricing starts at $151,000 for the Coupe and $160,500 for the Cabriolet. Canada will be the only market worldwide to get the M8 Individual Manufaktur Edition, which commemorates the M8 prototype of the early 1990s. Based on the M8 Coupe Competition, only 20 will be built, with exclusive exterior colours and interior finishes, and lots of carbon fibre, for $198,000.
8 SERIES GRAN COUPE
Traditionally, a coupe has two doors and a sedan has four. Yet somehow, adding a sloping roofline to a sedan magically transforms it into a four-door coupe. The 2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe’s sloping roof does give it a flowing, streamlined, and sexy silhouette, and a sportier presence than a stately luxury sedan.
The Gran Coupe looks great from any angle, with near perfect proportions. The interior follows through with rich materials and a cockpit identical to its twodoor sibling. It’s the second set of doors that sets the Gran Coupe apart from the coupe, making access to the rear seats easy. With a 200-millimetre longer wheelbase, the Gran Coupe also has much more rear-seat room.
Our test drive is in the M840i Gran Coupe, which gets a power from a 3.0-L turbocharged in-line six, claiming 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The M840i won’t be available in Canada, which instead gets the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe ($121,600). It has a more powerful 4.4-L twin-turbo V8 with 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive are standard.
While the Gran Coupe is heavier than the M8 Coupe, at 2,068 kilograms, it’s only 90 kg heavier than the Cabriolet. My tester was equipped with adjustable adaptive suspension, integral active steering, and the M Sport differential, all of which are standard on the M850i. When in Comfort mode on the highway, the ride was luxurious and smooth. When in Sport mode on a winding road, the Gran Coupe exhibited minimal body roll and handling.
Standard features abound in the Gran Coupe and M8 models, including the adaptive differential, 20X9-inch wheels, laser headlights, a slew of driver assists, Harman Kardon infotainment with Apple CarPlay, wireless charging pad, Wi-Fi hot spot, Connected Package Pro, and other conveniences. The Gran Coupe also comes standard with a panoramic roof and M Sport brakes.
Even though the 8 Series Gran Coupe is the more practical choice among these luxuriously appointed sports cars, it gives up little in the way of driving pleasure.