High-performance, high-tech 8 Series pure driving pleasure
LISBON The new BMW 8 Series is the car no one asked for, but that the German automaker decided to make anyway. Now that this upscale high-performance coupe does exist, I have a sneaking suspicion people will wonder why it hasn’t come sooner.
The 2019 M850i xDrive Coupe will be the first of a handful of 8 Series models BMW will launch over the next couple of years. Other models will include a convertible, a Gran Sport and a trio of even higher-performance M8 models. We’re just outside of Lisbon to drive the M850i along appropriately sinuous roads, as well take it for a brief track session at Autodromo do Estoril, where it can showcase its handling unhindered by speed limits and traffic.
The M850i poses a stylishly aggressive and stunning silhouette, though its elongated hood, sloping roof and short trunk are undeniably Mustang-like. Unlike the American pony car, though, this German muscle car is injected with a heavy dose of luxury and technology. It also follows up with some serious power under the hood.
Power derives from a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 that mates to a slick-shifting eight-speed automatic driving all four wheels. The engine claims 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, allowing the car to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds.
The instruments and controls are logically laid out and the front seats are supremely comfortable and highly adjustable, while offering track-worthy lateral support. Items I find to be nice touches, if perhaps a bit out of place in a sporty coupe, are the optional glass gearshift knob, start button and volume dial.
While there are perches for four humans, this is essentially a two-seater with rear seats added, perhaps to justify its purchase to a spouse. Rear seating is cramped for the legs and head, probably even for adolescents. The seatbacks do fold flat to expose a relatively large trunk with 420 L of cargo capacity.
The iDrive system has been revised, now displaying a series of buttons in a sidebar on the left of the central 10.25-inch touch screen, thus leaving the rest of the screen to display navigational, infotainment and car-setting info. The screen is configurable and you can swipe between different configurable windows.
The instrument cluster is new and all digital. The dials for the speedometer and tachometer are a bit difficult to read, though info can also be displayed in the centre of the instrument cluster, as well as in the standard headup display.
On the road, the M850i is quiet and smooth, aside from its firm ride, even when in Comfort mode. The ride is nonetheless refined and compliant with only some jolts making it into the cabin when hitting sharp bumps, though this might be because of the standard 20-inch tires. The suspension firms up considerably in Sport mode, which prompts me to default to Comfort mode on the road, even at a quick pace, which it handles sublimely.
The exhaust sound is deep and throaty, though it is enhanced through the sound system in the cabin in Sport and Sport Plus modes. The engine is wonderful, exuding a docile and smooth character when roaming quietly around town in Comfort mode, and switching to a snarling brute when you hammer it in Sport or Sport Plus mode along your favourite back road.
One item that caught my attention was the forcefulness of the active lane-keep assist. The steering wheel would oppose my input if I drifted toward the lane makings, sometimes surprising me with its insistence on bringing me back into my lane.
The M850i proves astoundingly quick around Estoril, despite a recent resurfacing of the track that has noticeably reduced traction.
The 2,031-kilogram coupe doesn’t respond well to a forceful point-and-shoot approach to track driving, but rather rewards you with surprising speed when you drive smoothly, with fluid steering and braking inputs.
Cornering is enhanced by an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, as well as rear wheels that offer up to 2.5-degrees of steering. In Sport Plus mode, the firmly set suspension and taut chassis keep body roll well in check and the brakes are surprisingly strong and exhibit no fade after six laps on a track that requires heavy braking. And did I mention the M850i is seriously fast?
All of this high performance is, of course, supported by an extensive suite of standard and available driver aids, which include active stop-and-go cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic braking, side-collision protection, pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert and several other safety and convenience assists.
The $123,500 BMW M850i is not a practical car, but it probably won’t be the only car in the household garage, anyway.
It is, however, a car that combines a seductively elegant silhouette with hardcore performance and handling in a package that exudes a commanding presence whether it’s parked outside a posh restaurant or ripping up the tarmac on a closed course.
It arrives at dealers in December.