Road test: BMW’S saved the diesel
BMW flagship returns after a 20-year hiatus to inject some glamour into the brand
Approaching three decades after the introduction of the original ‘E31’ 8 Series and nearly two after its retirement, BMW has returned to the big GT coupé market. The second-generation 8 Series – BMW’S elegant, continent-crossing two-door f lagship – is here.
Key to Munich’s strategy of boosting its profile among upperlevel luxury car makers and their customers by shifting its model portfolio back towards bigger, grander and more upmarket products, the new ‘G15’-generation two-door Coupe will be part of a wider 8 Series family that will also include the upcoming ‘G14’ Convertible and ‘G16’ four-door Gran Coupe. It’s a successor to the 6 Series Coupe, two full model generations of which have gone some way to filling the vacuum that the original 8 Series left when it was discontinued in 1999.
A nomenclative reference to a predecessor model that departed the scene so long ago might not mean much to many, yet the average GT coupé customer should be old enough to remember the pop-up headlights and pioneering technological character of the E31. One of Munich’s first computer-designed production cars, the first 8 Series was also the first BMW with a fully electronic ‘by-wire’ throttle and one of the first with multi-link rear suspension.
A certain standard on technological innovation and sophistication might reasonably be expected of the new G15, then; and, with four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, active anti-roll bars and BMW’S latest infotainment and driver assistance technologies, it doesn’t look set to disappoint.
BMW UK is offering the car with a choice of 523bhp twin-turbo V8 petrol or 315bhp twin-turbo diesel straight-six engines, neither of which needs longer than five seconds to hit 62mph, according to the manufacturer’s claims. We elected to run the road test ruler over the latter.
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
This time around, the 8 Series is a big two-door GT coupé that BMW would prefer you to think of as a sports car. Such marketing conceits haven’t been uncommon among road test subjects over the past 12 months, and we like to think they don’t fool the Autocar readership. But BMW contends that the new 8 Series’ performance and handling are both dynamic enough to give credibility to the claim, because it was developed in parallel with the factory M8 GTE FIA endurance racing car; because it’s made of a mix of steel, aluminium, magnesium and carbonfibrereinforced polymer; and because it’s got relatively powerful engines and intelligent four-wheel drive and fourwheel steering as standard.
The car has an overall length of 4843mm and a 2822mm wheelbase, neither of which screams sports car, although by GT coupé standards those dimensions certainly aren’t huge (both are shorter than the last 6 Series). Our test 840d weighed 1901kg on Millbrook’s scales, making it lighter than the shorter Lexus LC500 coupé we tested in 2017 and
the Mercedes-amg CLS 53 4Matic we tested in October last year.
BMW says it was aiming for “clarity, modernity and emotional engagement” with the car’s styling, and seems to have hit its marks. The design could perhaps be more graceful, tasteful even – and the slightly aggressive look of UK cars has been enforced by BMW UK’S decision to clothe all with M Sport exterior bodystyling as standard. Some testers preferred the less fussy, more reserved look of the standard exterior design, although a typical BMW buyer would likely opt for an M Sport styling kit if given the choice.
Suspension is by double wishbones and multiple links underneath steel coil springs and adaptive dampers; unlike on rival GTS, there will be no air suspension option. Steering is electrically assisted, and by an active variable ratio ‘integral active’ steering system that acts on both front and rear axles. Drive goes to the rear axle by default, to then be sent in part to the front one as well as deemed necessary by the car’s intelligent xdrive four-wheel-drive system. Pay for BMW’S optional M Sport Technic package (£2500) and you get beefed-up brakes, a torquevectoring rear differential and nonrun-flat performance tyres (which our test car had); otherwise, the 840d comes on run-flat tyres as standard.
The 840d’s straight-six diesel engine produces a bit more power (315bhp) and torque (501lb ft) than it did in the outgoing BMW 640d coupé – but only as much of either as you get in a 740d. It’s hooked up to an eightspeed automatic gearbox with a wider spread of ratios than the 640d had.
INTERIOR
BMW cockpits have a reputation for ergonomic excellence, but the confines of a 7 Series or 5 Series are opulent to a passable, rather than conspicuous, degree. It’s a realm in which Mercedes and latterly Audi have the better of their compatriot, with richer materials and a more convincing technological showcase, but the second-generation 8 Series could change that. Here is an opportunity for BMW to flex some creativity with a cabin that hits the bullseye for grand-touring comfort and technological sophistication.
It’s not been entirely successful here, and while perceived quality is greater than any other BMW in recent memory, the 8 Series’ interior lacks the cheek-puffing ‘wow’ factor of an S-class Coupé. Even the decadence of the optional crystal gearlever and mirror-ball rotary controls can’t dispel the business-like aura.