The BMW 8 Series spent most of its time testing in Germany, endlessly lapping the Nurburgring. But before signing off on their product, engineers took handed it over to the media in North Whales.
We learned a bunch of stuff about the M850i, this particularly handsome version of the 8er. While we all wait for the official reveal in June, we recommend watching a review like the one shot by YouTuber Shmee150.
First things first, the 8 Series is not a coupe version of the 7 Series. It's got its own thing going on - a combination between Porsche 911 and Bentley Continental GT. The technology is different too, including the engine.
While many other BMW models have a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine, the one in the M850i is totally re-worked. It's got new turbos running 350 bar of pressure, new bearings, pistons, and a new coating. Not only does it make a meaty 530 HP and 750 Nm of torque, but it's also hooked up to a new 8-speed auto from ZF, which is supposed to be faster.
The black bag treatment means you won't get any 0 to 100 km/h times, but 4 seconds sounds reasonable. Also, BMW seems to have fixed the sound problem plaguing most of its M cars. This by itself will give Mercedes-AMG reason to be worried.
As it's supposed to drive like a real sports car but also be very comfortable, the 8 Series has an electro-mechanical anti-roll bar, just like Bentley is using. And like the 911, the 8er will be available with four-wheel steering which BMW calls Integral Active Steering.
And you don't just get any old xDrive, as active torque vectoring is standard, at least on this M Performance version. All these things mean Comfort and Sport Plus driving modes have never been further apart.
The car is obviously going to look great, and everybody is going to want the brutish M version, not the sleeker regular one. But the bit that puzzles us is how they made such a long car with rear seats the size of those in the Audi TT.
First things first, the 8 Series is not a coupe version of the 7 Series. It's got its own thing going on - a combination between Porsche 911 and Bentley Continental GT. The technology is different too, including the engine.
While many other BMW models have a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine, the one in the M850i is totally re-worked. It's got new turbos running 350 bar of pressure, new bearings, pistons, and a new coating. Not only does it make a meaty 530 HP and 750 Nm of torque, but it's also hooked up to a new 8-speed auto from ZF, which is supposed to be faster.
The black bag treatment means you won't get any 0 to 100 km/h times, but 4 seconds sounds reasonable. Also, BMW seems to have fixed the sound problem plaguing most of its M cars. This by itself will give Mercedes-AMG reason to be worried.
As it's supposed to drive like a real sports car but also be very comfortable, the 8 Series has an electro-mechanical anti-roll bar, just like Bentley is using. And like the 911, the 8er will be available with four-wheel steering which BMW calls Integral Active Steering.
And you don't just get any old xDrive, as active torque vectoring is standard, at least on this M Performance version. All these things mean Comfort and Sport Plus driving modes have never been further apart.
The car is obviously going to look great, and everybody is going to want the brutish M version, not the sleeker regular one. But the bit that puzzles us is how they made such a long car with rear seats the size of those in the Audi TT.