Saar: At its market launch in November 2018, it will be available in two variants – M850i and M840d. Both will come with xDrive four-wheel-drive systems as standard.
Ladies and gentlemen, after an absence of nearly 20 years, the BMW 8 Series name is back in business. As promised, the Bavarian automaker has taken the wraps off the all-new 8 Series in its Coupe form at the eve of the 24-hour Le Mans endurance event. And since it was developed alongside the M8 GTE, the endurance racer, BMW claims the road-going version is a “top-class sports car”. Right then, let’s get into the details.
As you’d expect, the production version of the 8 Series Coupe isn’t as outlandish as the concept was, which made its first public appearance at the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. That said, it is still quite a head turner. Its low slug body is accompanied by a long bonnet, “double bubble” roof, strong shoulder line and gills on the side. The sporty quotient is further accentuated by the large air vents in the front bumper and slats with dual integrated exhaust pipes in the rear one.
The skeleton is high-tech too. BMW claims a “well-balanced” weight distribution, thanks to a lightweight construction using aluminium, magnesium and carbon-fibre-reinforced-plastic (CFRP). Those sleek headlamp enclosures, which the company claims are the slimmest of any BMW model to date, get LED units as standard. The adaptive LED headlights and BMW Laserlight with Selective Beam are available as optional extras. Other options for the exterior include M carbon roof and M Carbon exterior package with air intake slats, exterior mirror covers, rear spoiler and a rear diffuser.
BMW Begins Teasing Production-Spec Z4 With Camouflaged Test Mule
Inside the cabin, there are four seats which are draped in Vernasca leather as standard. Other goodies include an automatic boot lid operation, which opens up to flaunt a 420-litre luggage capacity, and a 50:50 split folding rear seats. The standard feature-list is quite extensive with BMW Live Cockpit Professional including a fully digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen Control Display, a multi-function steering wheel, voice control and BMW gesture control. Features such as wireless mobile phone charging, BMW Display Key and a Bowers & Wilkins sound system are available as options.
On the safety and driver assistance front, the BMW 8 Series comes with Driving Assistant Professional including Active Cruise Control and Stop & Go function, and Steering and lane control assistant. Additionally, you get a lot of warning systems including Lane Change Warning and Lane Departure Warning, Crossing traffic warning, Priority warning and Wrong-way warning.
What’s powering it? Well, at the time of launch, which is due in November this year, the BMW 8 Series will be available in two guises – M850i xDrive and M40d xDrive. The obvious takeaway from those two is the availability of BMW’s all-wheel-drive system. The M850i is powered by a reworked 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8 that puts out 530PS/750Nm. The M40d, on the other hand, houses a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder turbo-diesel mill that generates 320PS/680Nm. Both engines come mated to an 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. The 0-100kmph times for the petrol- and diesel-fed engines are rated at 3.7 seconds and 4.9 seconds respectively. The top speed for both model variants is limited to 250kmph.
To keep things in check and to help the Coupe put down its power down effectively, there is a rear axle differential lock, adaptive M suspension, integral active steering and mixed-size tyres. BMW will offer active roll stabilisation as an optional extra on the M850i xDrive Coupe.
While BMW has made every effort to make the 8 Series a compelling overall package, it hasn’t played conservatively on the looks front. The 8 Series Coupe will go up against the likes of the Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe and the Audi RS7. After launching the 8 Series in its Coupe form, BMW will launch the convertible, Gran Turismo and full-blown M variants next year.
What's your reaction?
