Drive Test: Is the new BMW M850i (2019) a great eight?

The resurrection of the 8 Series badge, particualry the M850i, after a lengthy hiatus that has seen a busy BMW invent and refine several now-mainstream segments, including the ubiquitous SUV no less. Yes it’s been that long – BMW’s X-badge wasn’t even a twinkle in BMW’s eye when the original 8-Series was around. 

One can debate where the M850i fits in with the brand’s perception. Numerically this is the brand’s halo model and the price certainly nibbles at the ultra-premium space, yet undercuts models like the Bentley Continental GT. Regardless, it’s a space where BMW hasn’t played for a long time so you might expect them to be a little rusty in aiming the BMW badge straight up to the sky. How premium can BMW go with what is quite a traditional formula?

Exterior

The previous 8 Series lived in a period of gorgeous wedged-shaped Ferraris like the Testesorrsa. If you look at Ferrari’s evolutionary styling since then, you’ll have accurate context to review the new M850i. It’s hard to find one really interesting design element, so while it’s an attractive car we’d stop short of saying it’s truly eye-popping. This is because the M850i has been designed to spawn several bodystyle iterations (convertible, Gran Coupe and of course the M8) so styling and therefore packaging is recognisably modular, even compromised. This taints the 8 Series’ purity – leave the model density to 5 Series and 4 Series. 

Every 8 Series up to this point has broken rank, whether it was the James Bond factor of the Z8 or the gullwing doors of the i8. In the past it was as if BMW assigned and funded an elite team to the 8 Series badge with a whole new framework of accountability but this isn’t as creatively unhinged.

Interior

Behind the very conventional doors is a very conventional 2+2 cabin that lacks the artistic craftsmanship of a car costing R2 million. I drove the BMW X5 a week before this and seating position aside, the M850i places the same strong emphasis on technology and driver assistance systems. You can buy these packages on a 3 Series and their function is exactly the same… very Germanic. Exceptionally well-engineered, and on a long journey I can’t think of quieter, smoother places to sit but its elegance is prejudiced by carbon fibre and jet-fighter dials.  This is not a cockpit of beautifully sourced veneers or centre-placed analogue timepiece. It’s a cabin for speed.

Driving

This 8 Series made a world debut at Le Mans meaning that there’s veritable merit to BMW’s claim that this has racing in its blood. The long nose of the previous 8 Series was an element of form and function with BMW’s V12 yet today the space is less necessary with the very compact twin turbo V8. The motor has been revised with new heat shields, better cooling and a new crankcase to put out 390kW and 750Nm. This is an engine that we know can produce considerably higher states of tune but 0-100kph in 3.7 seconds is hardly shabby, is it? Bodes well for the M8.

The new BMW M850i is a hugely forgiving and flattering car to drive fast, developed for the autobahn but equally comfortable on a tight twisty road where the sharp brakes, taut body control across all axis and all-wheel drive system virtually shrink the wheelbase to be no more daunting than a 440i on steroids. And because BMW’s been so busy of late defying physics with SUVs and large sedans that handle like sportscars, applying those same systems and materials to a car of the 850i’s favourable proportions and aerodynamics enables them to shine.

During our drive I’m reminded that BMW conceptualised the M8 first, then let the spicy broth reduce itself into models like the M850i. Further proof of the relationship between the two’s mechanical construction can be found the carbon fibre roof and BMW’s carbon core which is sandwiched away from view between creased metal and fine leather. 

Verdict

There’s nothing groundbreakingly new that BMW has brought to the table with the M850i. You can find all these systems, hardware, speed throughout the range but it is in the alchemy that the vestiges of the BMW 8 Series can be heard and sampled.

Looping back to the headline, the new BMW 8 Series feels like a replacement for the current 6 Series rather than thoroughly eclipsing it. Soon you’ll be able to buy the 8 Series as a Gran Coupe which will render the remaining 6 Series model null and void, joining the fate of the 6 Series other models. Showroom floors are crowded, so the potential choice between 6 Series and 8 Series has been removed which suggests to us that the diversity is smaller than many would like. The 8 Series is always surrounded itself with drama and theatre… the success of BMW’s other models depends on it. Andrew Leopold

SPECIFICATION                                                                

• R1 872 900
• 4395cc, V8 twin-turbo, AWD, 390kW, 750Nm
• 10.5l/100km, 240g/km CO2
• 0–100kph in 3.7secs, 250kph
• 1890kg
• VERDICT: A Germanic astuteness sees the 8 Series competent but not charismatic