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Finally, a new cause that does not need a PhD to figure out. The BMW 8 Series is a big, sexy coupe. End of.
It's also a sequel. Back to the tail end of the Eighties, BMW launched the original, an over-engineered, protean super coupe that took the "ultimate driving machine" into heady new territory. That car was discontinued in 1999 after selling just over 30,000 units; a noble failure, you might call it.
The new one of the most important parts of the world and the future of the market. The monolithic, and frankly questionable, looking X7 SUV is one part of that mission, but the new 8 Series cleaves closer to one of GQ'S favorite sectors and one of the most storied: the big, old-school GT. Mayfair is one of the most popular events in the world.
It's a glamorous or rather superficial conceit, which also puts pressure on the car's aesthetics. BMW has been patchy in this look recently and there is certainly no excuse for messing up a wide cut. This is the dream of creating. Mostly, the 8 Series is the best-looking BMW for a long while, but it's still imposing and grandiose rather than truly elegant or artful.
The traditional double kidney grows with each new model, and there's a lot going on beneath it. The body sides have a fluidity that is a variety of things depending on the light catches them, but the upswept shoulder line is a stunner -up.
The roof has a dual-bubble section and can be specified in carbon fiber, a material that also appears in the 8 Series' structure along with aluminum, steel and magnesium. Even so, it still weighs a 1,900kg chunk, with the 523bhp V8 engine, which is less than key rivals like the Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes S560 or Porsche Panamera.
A 3.0-liter diesel is also available, whose range and long-legged make it the obvious match for the GT car as well. An even more potent M8 is waiting in the wings, along with a beautifully aristocratic looking convertible and a four-door incarnation.
Only the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 was available to try; cue a string section of the world's smallest violets. BMW's mastery of powertrains is well-established, and yet it's a cheat by amplifying the induction noise in sport mode via the car's superb audio system, this is still an immensely satisfying engine to have your disposal. It's also very easy and unobtrusive at low revs, only offering hints at its potential. But when you get on with it, this is a monumentally impressive high-performance car.
The BMW M850i Xdrive gets pretty much everything BMW has in the tech arsenal: it's all-wheel drive, has an active rear axle, bespoke suspension settings and adaptive damping. Our active features, anti-roll, and other algorithms – the 8 series gets more interactive.
It is not as important as it is on the road and the steering (also active) is not as alive as it should be. But then you realize that you're somehow traveling faster than you thought (0-60mph in 3.7 seconds gives you some if not all of an idea), and it's apparent that this is one of those cars that repels the real world. That's a highly desirable quality. It rides and stops well, too. And on the fast sweeps and elevation changes that are characteristic of the Estoril circuit, in the Algarve, the 8 Series remains impressively accomplished. Its engine and gearbox are world class and an electronic differential that makes it easier for you to get more out of the game.
Inside, BMW unleashes its full tech firepower once again. The real battle for consumer's hearts and minds is not really being overweight you can get a 530bhp, £ 100k cut; it's in the connectivity inside and interior atmosphere. Actually, most of the 8 series' tech is due to filter down to the new 3 Series, up to and including the most intuitive voice recognition yet. Elsewhere, the M850i has the new generation iDrive 7-inch touchscreen, which can be extensively customized by the driver. The main instruments are now fully digital, which sounds better than they work in practice. Good job there's an excellent head-up display: you can not read what's going on in the hand binnacle. There's a hard drive, access to cloud-based storage, and God knows what else; like Mercedes' latest system, the sheer scale of what has been achieved rather overwhelms its user-friendliness. Great seats, though. And the optional crystal-cut glass gear selector, button start and iDrive selector look and feel fantastically special.
Specialness is actually a core to a car like this. In every respect, the 8 Series is a rigorously and often thrillingly engineered car, one whose old-fashioned concept is overlaid with some of the most compelling new technology currently available. Whether it's a £ 100k BMW – and the rest, if you're going through the options list – is a big enough to be successful. There's plenty more than that, which plays better than understated, even if it's more seductive in the long run.
For more, visit: bmw.co.uk
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