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The company is promising a 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds, which is impressive given that the whole package weighs in at just under two tons. That’s with a whole load of carbon fibre included to reduce the weight.
Like the original, there’s plenty of brawn about the new 8. Obviously there’s the V8 lump under the bonnet, but there’s a level of presence about the styling too, although that varies depending on specification. There’s an active exhaust to make some noise and large rear tyres to get the power to the tarmac, although not run-flats because these are not as comfortable for a car that is both sports car and GT.
Testing the GT bit was relatively easy. It was a Saturday morning and the roads were full of tourists and cyclists. We had little chance to put test to any claims here, although the occasional piece of twisty tarmac did allow us to experience the active rear-wheel steering.
It’s basically the same system as on the 7 Series, allowing for up to three degrees of turn with the direction depending on your speed. It works very well on the tighter corners, making a car measuring in at 4,851mm feel a fair bit smaller. It was comfortable too, with a great driving position and the kind of equipment you expect. GT box ticked.
Talking of equipment, it gets the new BMW Connected Drive system including over the air updates and a 10.25-inch touchscreen with displays that you can personalise to show the information you really need.
It’s joined by a fully digital instrument cluster too. The display is a bit too 1980s arcade game. Maybe it’s just something different in a BMW. I’ll reserve judgement for now.
I’ll also reserve judgement on the optional glass gearstick and starter button. The button’s ok, but you can’t talk about how dynamic and sporty a model is and then have a sort of Swarovski crystal gearstick. You wouldn’t have seen that on the original. Each to their own on this one, I think.
All of which brings us to the track, the best place to test all 530 horses and switch everything into full sports mode.
Here things become clear. The M850i is a GT in the original sense, a car that can take you to the track in the morning, play all day and then you pull a sports jacket from the boot and drive to dinner in the evening.
The paddle shifters are annoyingly too far in for easy use but leave the gear changing up to the car and it instinctively knows what you want to do, leaving you to concentrate on placing the car correctly.
The new M850i is playful but controlled, raw but yet refined. I’m not convinced it’s the most dynamic non-M BMW though, nor the new flagship either.
The BMW M850i xDrive coupe will arrive in SA in the first quarter of next year, priced at R1,887,827.
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