[MUSIC PLAYING]
MARK TAKAHASHI: Last year, BMW reintroduced the 8 Series
after a long, long absence.
They started with the 850i.
But now they're starting to fill in the rest of the lineup.
I'm here in Portugal at the Portimao race circuit.
We're hitting kind of all of the 8 Series variants.
[LAUGHTER]
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[LAUGHS] There we go.
Thankfully, they're giving us track time
in the M8 Coupe, which is really the best place and only
place to explore the potential of this car.
So we have a pro driver that I'll be following for six laps.
And it is a slick track.
It has been raining all day.
But it's not raining currently.
So it shouldn't be too hairy.
There's a whole lot to take into account with the center
here as well as with all the various drive modes.
It's actually rather confusing because you have so many menus
to choose from.
But that said, there are some shortcut buttons just
like the M5, where you can pre-program them.
During the briefing, they did say
that in pretty much every drive mode,
you can have up to 100% power sent to the rear wheels.
And really, the front wheels get power only
when you really need it.
And in Sport Plus modes, it keeps a little more power
going to the rears and limits a little more of what you
can get to the front.
So in a lot of ways, I'll be driving this much
like I would just a regular rear drive car.
One thing I really liked about the 850
is you had a lot of time to react when
things do start sliding around.
A lot of it has to do with a longer wheelbase gives you
just a little bit more time to react.
Oh, there we go, a little squirm.
Woo!
Come on, baby.
Let's go!
Whoa, that's a big dip.
Yup, there's definitely some standing water here.
But I'm really not even feeling much
of a transition when the front wheels start
getting power sent.
It's nice and smooth and linear.
And it's really giving me a lot of confidence--
hopefully, not too much confidence.
Woo-hoo!
We have these adaptive brake lights
that flash when you're under heavy braking.
Whoa, there's a good slide.
It was very controlled, and I felt like I really
didn't have to react too quickly or too aggressively
with the countersteering.
Man, this thing has torque.
So now we just switch to Sport Plus mode,
which should be a lot more aggressive,
but also give me a little more latitude when
it comes to stability control.
It's not going to chop me off nearly as much.
Should let me slide it a little bit more.
Hard on the brakes--
oh, there goes, washing out.
Now, I'm not getting a lot of feedback to the steering wheel.
I had some understeer there.
Whoa, there we go.
Woo!
[LAUGHS] Yeah, Sport Plus is definitely letting
me get away with a lot more here.
This is the place to experience it.
There we go.
Slide it.
There you go.
When it washes out, there's really no foreshadowing of it
with steering feedback.
You don't feel the wheel lighten up
when it loses traction like you would with old school
hydraulic power steering.
Unfortunately, that's just the way things are nowadays.
Oof, I'm working up a pretty decent sweat here.
My biggest fear coming into this drive
was that maybe they'd make the ride quality just too
stiff to remain a decent touring car.
But they haven't.
There's a big enough difference between Sport Plus and Comfort
modes in the suspension, where you get the compliance when
you want it.
And when you want to have some fun on track, like I just did,
you got that too.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Body roll is pretty much nonexistent.
And it really makes the standard 8 Series, like the 850,
feel a little too soft, a little sloppy.
But it's by no means soft or sloppy on its own.
It's really just when you compare it, apples to apples,
against something else.
I would certainly have no problem
living every day with a M850i.
But as good as this M8 is, and as much
range as it has for comfort and performance,
yeah, I think it's worth the extra 20 grand for the M8.
This is the competition.
I don't really think that extra horsepower's
that big of a deal, especially for how much more expensive
the competition is.
SPEAKER 1: Now we're going to do a cooldown lap.
Just roll the speed.
MARK TAKAHASHI: Woo!
I survived.
SPEAKER 1: Not so much braking.
Let the breaks cool down.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MARK TAKAHASHI: In addition to sampling the M8 Coupe
and Convertible, we also have the opportunity
to find out what the 8 Series Gran Coupe is all about, which
is where I am right now.
One of the greatest drawbacks to the regular 8 Series Coupe
is rear-seat space.
It's almost nonexistent.
But with the extra doors and the extra length,
I'm actually OK back here.
Now, my hair is just barely brushing the headliner.
But I'm honestly pretty comfortable back here.
There's not a whole lot of thigh support, which
also isn't that unusual for a car like this
in the back seats.
And there's not a lot of room under the front seats
for my feet either.
But I have plenty of knee room.
Overall, the Gran Coupe solves the space problem
for rear passengers.
I'd be fine back here for a road trip.
After driving the 8 Coupe Convertible and this 840 Gran
Coupe, I can say yes, it is worth the 20 grand a step
up from the 850 to the M8, mostly because
of the suspension.
It is far more athletic.
It corners much flatter.
And there's really not too much of a penalty
when it comes to ride quality.
As far as the 840, the advantages
are very telling as well.
You have a lot more rear passenger space.
And for that kind of convenience without too much of a price
premium, it's starting to make sense
as the choice for most drivers.
If you're looking for more space and more convenience,
definitely look into the Gran Coupe.
And here's the kicker--
there will be an M8 Gran Coupe.
There's no date announced yet, but it is certainly on the way.
For more information on the 8 Series,
M8, as well as the Gran Coupe, head on over to edmunds.com.
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