Everything you need to know about the new BMW 8 Series

While the racers battled through the night BMW finally whipped the covers off its new flagship sports coupe for the road, the all-new 8-Series, arriving 19 years after the last Eight went out of production.

So, what are those headlines for the new flagship? First and foremost it is, asserts BMW, a sportscar, something the last Eight never was. Driving dynamics was the primary development objective to achieve, in BMW’s words, “the supreme agility, precision and poise expected of a top-class sportscar.” 0-62mph for the M850i is 3.7 seconds. They want us to think more 911 than S-Class coupe.

It’s bigger than a 911 – by 300mm in length – but 200mm shorter than the top two-door Merc and BMW believes the 8-Series has found a spot in the luxury coupe market to call its own. Add what is a thrusting and dynamic new design language – as accurately foretold by the concept car we saw at the Festival of Speed in 2017 – and just as predictably a great deal of power, luxury and electronics, and it’s clear BMW is revisiting the number Eight with deadly intent.

As well as the petrol and diesel models already confirmed, and on sale in the UK from this month, expect a range of Eights with probable, though yet to be confirmed, convertible, V12 and full-blown M versions in the pipeline. It is in this way that the Eight will assert its seniority over the 6-Series, the coupe version of which is actually a little longer than the new Eight, as well as more expensive in some forms. It will be interesting to see how the 6-Series two-doors fit into the range going forward.

The 2018 8-Series comes with one thing the previous Eight, never had: a racing pedigree. It’s a fledgling one at the moment but how welcome is it that a top-line sports BMW is re-establishing the connection between road and race cars, so successful from the 1970s with such iconic cars as the CSL ‘Batmobile’ that we love so much today. The M8 GTE will need to finish a little higher up the order than 12th however… 

And the race cars at Le Mans this year? BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt described the weekend as an “emotional rollercoaster” as the pair of cars showed early pace to stay at the sharp end of the GTE Pro class but were dogged by technical issues and an accident that put one car out early on the Sunday morning.

“The BMW M8 GTE left a really strong impression and a podium seemed to be in reach,” said Marquardt. “We were able to prove the full potential of our new car. In addition, we experienced the world premiere of the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe on this unique stage. That’s another reason why this event will remain a good memory.”

All you need to know about the new 8...

Design

Officially, the new design themes provide “clarity, modernity and emotional engagement”. And unofficially? Pretty stonking we reckon. It is certainly a very expressive design with muscular bulges and powerful stance, though all very much in the BMW mould. The jutting intake, ultra-slim LED lights and wide grille dominate the front end; the profile is unashamedly sporting coupe with a slim and tapering window line. At the back, the look is wide and low.

Construction 

The body and running gear is a lightweight mix of steel, aluminium and plastics while at the car’s heart is the Carbon Core technology of the latest 7-Series with which the 8-Series shares much…including assembly in BMW’s Dingolfing plant. 

Engines and performance 

Two are confirmed so far: a petrol M850i with 523bhp from its twin-turbo V8, and a diesel 840d with 316bhp from its 3.0-litre inline six. The petrol unit, a reworked version of the familiar 4.4-litre V8, is the torque champion of the pair with 553lb-ft and it gets from 0-62mph in 3.7secs with a 28.3mpg fuel rating. BMW is promising a rich V8 soundtrack in the Sport+ drive mode.

The diesel is not short of pulling power with its 502lb-ft, enough to see it fly to 62mph from rest in 4.9 seconds; its fuel rating is 46.3mpg. Both petrol and diesel versions are limited to 155mph.

Running gear 

Both engines use an improved version of the eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission and xDrive permanent all-wheel drive, with torque bias to the rear wheels. Launch control is standard as is BMW’s take on active steering – less wheel twiddling at low speeds, less nervousness at higher speeds – while active roll stabilisation is optional. As well as the claimed sportscar agility, BMW has majored on the car’s refined ride, with some of the development work having been done on typically bumpy British backroads.

Interior 

It’s a two-plus-two with frameless front windows, like the original 8-Series, but not alas with that car’s opening rear windows and missing B-pillars for the classic pillarless coupe look. Up front, there are new electric memory seats separated from each other by a notably wide and high centre console. Behind are two low-set buckets for kids with and split fold-down backrests to boost the 420-litre boot when more luggage space is needed. 

Gizmos and gadgets

In a word: lots. As you would expect of a sporting luxury flagship. Camera images and data gathered by ultrasonic and radar sensors monitor the vehicle’s surroundings, warn of potential hazards and minimise the risk of an accident with corrective braking or steering inputs – in other words, all the latest BMW Personal Co-Pilot systems. The car will even take action to avoid a cyclist. There’s also a standard head-up display, the remote-control Parking Assistant, loads of connectivity – with your smartphone, smart watch, Alexa-devices etc – and BMW’s latest operating system for the all-digital display and control functions. The dash is made up of a high-resolution 12.3-inch display and separate 10.25-inch control screen behind the steering wheel. You can turn the car into a mobile office using Microsoft Office 365 with Skype for Business.

How much?

The petrol M850i xDrive is £100,045 and the diesel 840d xDrive comes in at £76,270. They are available to order now in the UK with first deliveries expected November.