Review: 2019 BMW 8-Series

Rather than fitting into a new position atop the BMW range, this 8-Series will actually slide into the gap left by the departed 6-Series coupe, but push it upmarket to fight against the Mercedes S-Class Coupe and Porsche’s Panamera.

From the outside, this new Eight is stunning, quite possibly the best work that BMW has produced for years, from the pen of 36-year-old British designer John Buckingham after a global competition between four BMW design houses. The original 8-Series was quite often derided for its actual ability, but age has weathered its looks well, and its pop-up headlights are a highlight in a world bereft of such quirky features. Buckingham has used all the tricks available to him to make it as striking as a large coupe can be without resorting to gimmickry. Where pop-up headlights were not possible he created the slimmest headlights that have ever been seen on a BMW, the latest LED and laser light technology allowing him to ape the slim running lights of the original Eight without compromising the user.

Inside, the new Eight demonstrates the latest generation of BMW interiors. The 10.2-inch screen is now a touchscreen (although the traditional rotary dial remains) and features incredible levels of customisation. Remembering that this Eight will easily edge north of £100,000 with options, there are plenty of touches to add refinement – the gearstick is cut from glass. Glistening in the dappled sunlight of our southern Spain test drive it features a prominent ‘8’ in the middle which, thanks to the facets of cut glass, can be seen from almost every angle.

The driving position is excellent, you can sit almost under the floor if you wish to push the new multifunction sports seats to their extremes. These new chairs are very comfortable for motorways, but perhaps lack a little support during more spirited adventure. The side and lumbar support can be adjusted but don’t adjust quite enough to fit a more slender frame, and side leg support is almost non-existent.

In Spain we drove the two launch engines: the £76,270, 3.0-litre, inline six-cylinder diesel producing 320PS (316bhp) and 680Nm (501lb ft) is badged as an 840d, while the petrol option, a 4.4-litre V8 (lifted and slightly detuned from the M5) with 530PS (523bhp) and 750Nm (553lb ft), receives a cursory prefixed ‘M’ badge as the M850i and will fetch £99,525 on the road.

Mindful of its price, the Eight comes well kitted-out as standard, with BMW’s latest operating system – it can be updated over the air – and BMW’s version of a completely digital dash, which blends the Sat-Nav visuals seamlessly into the dials. BMW’s excellent head-up display is also standard along with LED headlights, a fully leather trim, automatic boot-lid operation for the surprisingly capacious 420-litre luggage space, eight-speed auto gearbox, 20” alloys, adaptive suspension, BMW’s natty smartphone-style Display Key, climate control, DAB radio, Sat-Nav, wireless charging and a host of “M” badges – M Sport is the standard spec on for the Eight. Part with some more cash for the M850i and you’ll add the M Sport differential, sport exhaust and some extra sporty colour options.

Of the engines the petrol is the pick, full of beans and able to pull the 1,900kg Eight to 62mph in just 3.7 seconds. It provides the sort of spark that will set the Eight apart from the competition. While the diesel wallops out plenty of torque, it's a little slow to react low down, and leaves you waiting for a reaction when you try to get out of trouble. The petrol motor on the other hand reacts well, especially for a turbo unit, able to pull in all gears without too much of a pause.

Behind the wheel the Eight is a little bit of a compromise, but that's not necessarily a bad thing: the 8-Series, after all, plays in niche of luxury performance coupe. There’s elements of trying to conquer every possibility; is it a motorway muncher, eating up the miles as a proper Grand Tourer when the owner flies across Europe? Or is it actually a sports car, ready for an M badge across its rear? It does both with ease, and will happily munch up mile after mile at the speed limit without breaking any kind of sweat. But the push to be a bit of a performance car has led to a small compromise on ride. Then Eight can be firm, communicating each bump to the driver and jarring occupants over the bigger humps, which is probably because the Eight is sprung with steel rather than air – in an effort to chase performance. But with steering that’s light and damping that gathers up those bumps, it’s not enough to put you off. It’s also whisper-quiet in the cabin, although we could probably do without the rather fake noise the diesel makes in Sport mode.

So, it’s a speed demon then? Well you can have fun in the Eight up in the twistier stuff, but it’s not what you could call playful – which probably isn’t too surprising given that it’s just under five metres long and nearly two wide. The modern Eight is available in xDrive form only, so turn in hard and you will feel the front wash out slightly, but only slightly. That lightness of steering translates into a slight lack of feel when pushed. BMW’s Integral Active Steering is now much better than it once was, but still can’t quite adapt enough, leaving the handling a little unsure mid-corner. What it does incredibly well is hide its size. The Eight seems to shrink round you, to the point that you completely forget how big it is until you return to in-town driving. That’s partly down to the four-wheel-steer system – the rears steer against the fronts at slow speeds and with at high – and in part BMW’s M Sport diff (standard on the 50i, a £2,500 option on the 40d as part of a pack that also brings the bigger 395mm M Sport brakes), which doesn’t turn the Eight into a drifting king, but does allow that extra bit of adjustability to the ride.

While not perfect the Eight has a few trump cards up its sleeve, firstly the looks – turn up at any event, anywhere in the world and you are going to steal the show. Secondly the breadth of ability. There’s a host of cars that can do the individual things better than the Eight, but few, if any that can match it for ability across all scenarios. Sure you might turn up a little less calmed than in an S-Class Coupe, and you might not be as fast as if you blasted there in a 911. But you will get out and feel better about yourself in the Eight. It will smash through the Euro miles on the way to a meeting in Frankfurt, and it will embarrass the B-road princesses on the way back. And at the end of it all they will wish they looked as good as you do. Now BMW, can we please have a go in the M8?

Stat Attack

Engine: 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbo-diesel/4.4-litre, V8 turbo petrol.

Transmission: eight-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Power/Torque: 320PS (316bhp)/ 680Nm (501lb ft) (840d); 530PS (523bhp)/ 750Nm (553 lb ft) (M850i)

0-62mph: 4.9secs (840d); 3.7secs (M850i)

Top speed: 134mph (250km/h)

Price: £76,270 (840d); £99,525 (M850i)