BMW M850i mixes luxury with speed

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

BMW M850iBase price: $259,400Powertrain and performance: 4.4-litre turbo petrol V8, 390kW/750Nm, 8-speed automatic, AWD, Combined economy 10.9 litres per 100km, 0 to 100km/h 3.7 seconds.Vital statistics: 4843mm long, 1341mm high, 2822mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 420 litres, 20-inch alloy wheels with 245/35 front tyres, 275/30 rear.We like: Aggressive looks. That fantastic engine. Superbly fast and agile.We don't like: It's quite big. Steering holds you at a distance.

The 6 Series was BMW's big coupe and convertible, but then it morphed into the odd-but-kinda-cool 7 Series lift back form that it exists as today, because BMW wanted to revive the iconic 8 Series moniker. And this is it in its current top form - the M850i.

No pop up headlights then?

The 8 Series looks far more elegant in the metal. And more aggressive too.

Sadly, no. Pop up headlights simply aren't a thing anymore, due to their aerodynamic inefficiency and horrifying pedestrian mangling abilities when up. Plus imagine just how big that massive double kidney grille would get without headlights to place some limits on the designers?

While that huge grille is controversial, it does work far, far better in the metal than in photos, giving the M850i a bold and aggressive presence on the road.

The incredibly low and wide body also appears sleeker, more aggressive and remarkably shark-like in the metal as well, meaning that the M850i has some serious road presence.

Simultaneously more elegant and more aggressive than the last 6 Series coupe, the M850i doesn't really make any stylistic nods to its older namesake in any way, instead focusing on BMW's aggressively large grilled, angular design future.

And, in the metal, it works very well indeed.

Actually, who cares what it looks like - it's still a RWD V8-powered monster, right?

That's half right - the M850i is powered by a refreshed version of BMW's spectacular twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8, but in this application it drives all four wheels.

The V8 produces a healthy 390kW of power and 750Nm of torque - which alone makes a good argument for making the M850i AWD - and the AWD system channels that prodigious power to the ground in a spectacularly competent fashion.

The steeply raked roofline does restrict rear seat headroom, but the boot is still generous.

While 'spectacularly competent' may seem like a contradiction in terms, but it really isn't - the power pours through the wheels in a ruthlessly efficient fashion, with virtually no wheel-scrabbling drama wasting any of the spectacular forward momentum that it produces.

The M850i will hit the New Zealand open road speed limit in a supercar embarrassing 3.7 seconds and continue well into instant loss of licence territory in a few seconds thereafter, but it is the application of that remarkable thrust out of corners that makes it truly fun to drive on otherwise seemingly unsuitable Kiwi roads.

The M850i charges relentlessly forward when the loud pedal is pressed to the carpet - literally in any gear, at any speed too - with corners doing little to slow its insistent forward motion, because the AWD system is ruthlessly efficient here too.

The M850i can hit 100km/h in 3.7 seconds, so those big brakes are very necessary.

There is little need for finesse when exiting a corner and the usual 'ease on the throttle past the apex' approach quickly becomes 'stand on it now!' with a slight squirm from the rear being worst thing that happens when you aggressively apply the throttle sooner than you would want to if the M850i was solely RWD.

The way it goes into corners is not necessarily what you would expect from a large luxury coupe either, with the big BMW possessing a surprisingly agile deftness when turning in, not to mention some simply monster brakes to slow things down.

Are you really saying it is a big luxury coupe that is a sharp handler?

Oh, yes, as counter-intuitive as that might seem, the M850i is a decently sharp handler, with nicely responsive and accurate steering complementing the impressively agile handling.

This particular interior colour mix may not be to every taste, but you have five other choices.

The 8 Series is undeniably a big car that weighs more than 1800kg, but this bulk is beautifully disguised by the active cleverness going on in the background. Active damping, four-wheel steering, active anti-roll and the like all do their thing completely invisibly, staying out of your way and making the M850i feel more like a well-sorted car several hundred kilograms lighter.

Okay, so the steering is somewhat artificially weighted and holds you slightly at a distance, ultimately isolating you from total and complete involvement, but none of that particularly gets in the way of the M850i being impressively enjoyable on a winding road - although a lot of the credit for that has to go to the addictively unrelenting way you can power out of a corner.

All the time you are doing this, the M850i is supplying a beautifully brawny soundtrack in the form of a civilised, but thoroughly spine-tingling V8 roar.

Civilised? So that means it is more of a luxury car then?

Of course it is a luxury car, but it just happens to be one that still manages to nail the fun side of driving.

But, of course, for your $260k you do expect a serious amount of luxury too, and the M850i delivers here as well.

The interior is beautifully made and impressively high-tech, with all of its leather appointments, gesture controls, multiple screens and the like.

However it does present in what might seem a slightly old-fashioned form, keeping, as it does, a very traditional BMW look.

This doesn't stop it being a cutting edge user experience, however, as well as being amazingly comfortable, although the long drop down into the seats and resulting struggle out again may put off, shall we say 'less agile' buyers.

Any other cars I should consider?

The obvious competitor for the M850i is the almost identically-priced ($259,200) Mercedes-Benz S 560 coupe that is fractionally less powerful and slower, but arguably more comfortable and luxurious. Of course, there is the more expensive AMG version that is quicker, but then the forthcoming M8 will be the BMW challenger for the AMG.

The Lexus LC500 in either V8 or hybrid form is another option, with its spectacular supercar looks, Lexus luxury and serious performance.