The Good

1. Just look at it! It has to be one of the best looking 4 door cars on the road! It gets attention everywhere.
2. Luxurious cabin. Everything feels expensive to touch and looks high quality. It’s comfortable to spend a lot of time in.
3. The Engine. A 4.4l V8 Twin Turbo with 530hp which sounds like a muscle car at low revs and pops and bangs on downshifts when hot.
4. Despite being comfort orientated it is agile and disguises its weight well whilst maintaining a great ride.
5. In Gran Coupe form it now comfortably has space for 4 adults and plenty of luggage with discernible change in the way it drives.

The Bad

1. Fuel Consumption – You don’t expect a big car with a V8 to be good on fuel but 13-14mpg is all I averaged in both the GC and Convertible! I think it could do much better on a cruise but beware if you press on or around town!
2. Depreciation – Big BMW’s don’t hold onto their value well and the 8 Series is not different. On the upside, they make a great used buy!
3. Size, this is a very big and heavy car at over 5 metres long but for that you do get a lot of space.
4. Some say the interior is too similar to a 1 series and on first glance it is but the level of quality is leaps and bounds on from its baby brother.
5. Only 2 rear seats – They may have a lot of room and be comfortable seats but important to note their are only two rear seats which could be an issue for some.

The Summary

The M850i Gran Coupe is one of my favourite cars. It feels special at all times, looks beautiful (subjective I know), feels luxurious yet drives well on both motorway cruises and even more so on a good road. It sounds fantastic and has incredible performance with 0-60mph in the 3’s even four up. Just be aware it drinks copious amounts of fuel and if you buy new it will depreciate heavily. It’s hard to see why you would need the extra performance from the M8 but I need to drive that to see and the 840d will sip a little more than half the fuel whilst sounding brilliant for a diesel and being almost as quick in real world conditions. If you must have a V8 then the M850i is brilliant but the 840d is every bit as special and with much cheaper running costs and initial outlay it’s the better all rounder.

I hope you like this new style of review for 2020. Make sure you follow my blog to stay up to date and check out my social media pages for all of the images from this and my other photo shoots and drives.

Big thanks as always to Rybrook Warwick BMW for lending me the car.