ICBM in Lederhosen
The badge designation ‘GT’ is pretty misused. Hyundai’s got the Elantra GT for instance. A fine car, don’t get us wrong, but would you really call it a Grand Tourer? Or how about the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT? It’s got the grand part right, but if you’re looking for that sweet spot between power and comfort, not so much. Maybe you need a car that doesn’t call itself a GT, if you really want a GT – like this lovely thing. The BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe. It’s essentially the new 6-series, as we’ve established in the past. But this one – BMW’s M-division were given access to it. For real this time. Despite a plethora of M badges on the non-M M850i. This is getting more confusing than the German word for 7,254. (It’s ‘siebentausendzweihundertvierundfünfzig’ if you were curious.) But thankfully getting behind the wheel and driving this thing is far simpler.
Look at that. Have you seen something so classy yet so aggressive before? Subjective question, we know, but this combination of British Racing Green over a lovely caramel interior is one of the most strikingly elegant ways to spec this car. Black on black is overdone in my mind. This car really deserves something better. In such a plain colour, it almost blends far too much into everyday traffic. But we know some drivers value that. Try navigating it around a tight city street and that thought leaves your head faster than this car’s intimidatingly quick 3.3 second sprint to 100. This is a big car. The regular 8 is hefty, but adding the rear seats nearly puts it into 7-series territory. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is a GT after all.
Those rear seats are a very comfortable place for kids or adults alike. We had no issues with headroom or legroom in the supportive seats. But if you’re on the taller side, you might want to call shotgun if you know a long trip is ahead of you. In the front, the M8’s seats wrap passenger and driver in supple support. The tan of this tester is especially exquisite. Did I already say that? The dashboard is otherwise very typical BMW…almost to a fault. Consistency is nice, but this dashboard is almost a little too reminiscent of that in a lower-series BMW. Despite the shackled monster under the hood, it’s quiet inside too. Road and wind noise were minimal hardly noticeable with the radio on. But plant your foot down and that glorious 4.4L twin-turbo V8 is jolted to life, filling the cabin with some delightful engine noise. We couldn’t help but notice exhaust crackles have been seriously toned down compared to some other BMW’s we’ve tested. But that’s okay. Snap, crackle and pop don’t seem to suit this car…at least when it’s in comfort mode. It’s such an exhausted comparison at this point, but this car really is a Jekyll and Hyde situation.
See those two bright red buttons on either side of the steering wheel? Think of them as your Mr. Hyde buttons. But what kind of Hyde would you prefer? Putting this car into Sport mode sets it up for high performance motoring. But high performance doesn’t have to mean stiff and brutal. Those two buttons let you set customizable sport modes. So let’s say you wanted maximum performance but a softer ride with full traction control in place. No problem. You can set up the mode and assign it to one of the buttons. And of course, if you wanted every ounce of power in its most unbridled offering, that’s available too. Or you can just use the car’s preset sports mode settings. Is there anything this car can’t do? Yes. Good fuel economy. Even in comfort mode with a conservative right foot, the numbers just aren’t good. But no one buys an M car for its fuel economy do they. If you want an 8 that’s good on gas and excites, try the outgoing i8 instead. But this one, for all its engineering prowess, is decidedly a little more old school, and we love it for that.
Who is this car for? Someone who wants supercar killing performance without slipping a disc. Someone who has adult friends they’d occasionally like to take on a road trip. Even a well-to-do family person. Like the vehicle itself, there’s a fairly versatile group of people who would be interested in this thing. But there’s one factor that could keep them away – the cost. With a base price of $148,000 and our tester ringing in at just over $167,000, deep pockets are a must. And at that price point – what sets the M8 apart? It’s more of an unexpected choice. I mean…you could buy an Aston Martin Vantage for less than our tester. That Aston is undeniably prettier. But the big BMW gets to 100 faster. It has more power. More comfort. More practicality. And it’ll seat two in the back with little to no compromise. Let’s see your Vantage do that.
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