M850i Gran Coupe ‘Roadshow’s Top BMW 8 Series Pick
M850i Gran Coupe offers “big bang for your buck” with four doors, turbo V8, optional four-wheel steering, excellent driving manners.
The BMW 8 Series is the Bavarian juggernaut. Its purpose: to make the highway its domain. Last time around, you could only get one as a two-door coupe with either a V12 or V8, plus pop-up headlights. As for tech, it could be had with an optional car phone. Other than that, it was made for cruising the open road, and nothing more.
This time around, there are two- and four-door coupes to be had, including the M850i Gran Coupe. Roadshow by CNET’s Emme Hall recently reviewed the big cruiser, declaring it “the best bang for your buck” out of the 8 Series family.
“That’s more than enough power for this four-door, even with the added 300 pounds it carries over the two-door coupe,” Hall says. That’s because of the big 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 under the hood. Packed with 523 horses and 553 lb-ft of torque, it will definitely get out of its own way. The eight-speed automatic helps move that power around, as does the optional all-wheel steering system. In short, the M850i Gran Coupe will carve canyons like a Ferrari.
Inside the M850i Gran Coupe, you won’t find a car phone. If you have an iPhone, though, you’ll be able to use Apple CarPlay on the big Bavarian’s iDrive infotainment system. Plus, it’s wireless, and there’s no subscription fee to use CarPlay in your car. Android Auto users, meanwhile, won’t be left out in the cold for too much longer. Roadshow reported in December 2019 that BMW is bringing wireless Android Auto to all models this July.
The niceties continue with the optional diamond-cut glass shifter, something you’re not going to find in the Mercedes S-Class. You’ve also got heated and cooled seating, heated armrests and steering wheel, and a bonkers sound system. And of course, plenty of driving-assist technology to keep you and yours safe and sound.
“The M850i Gran Coupe has more than enough power, but maintains a level of composure that makes it suitable for daily driving,” said Hall. “It’s more functional than the coupe or convertible, and honestly, it looks better, too.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Photos: Roadshow
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