Test drove the M8 competition coupe yesterday. Visually compared against the e92 and even brought my tape measure. That's when you know longboarder is serious about buying a car. The irony is that I don't own a longboard but around 20 shortboards. I use my e92 for daily which has been pretty much limited to surfing the last 6 months and occasionally going to the office. I will usually throw multiple surfboards in the trunk and fold down the back seat.
While a few inches longer than the e92, the M8 has far less interior space. Narrower trunk space, and pretty much zero rear passenger leg room. Visibility is very poor esp the front windshield is seemingly half the size of the M3. I could live with the M8, but it would be a downgrade in that regard.
Def a nice rumble on start up. Feels and sounds like any 8cyl turbo from BMW or Merc. Nothing really special but sounds better than a 911 Turbo. There is an exhaust button that makes all sorts of terrible crackle sounds on shifting decel so I had to turn it off as it got annoying real quick. Also an M button which allows for comfort, sport and race. I tried comfort and sport only as it was programmed not to go into race. Maybe some of the issues I outlined below with the transmission are alleviated on the race setting. I let it warm up for a while before pushing it.
It's fast off the line when brake boosting for sure. Gets the adrenaline pumping. From a roll there is very little turbo lag but strangely doesnt seem any faster than a stock e92 but of course it is. M3 really lets you experience what is going on, and the 8,350 redline is something truly amazing. That's what is great about the M3...almost the same physical size as the M8 but the weight and drivetrain allow for a visceral experience. So when I floored the M8 from a roll, I felt nothing. Maybe the weight was muting the experience.
But I really shouldn't compare the M8 to e92 M3 in accel that's not fair. Maybe more like a 911 Turbo because interior space, hp and price are similar. Like i said, tried the comfort and sport settings but regardless I didn't like the many "delays". Delays when you punch it - not turbo lag - but it will downshift which isn't quick and also as it nears redline it slows down before shifts. Almost like BMW is doing too much to protect the trans. And in spirited driving / WOT car is ALWAYS shifting. I hated the gearing. Second gear maxes out at 55mph ?! 8 gears is too much for a car with 600tq. You definitely need to short shift the paddles to get max accel in comfort or sport due to the shift delays if you let the car shift itself...and that's a lot of shifting. 911 Turbos don't have these delays in any setting. Prob would be 1-2 seconds faster 0-100mph if BMW could figure out how to make the car shift as fast and smooth as the PDK. Maybe in race setting? Maybe someone who owns one can chime in. Well it's an auto trans not a dual clutch trans so I knew it would be slower to shift, but it appears the software slows it down unnecessarily. Maybe in the future a tuner will develop an aftermarket TCU tune. But why should this have to happen?
Seats are VERY nice and comfortable. Has heating and cooling function. Support and adjustments are fantastic...but so is the e92 M3 seats. I compare everything to the M3 seats. 911 Turbo seats are not good in comparison. Seats are a big deal to me. Good job on the interior BMW. Some people say the interior of the M8 is nothing special...like the same as a 3 series but I disagree. Did I say the seats were amazing? Seats on lower model BMW's are pretty bad IMHO.
I wasn't able to test the handling capabilities but at over 4,000 pounds, that's not the point. Can't mask the weight.
The M8 sort of looks like any other BMW coupe which I like. Understated. Well except the monstrosity that is the upcoming M3 with the horrendous grille. That's why I'm looking at other cars as the possible replacement for the e92. Upcoming M3 is a non-starter. Could be the ugliest car on the planet next to the Tesla Model 3 pig snout. I guess manufacturers are competing for ugliest car now. Not good for things to come.
Overall it's a nice car but for the money doesn't justify the massive premium over the e92. There is big manufacturer money for the dealers to move these. Gets the lease payment to about $1,700 pre tax 3 year 12k miles per year for a $160k car. Launch cars non-competition still sitting on lots and one person posted an offer for $1,400 pre tax recently in July 2020 but I wouldn't want one of those.
Overall if I had to get a new BMW it might be this. But with the interior space limitations, I should try the M5 first. Although my fear is that car will be far too big for me. So content with the e92 M3 at the moment. Had an open road on the way home from the test drive and drove the snot out of it. Then e92 M3 is really special. Hard to part with this car.
While a few inches longer than the e92, the M8 has far less interior space. Narrower trunk space, and pretty much zero rear passenger leg room. Visibility is very poor esp the front windshield is seemingly half the size of the M3. I could live with the M8, but it would be a downgrade in that regard.
Def a nice rumble on start up. Feels and sounds like any 8cyl turbo from BMW or Merc. Nothing really special but sounds better than a 911 Turbo. There is an exhaust button that makes all sorts of terrible crackle sounds on shifting decel so I had to turn it off as it got annoying real quick. Also an M button which allows for comfort, sport and race. I tried comfort and sport only as it was programmed not to go into race. Maybe some of the issues I outlined below with the transmission are alleviated on the race setting. I let it warm up for a while before pushing it.
It's fast off the line when brake boosting for sure. Gets the adrenaline pumping. From a roll there is very little turbo lag but strangely doesnt seem any faster than a stock e92 but of course it is. M3 really lets you experience what is going on, and the 8,350 redline is something truly amazing. That's what is great about the M3...almost the same physical size as the M8 but the weight and drivetrain allow for a visceral experience. So when I floored the M8 from a roll, I felt nothing. Maybe the weight was muting the experience.
But I really shouldn't compare the M8 to e92 M3 in accel that's not fair. Maybe more like a 911 Turbo because interior space, hp and price are similar. Like i said, tried the comfort and sport settings but regardless I didn't like the many "delays". Delays when you punch it - not turbo lag - but it will downshift which isn't quick and also as it nears redline it slows down before shifts. Almost like BMW is doing too much to protect the trans. And in spirited driving / WOT car is ALWAYS shifting. I hated the gearing. Second gear maxes out at 55mph ?! 8 gears is too much for a car with 600tq. You definitely need to short shift the paddles to get max accel in comfort or sport due to the shift delays if you let the car shift itself...and that's a lot of shifting. 911 Turbos don't have these delays in any setting. Prob would be 1-2 seconds faster 0-100mph if BMW could figure out how to make the car shift as fast and smooth as the PDK. Maybe in race setting? Maybe someone who owns one can chime in. Well it's an auto trans not a dual clutch trans so I knew it would be slower to shift, but it appears the software slows it down unnecessarily. Maybe in the future a tuner will develop an aftermarket TCU tune. But why should this have to happen?
Seats are VERY nice and comfortable. Has heating and cooling function. Support and adjustments are fantastic...but so is the e92 M3 seats. I compare everything to the M3 seats. 911 Turbo seats are not good in comparison. Seats are a big deal to me. Good job on the interior BMW. Some people say the interior of the M8 is nothing special...like the same as a 3 series but I disagree. Did I say the seats were amazing? Seats on lower model BMW's are pretty bad IMHO.
I wasn't able to test the handling capabilities but at over 4,000 pounds, that's not the point. Can't mask the weight.
The M8 sort of looks like any other BMW coupe which I like. Understated. Well except the monstrosity that is the upcoming M3 with the horrendous grille. That's why I'm looking at other cars as the possible replacement for the e92. Upcoming M3 is a non-starter. Could be the ugliest car on the planet next to the Tesla Model 3 pig snout. I guess manufacturers are competing for ugliest car now. Not good for things to come.
Overall it's a nice car but for the money doesn't justify the massive premium over the e92. There is big manufacturer money for the dealers to move these. Gets the lease payment to about $1,700 pre tax 3 year 12k miles per year for a $160k car. Launch cars non-competition still sitting on lots and one person posted an offer for $1,400 pre tax recently in July 2020 but I wouldn't want one of those.
Overall if I had to get a new BMW it might be this. But with the interior space limitations, I should try the M5 first. Although my fear is that car will be far too big for me. So content with the e92 M3 at the moment. Had an open road on the way home from the test drive and drove the snot out of it. Then e92 M3 is really special. Hard to part with this car.
