First Drive: BMW’s M8 Competition brings comfort and performance

What is it?

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If there’s something that BMW is best known for, it’s its ability to create big, powerful and comfortable cross-country machines. The M8 Competition, which we’re checking out today, is an extension of this. It’s the kind of car designed to let you set off from Folkestone at the crack of dawn and be in Nice for tea time without breaking a sweat.

But with BMW – and so many others – putting an increasing focus on electric vehicles and hybrids, are big battlecruisers like the M8 a little outdated? We’ve been finding out.

What’s new?

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The M8 Competition uses a similar setup to the M5 Competition. We’ve got a big, heavyweight petrol engine up front and drive being sent to all four wheels. Like other performance ‘M’ cars, you’re able to split the power in the M8, giving you the option to get a classically rear-wheel-drive car at the touch of the button and back to a secure four-wheel-drive whenever the mood strikes.

Inside, we’ve got a surprisingly comfort-focused interior with a number of choice M Performance parts such as bespoke driving mode buttons on the wheel and a smattering of badges for good measure.

What’s under the bonnet?

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The 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine under the bonnet of the M8 Competition has seen a number of uses across BMW’s range, but that doesn’t stop it from being anything less than a sledgehammer of a powertrain. Zero to 60mph comes in just three seconds and it’ll allow the M8 Competition to race to a top speed of 155mph, or 188mph with the optional Driver’s Pack.

You also get a full M Sport exhaust system to give the M8 a little extra rumble under hard acceleration. It’ll probably come as little surprise that this isn’t the most efficient of cars, mind you, with BMW claiming up to 24.8mpg – though expect this to tumble during more spirited driving. Emissions are also relatively high at 259g/km.

What’s it like to drive?

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The M8 Competition might look like a pretty big car from the outside, but it manages to shrink a fair bit once you’re behind the wheel. Sure, you’ve got that large bonnet to look over, but this is a car which feels a fair bit more dynamic than you might expect. The engine, of course, is the party piece and translates to a huge amount of ‘go’ whenever you want it. Likewise, the four-wheel-drive system does enough to keep things sensible without ever encroaching on the overall driving experience.

For longer journeys, this will prove to be one capable option, too. The low-speed ride can lean towards the firm side of things, but once you’re up to speed the M8 cruises along beautifully. We’d like a little more sensation from the steering, but it’s composed and confidence-inspiring despite feeling a touch lifeless.

How does it look?

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The 8 Series – and therefore this M8 Competition – feels like one of the last bastions of ‘old-school’ BMW styling. While we’ve seen the design rule book comprehensively torn up by the Munich firm in cars like the head-turning iX and even the smaller 2 Series Active Tourer, things are far more traditional with the M8.

That’s quite a pleasant thing, in truth, with the whole car looking very nicely tied together from the widened kidney grilles at the front to the relatively slim lights at the back. The M8 badging for the exterior is pretty subtle, too, with only small features applied in the front grille and on the boot lid.

What’s it like inside?

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As we’ve touched upon, this is the kind of car designed to do big miles whenever you need it to. The front seats, as a result, are really comfortable and provide ample amount of both support and cushioning. There are decent levels of headroom in the front, too, though those sitting in the back – the M8 is a dedicated four-seater – might not be able to get quite as comfy due to the concave design of the seats. If you’d like a bit of extra space, then there is a four-door Gran Coupe version of the M8 available instead.

The only aspect of the M8’s interior which doesn’t feel quite right is its closeness to that of the regular 8 Series. It’d be nice to see a little extra sparkle here, particularly in a car which costs over £130,000 brand new. That said, you can’t fault the general fit and finish while the overall material quality is great too.

What’s the spec like?

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The M8’s starting price, as mentioned, is pretty high. In fact, our test car with a number of choice options including the £20,000 ‘Ultimate Pack’ – which includes features such as a carbon fibre engine cover and carbon ceramic brakes with gold calipers – dialled things up to £152,840. So it’s fair to say that a budget option the M8 Competition is not.

But it does feel wonderful finished inside. However, the M8’s on-board tech is now starting to feel a little outdated, particularly considering you get BMW’s latest Curved Display and OS 8 system on cars like the 3 Series and electric i4. It’s not that the system is bad to use – you still get the very intuitive rotary controller – it’s just that it doesn’t feel quite as tech-forward as other models in the range.

Verdict

The M8 Competition definitely fulfils its brief as a car that’ll do big miles at great speeds in superb comfort. The overall experience is a very polished one, bringing the kind of performance that you’d expect from a true ‘M’ car but bundled with some very good on-road manners for when you just want to saunter along at a more sedate pace.

We’d like to see the M8 given BMW’s latest infotainment setup, but it’s likely that this will be introduced in a later version. As it stands, the M8 Competition feels like a very accomplished old-school grand tourer and there’s a lot to like about that.