New BMW 8-series unveiled in Paris

All-new BMW 8-series gets its first airing in Paris
Two engines from launch, up to 523bhp
Priced from £76k, deliveries start November 2018

The all-new BMW 8-series has been unveiled in Paris, and slots in the market between focused sports car, like the Porsche 911, and outright grand tourer, like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe. The two-door grand tourer is BMW’s new flagship car and replaces the 6-series, and ‘The 8’ as BMW calls it will be on sale before the end of November.
If you want something hotter, you’ll be pleased to know there’s an M8 coming too, using the M5’s powertrain and a circa-650bhp V8 – but we’ll have to wait until summer 2019 for that one to roll out.

New BMW 8-series: swish design
The new 8-series doesn’t stray too far from the concept that was revealed at the 2017 Villa d’Este concourse. BMW says the new 8-series is one part of a new design language for the brand, which is meant to be cleaner and more contemporary.Shallow headlights, that can be optioned up to use laser light, flank a massive kidney grille. The grille itself uses active aero aids and an ‘almost fully-sealed underbody’ helps keep the 8-series slippery at speed.

New BMW 8-series: engines and performance

Two engines will be available from launch; an 840d and a M850i. Both have BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system and an eight-speed ‘Steptronic’ automatic gearbox as standard. Check out the full specs for the two engines below:

BMW 840d xDrive
Engine: 3.0-litre straight-six turbodiesel
Power/torque: 316bhp/502lb ft
0-62mph/top speed: 4.9sec/155mph limited
Claimed economy: 46.3mpg

BMW M850i xDrive
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power/torque: 523bhp/553lb ft
0-62mph/top speed: 3.7sec/155mph limited
Claimed economy: 28.3mpg

The xDrive all-wheel drive system just defaults to sending all power to the rears under normal driving conditions to help with efficiency; only when the car detects slip or under heavy load will the fronts light up to add extra grip. BMW’s ‘Integral Active Steering’ (also known as rear-wheel steering to normal people) is standard, too.
To help keep the big grand tourer as light as possible, aluminium and CFRP (carbonfibre reinforced plastic) is used. The roof, doors, bonnet and front bulkhead are aluminium, while the centre transmission tunnel through the cockpit is made of CFRP. There’s the option to spec more parts in carbonfibre, too.

New BMW 8-series: the interior
It’s still familiar BMW inside but with quite a few small detail changes. The 8-series, like the new Z4 and X5, uses the latest version of the brand’s iDrive infotainment and instrument display system and features a high, wide centre console. The dashboard vents are slim, the steering wheel is fat and layout is clean.
Kit like cruise control, a head-up display, active parking systems and the brand’s ‘Live Cockpit Professional’ tech is standard. The latter comprises a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 10.25 infotainment screen. Microsoft Office is included, as is connectivity with not just your smartphone but Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant smart devices.
There are rear seats, too, though these images don’t quite give away exactly how much room there is back there and there’s a 420-litre boot – good enough for a couple of weekend cases for your trip to the Riviera.

What about the four-door Gran Coupe?
Our snappers have also captured a prototype in four-door Gran Coupe form. As you can probably tell from the name, the Gran Coupe is based on a longer platform, and fits in an extra two doors for rear passengers. Those at the back will benefit from more legroom, too.
Interestingly, BMW showed the M8 Gran Coupe Concept at this year’s Geneva motor show– so we pretty much know what the new car looks like without camo, anyway.
We’d expect the new BMW 8-series Gran Coupe to share the same engine line-up as the coupe, convertible and M models.

New BMW 8-series: price and release date
The all-new 8-series will go on sale later in June 2018 with the first deliveries arriving in November 2018. Prices start from £76,270 for an 840d xDrive, or £100,045 for a M850i xDrive.

Read More Review https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/bmw/bmw-8-series-2018-coupe-pictures-interior-specs-and-price/

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