BMW M8 review

To explain the difference between the BMW M8 and the regular 8 Series we’ve devised the curry rating. The regular 8 Series is rated jalfrezi, because it’s pretty pokey. The M8 – the subject of this review – tops out at vindaloo.

Yes, the M8 is a performance car that's as spicy as a tabasco pepper soaked in methanol then set on fire. It uses the same engine as the previous-generation (non-PHEV) BMW M5 but with even higher power and torque outputs: 616bhp and 553lb ft respectively.

It comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive but you can set it to rear-wheel drive if you’re feeling bold. Performance upgrades are available, such as a de-limited top speed of 189mph (the default is a limited 155mph) and carbon-ceramic brakes, which retain their effectiveness for longer on a race track.

Despite all the above, the M8 isn't solely about performance. No, BMW says it’s as much a luxury car – hence it comes equipped with many toys. If many isn’t enough, you can option many, many more. You can further individualise your M8, upholstering it with bespoke leathers or Alcantara, or adding lashings of carbon-fibre to its exterior.

Is it any good though? Read on to find that out as we rate the BMW M8 – and the M8 Convertible and M8 Gran Coupé – against key rivals, including the Bentley Continental GT and Porsche 911...

Does the BMW M8 deliver on its brief of sporty luxury? Well, let's explore the comfort side of things first. Switchable adaptive suspension is standard, and the softest of its three modes (Comfort) allows the M8 to float gently over the ups and downs of a subsiding B-road with just a little brittleness over any sharply calloused sections.

Things can get a bit too floaty if you start pressing on, especially in the fractionally softer M8 Convertible. Fortunately, you can cycle up to Sport or Sport Plus mode to anchor the car down.

The M8 is much more cosseting than a Porsche 911 and no worse-riding than a Bentley Continental GT. The four-door Gran Coupé version is a little harsher than a Porsche Panamera but far less comfortable than conventional four-door luxury cars.

The suspension settings are linked to a drive mode selector that lets you choose how the engine and gearbox responds, too, along with how heavy the steering is. You can select a preset mode or set everything up to your own taste.

That means, for example, the steering can be left in Comfort mode – its most relaxed setting – even with the wick turned up on the engine.

Incidentally, that’s the best way to have the steering set. It maintains enough weight that you can gauge your inputs accurately without feeling heavy. Is the steering as direct and feelsome as the 911’s? No, but it offers a good sense of connection to the road.

Similar is true of the M8’s body control, grip and traction. The Coupé and Convertible lean more than a Porsche 911 or Aston Martin DB12 and feel much heavier, which they are. Yet, flick it between some high-speed left-right kinks and it’s more alert than a Bentley Continental GT.

The M8 Gran Coupé feels a bit more exciting than the equivalent Porsche Panamera Turbo S. With the four-wheel drive hooked up, it’s also reassuringly planted out of corners, but if you want rear-wheel-drive playfulness you can dial that in at a whim.

Just be careful though: with such pent-up energy lurking under its bonnet, the M8 can be made very playful indeed. The engine is a belter that, despite being turbocharged, responds almost the instant you prod the accelerator pedal.

Do so and it feels like it has the legs to outrun an Aston Martin DB11 and it’s certainly fast enough to give your passenger the willies. The M8 Coupé and Gran Coupé can officially sprint from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds while the M8 Convertible is a blink of an eye behind.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox plays its role effectively, kicking down on demand or producing sharp shifts if you choose to pull the paddles on the steering wheel.

Does the M8’s V8 engine sound good? Well, it’s not up there with the best: the 911’s rasping flat six, or the DB11’s baleful, Mercedes-AMG-derived V8. It makes a better noise than most recent M cars, though – the BMW M5 included.

For comparison, it’s purposeful and less obviously synthesised. It’s still enhanced through the car’s speakers though, so it’s not entirely natural.

Good brakes are extremely important on a car like this. The M8’s stop you effectively, and BMW makes a big play on the fact that you can adjust the pedal’s response for a relaxed or sporty feel.

The truth is that neither setting can match the reassuring solidity and progressiveness of a 911’s brakes. And that's perhaps the biggest criticism of the M8: why have yet another mode to distract you when one good setting for most things is really all you need?

At high speeds, there’s far less road roar than you’re subjected to in a DB11 or 911, and there’s hardly any wind noise, even in the M8 Convertible – assuming the roof is up. With its roof down but the wind deflector up, there's next to no buffeting.

Outside, the BMW M8’s menacing appearance grabs more than a casual stare from onlookers. Inside, it's mildly anticlimactic. It’s a case in point of relative understatement: plush, without mimicking the gentrified air of a Bentley Continental GT.

Everything feels as solid as a mature oak, and for a little extra glamour you can swaddle your M8’s interior from the palette of optional, upscale leather and Alcantara suede upholsteries. 

What is a masterpiece is the M8’s infotainment system. BMW’s latest-generation iDrive betters its rivals’ systems by a mile. Firstly, it’s very responsive and its menus are logical. Secondly, by sticking with a rotary controller and shortcut menu buttons – instead of touchscreen-only interfaces like the Porsche 911 – it’s far less distracting to use.

You can use its 10.3in display as a touchscreen if that suits, or you can use the optional gesture control feature instead. With a flick of the wrist you can, for example, turn up the stereo volume or answer a call. There’s also BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant as another alternative. It’s like Amazon Alexa but you shout “Hey BMW!” to wake it up.

As you’d expect, the driving position in the M8 is tuneable to the nth degree. The steering wheel and seat are electrically adjustable, the seat is comfortable and nothing feels out of kilter. There’s a head-up display as standard, which beams plenty of information into your sightline, and the digital driver's display can be set up in all manner of styles and show all sorts of info.

No M8 provides great visibility. The front pillars are fatter than those of the Porsche 911 and obscure your vision through tight corners, and it’s hard to judge the extremities of the huge M8 Gran Coupé on the road.

All-round parking sensors and a rear-view camera are standard, as are ultra-bright, adaptive LED headlights that can shape their output to avoid dazzling other road users without switching from main beam. BMW's Laser lights are available as an option.

While the BMW M8's interior is styled to envelop you, there’s plenty of head, leg and shoulder room in the front, along with lots of useful storage points.

However, in the M8 Coupé and M8 Convertible, the rear is much more cramped. Adult passengers and some teenagers will find their knees jammed against the seatbacks and their head touching the roof.

As with the BMW 8 Series, you'll struggle to get a child seat in the back, and you don't get Isofix mounts on the front passenger seats (you do in a Porsche 911).

The M8 Gran Coupé is a more practical option. Its passenger compartment is much longer and provides ample leg room for a six-footer to sit behind another comfortably. There's also a decent supply of head room for them.

We should point out that there’s not a great deal of room under the front seats for rear seat passengers to put their feet, and that the small, high windows make it feel more claustrophobic than it is. If rear seat space is really important, the Porsche Panamera would be a better bet.

The M8 Coupé's boot space is relatively long but with quite a narrow opening and a big lip at its entrance. A set of golf clubs or a few carry-on suitcases might just fit, but you’ll struggle to accommodate anything bulkier.

The good news is that all M8s have rear seats that can be folded down for extra load space if required. The Porsche 911 has folding back seats, but not the Aston Martin DB12 or Bentley Continental GT.

The BMW M8 isn’t cheap. The M8 Coupé comes in at well into six figures while the M8 Convertible is even pricier. Surprisingly, the more spacious M8 Gran Coupé is cheapest version you can buy, making it the bargain of the range.

If you’re weighing up your options, you can buy a Porsche 911 for less, but then any M8 is small beer next to the cost of an Aston Martin DB12 or Bentley Continental GT. And if you have an eye for investments, the 911 will retain much more of its value after three years than the M8.

Then there’s the cost of running an M8. You’ll struggle to top 25mpg, and the tax implications of choosing one as a company car will make you wince, thrice.

On the plus side, it's marvellously well equipped, with 20in alloy wheels, keyless entry, a leather interior, a carbon-fibre roof and heated seats as just some of the highlights. The optional extras list is eye-watering, some of them being bundled into the several packs you can choose from. 

The M8 hasn’t been crash-tested by Euro NCAP but you do get a range of safety aids as standard. These include automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assistance, while the M8 Convertible comes with roll-over protection.

In terms of reliability, BMW did well in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, coming eighth out of 31 brands ranked, which was better than Porsche, in 21st. Aston Martin and Bentley didn't feature in the rankings.

BMW's warranty covers you for three years and unlimited mileage, which is similar to what most rivals offer.

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