2023 BMW 8 Series Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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Original MSRP
7.3
of 10
expert review
avg user rating
(0 reviews)
Pros
Multiple body styles
Stylish design
Great handling
Cons
Advanced safety features are not standard
With multiple body styles and a perfect balance of luxury and sportiness, the 2023 BMW 8 Series is an overachiever.
The BMW 8 Series is the third element of BMW’s flagship trinity. Just as the 7 Series is the top sedan in BMW’s lineup, and the X7 is the top SUV, the 8 Series lords over lesser coupes and convertibles in the BMW hierarchy.
The 8 Series nameplate dates back to 1990, when BMW launched the first generation in the form of a wedge-shaped coupe with pop-up headlights. After that version—known as the E31—went out of production, the 8 Series took a long hiatus, returning in its current G15 form for the 2019 model year.
The 2023 BMW 8 Series gets some small updates for the new model year, including exterior styling tweaks and an enlarged touchscreen. More paint colour and wheel design options round out what’s new.
In Canada, available variants include the M850i xDrive with standard all-wheel drive (AWD), and high-performance M8 Competition in coupe, convertible, and four-door Gran Coupé body styles. An Alpina B8 version of the Gran Coupé (launched for the 2021 model year) also returns. The vehicle shown is a U.S. specification 840i Gran Coupé; note this powertrain is not offered in Canada.
While the original E31 8 Series is a fan favourite, BMW didn’t want the current G15 version to be a retro homage. That’s probably just as well because, while the E31 stood out from the rest of the BMW lineup of its day, the 2023 8 Series is instantly recognizable as a Bimmer. Its prominent twin-kidney grille, quad headlight elements, and minimal side surfacing create a visual link to other BMW models, but the overall impression is much more in-your-face.
That’s even more true for 2023 thanks to the addition of an illuminated grille. Waterfall lighting behind the grille bars activates when the car is locked or unlocked, letting everyone know exactly what you’re driving. It’s a bit gaudy but still more subtle than the light-up logo on some Mercedes models. And you can turn it off.
The M850i xDrive models also get the more aerodynamic mirrors from the M8 for 2023, as well as retro BMW M logos for the performance division’s 50th anniversary. A new optional Dark Optics Package adds Shadowline black trim, including a black grille that nicely contrasted the matte-finish Frozen Pure Grey Metallic paint on our test car.
In addition to the traditional two-door coupe and convertible body styles, there’s the four-door BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé. It’s yet another entry in the “four-door coupe” niche also populated by cars like the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and AMG GT 4-Door, and the Audi A7. It’s either a stretched coupe with rear doors and more rear legroom, or a squashed sedan with less headroom, depending on your point of view. With its low-slung silhouette, we think the Gran Coupé looks a bit like a regular BMW sedan that was chopped and sectioned by some Von Dutch-style 1950s car customizers.
The interior is typical BMW, with a clean design highlighted by a raised infotainment touchscreen that’s perfectly positioned for the driver to see, but it also has the oversized M steering wheel BMW insists on adding to its cars. Our test car had some extras that really classed up the cabin, including two-tone brown and black leather upholstery and a glass shifter and infotainment rotary controller. The latter items threw off a lot of glare, but fashion always comes at a price.
With the original E31 8 Series, the “840” badge meant eight cylinders and “850” meant 12 cylinders. Things have been downsized a bit with the current-generation 8 Series—without sacrificing performance.
The AWD-only M850i xDrive nets a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 rated at power specs of 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Available in all three body styles, the BMW M8 uses a tuned version of the twin-turbocharged V8. BMW previously offered base and Competition versions of the M8, but for 2023 the M8 is available solely in fire-breathing Competition guise, with 617 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. With an M-specific eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD system, that’s enough for zero to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of up to 305 km/h (with the optional M Driver’s Package), BMW claims.
Alternatively, the Alpina B8 Gran Coupé boasts 612 hp from yet another version of the 4.4-litre V8, and a 323 km/h top speed, but with a more luxurious character. Where the M8 is built for the racetrack, the B8 is built for the autobahn.
The 8 Series does its best to hide its bulk when it comes to handling. From the quickness of the steering (aided by the optional Integral Active Steering rear-axle steer system) to the effectiveness of the M Sport brakes, our tester had the reflexes and caffeinated character of a much smaller car. It was more fun than expected in the corners, while still providing a comfortable ride for more mundane situations. The cabin was so quiet that the most prominent sound was the fan for the ventilated seats.
This combination of sporty and luxurious attributes seems ideal for a BMW. The 8 Series has the refinement to justify its price tag, but offers a less staid driving experience than the typical Audi or Mercedes, living up to BMW’s old “Ultimate Driving Machine” tagline.
The 8 Series coupe and convertible are generously proportioned, which means plenty of room for front-seat passengers, but they still come with the compromises inherent in these two-door body styles. The coupe and convertible are four-seaters, but the back seats are best reserved for children or use as extra storage space. The low ride height and seating position of the 8 Series also makes getting in and out less dignified than, say, a 7 Series, but it’s a price worth paying for the former’s sleek styling—and pretty typical of coupes and convertibles.
The 8 Series convertible’s soft-top roof can be raised or lowered in 15 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h, providing a bit of a safety buffer against sudden downpours.
Gran Coupé models make more sense in terms of practicality. What you end up with is a four-door car that’s about 12.5 centimetres longer than a BMW 5 Series, with a 5 cm longer wheelbase, and a roof that’s 7.6 cm lower. Despite the lower roofline, though, the 8 Series Gran Coupé has about the same amount of rear-seat headroom as the 5 Series—with slightly more in front. Legroom is also about the same in both cars across both rows.
The Gran Coupé does come with some ergonomic compromises, however. BMW included a centre-rear seat belt, making this car a five-seater, but anyone sitting in that seat will have to wrap their legs around a tall transmission tunnel and will block other passengers’ access to the rear-seat climate controls. That tall tunnel also limits the size of the front console storage bin, and the phone slot (which can be equipped with a wireless charging pad) is a bit on the small side.
The 8 Series coupe has 419 litres of cargo space. That shrinks to 351 litres for the convertible, but grows to 439 litres for the Gran Coupé.
For 2023, all 8 Series models get a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen in place of the previous 10.25-inch unit. It’s part of the BMW Live Cockpit Professional infotainment system, which also includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, seventh-generation BMW iDrive operating system, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. A Harman Kardon audio system, head-up display, and Wi-Fi hotspot are standard as well.
The basics of this infotainment system are solid. The graphics are sharp, with a layout and typeface that are as much BMW calling cards at this point as the twin-kidney grille. The freestanding touchscreen is a bit of a reach from the driver’s seat (in our driving position, at least), but it is ideally placed for quick glances. And we found that we didn’t have to use the screen most of the time.
Like rival Mercedes, BMW includes a natural-language voice-recognition system that doesn’t require scripted prompts. It had no trouble comprehending requests to turn on the driver’s seat ventilation or switch SiriusXM satellite radio stations, although there was a bit of lag.
You can also use BMW’s familiar rotary controller to navigate through the screen’s menus with a bit more physical feedback. BMW also included shortcut buttons for important menus, plus a good complement of steering wheel controls. So, you’ve got plenty of options here.
Because Canada skips the base model offered in the U.S., we have more standard features included with the 8 Series. However, that understandably comes with a higher price tag. BMW’s Driving Assistant is included, which includes lane departure warning and lane keep assist. Forward collision warning is also standard, as are rear cross-traffic alert and rear collision mitigation. If you opt for the Premium Package ($4,700), you receive adaptive cruise control with stop and go, front cross-traffic alert, lane change assist, traffic jam assist, and upgraded driver assistance technologies via the Driving Assistant Professional suite.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) haven’t released crash test ratings for the 8 Series, which isn’t unusual for pricey low-volume vehicles like this.
In any body style, Natural Resources Canada rates the M850i xDrive’s fuel economy at 14.1 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 9.9 on the highway, and 12.2 combined. These figures also apply to the Alpina B8. Upgrade to the M8 Competition and you can expect to burn 16.1 L/100 km city, 10.9 highway, and 13.7 combined.
BMW’s standard warranty cover includes a four-year, 80,000-kilometre, new vehicle limited warranty, plus four years of roadside assistance.
Pricing starts at $127,786 for an M850i xDrive coupe, including a $2,480 destination charge and other fees (which also includes a luxury tax). Pricing tops out at $195,766 for an M8 Competition Cabriolet, including fees but before options.
An 8 Series is probably as good of a value as you will get in this market segment. It offers a satisfying driving experience, an interior that lives up to the 8 Series’s billing as one of BMW’s most high-end and prestigious models, and is even decently practical in Gran Coupé form. What more could you ask for?
Note: Images show a US model.
