BMW 8 Series Coupe comes back to life after two decades

The second generation BMW 8 Series Coupe is officially out as the Bavarian luxury automaker’s new flagship coupe. The 2018 BMW 8 Series will hit the first markets in November 2018. It is the production version of the BMW Concept 8 Series that was unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2017.

Low-slung body, athletic proportions, sharp lights, long, heavily raked back glass, muscular shoulder line, lots of creases all around and muscular contours altogether make the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe define the exterior of the new 8-Series.

The car features a single-piece low-set BMW kidney grille in a new design language. It gets active air flap control with adjustable slats, LED headlights that are the slimmest headlights of any BMW model to date, 18-inch alloy wheels, all-LED tail lights in an ‘L’ shape and twin exhaust tailpipes with a trapezoidal contour are standard. BMW Laserlight with variable road illumination and Selective Beam and 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels are optional. The BMW Laserlight offers a circa-600-metre high beam range, and its presence is flaunted by blue accents.

In addition, BMW has also made a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof available as an option - a first for any of its production models. More weight saving is achievable with an optional Carbon package that consists of CFRP air intake bars, ORVM caps, rear spoiler and rear diffuser. The BMW 8 Series Coupe equipped with this package can be seen in detail in a dedicated image gallery at the end of this story.

The 2018 BMW 8 Series Coupe’s interior sees a generous usage of leather all around. The instrument panel and door shoulders feature leather trim as standard. Leather sports steering wheel with shift paddles and Vernasca leather sports seats are standard. Needless to say, a lot of options are available. A particularly interesting one among them is glass application for the gear selector, the iDrive controller, the start/stop button and the volume control, which makes the interior look really plush.

Automatic boot lid operation, electrically adjustable steering (height and reach), head-up display, BMW Live Cockpit Professional comprising a 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch central display and an adaptive navigation system, 50:50 split rear seats, LED ambient light and an audio system comprising 11 speakers and a digital amplifier are standard features of the flagship 2-door coupe. The BMW Live Cockpit uses the new BMW Operating System 7.0 software.

A slew of comfort and convenience feature options are available in the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe. Comfort Access that allows hands-free opening and closing of the boot lid, climate seats for the driver and front passenger, wireless charging, 16-speaker Harman Kardon Surround Sound System and Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System featuring 16-channel amplifier with an output of 1,375 watts, dynamic equalizing and 16 illuminated speakers to name a few.

The new generation BMW 8 Series Coupe is underpinned by the CLAR rear-wheel drive platform. It will be available in two configurations, both featuring an 8-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission and BMW xDrive as standard. Their specifications are as follows:

The new generation BMW 8 Series’ xDrive AWD system is in a new version that has been specifically tuned for it. Along with this rear-biased AWD system, a rear differential lock is a standard fitment (on the BMW 850i xDrive Coupe). Adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled dampers is also a part of the standard equipment. The driver can adjust the car’s driving characteristics via the Driving Experience Control Switch. Sport and Sport+ modes deliver a performance-oriented drive, while the Eco Pro and Comfort modes are for relaxed driving.

Integral Active Steering, BMW’s proprietary rear-wheel steering wheel system, is included as standard in the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe. At low speeds (up to 72 km/h), the rear wheels are steered in the opposite direction. This reduces the turning radius and makes manoeuvring in urban driving conditions easier. At high speeds, the rear wheels are steered in the same direction for increased stability.

The BMW M850i xDrive Coupe sports 20-inch M alloy wheels fitted with specially developed 245/35 R20 tyres at the front and 275/30 R20 tyres at the rear as standard.

The BMW 840d xDrive Coupe settles for 18-inch alloy wheels and 245/45 R18 tyres (front)/275/40 R18 tyres (rear). An optional M Sport package swaps them with 19-inch M alloy wheels and 245/40 R19 tyres (front)/245/40 R19 tyres (rear). There’s one more option - the M Technic Sport Package. This option brings 20-inch alloy wheels shod with high-performance tyres.

Stopping power is provided by four-piston, fixed-calliper brakes at the front and single-piston, floating calliper brakes at the rear. The BMW M850i xDrive Coupe benefits from a powerful version of the M Sport braking system with 395 mm discs as standard. In the BMW 840d xDrive Coupe, the optionally available M Sport Package includes 374 mm discs. The optional M Technic Sport Package includes 395 brake discs. The M Sport braking system, in both versions, is characterized by blue callipers featuring the M logo.

Also Read: India-bound 2018 BMW X4 makes Geneva Motor Show debut

The second generation BMW 8 Series Coupe will be manufactured at the BMW Dingolfing plant, where the BMW 7 Series is also built. A BMW 8 Series Convertible with a fabric roof is already in the works, and it could debut later this year. We also know that a BMW M8 Coupe and BMW M8 Convertible are on the way, and their road testing is already going on. A BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe is also planned, and it was previewed by the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. This four-door version too could have a high-performance M variant.

2018 BMW 8 Series Coupe - Image Gallery