The 5 BEST And WORST Things About The 2021 BMW M8 Gran Coupe

BMW M cars today get a lot of crap thrown their way...I may have thrown a handful myself...and it’s for this reason. Late 90s and early 2000s BMW M cars were the PINNACLE of driving. NOTICE I SAID DRIVING. Not speed, not hp, but driving that’s an important distinction and a good time to launch into the 5 worst things about the M8

1 - size this thing is 201 inches long...that’s longer than a Dodge Charger. Long body leads to long wheelbase or overhang. Neither of which are great for dynamic control and agility in a corner. On the plus side the m8 is 77inches wide so it is quite stable and grippy

2 - this leads me to the second point - weight. This hefty boi has some LEMF and some thiccness. Just under 4500 lbs. Weight inherently compromises the dynamic feel of a sportscar. It numbs steering, elongates braking, softens turn-in, and requires more power. Now on paper this isnt a problem cuz the M8 is stupidly capable, but you’re very aware of the size behind the wheel

3 - Interior. So as far as dynamically, the car is clinically fast, but doesnt feel special. Same deal with the interior. It’s really nice in here. So much tech, clean design, excellent build, but not special. It’s the same interior across their whole line

4- Price. This thing starts at like $140,000 and yes you get 4 doors and over 600 hp and it’s stupid fast, but for 30k less you can get a 992 carrera S and get performance OR you can spend 20k more for the GT63s and get a more power, more special interior and a lot more theater

5 - we’ve been talking about this the whole time, but it just doesn’t feel as special as I want it to. I LOVE BMW M cars and even when they went turbo i was on board, but it was when the 2018 M5 came out that I started struggling. They’re so nice and so big and so cushy and I get that’s what people want, but you lose some of that connection

But it’s not all bad, here are 5 good things about the M8 GC

1 - It’s fast as FU*K. I recently did a comparison with the M8 against the Challenger Hellcat and this is over half a second faster to 60 at 3 seconds.

2 - which brings me to number 2, the powertrain here is phenomenal. The 4.4 T v8 from BMW is SO strong and the power builds so quickly. And then there’s my favorite part, and it’s in all their friggin cars. The trans from ZF is quick, it’s intelligent and the tunning is sharp. Best automatic gearbox on sale

3 - Comfort. I know I mentioned that the interior is not exciting or original, but the seats are great, the ergonomics are wonderful, and the damping gets soft enough for GT car and stiffens up when asked

4 - Exterior, in a world with some funky BMW designs, the 8 series is gorgeous and credit to the new 5er. Now I do prefer the 2 door version here, the Gran Coupe is really nice. Good proportions, good accents, and as a flagship it has more character than the rest of the lineup

5 - the sound is good. At this price bracket, majority of the people buying this want it to accelerate hard, look good, and sound great. The exhaust note tone quality is good, not lexus v8 good, but good and the pop tune adds a little flare

Final thoughts: so we’ve covered basically everything here and what I’m able to surmise here is that as a sports car it’s not what you probably want. HOWEVER, as a GT car it’s exceptional. Good sound, great comfort, and brutally powerful and fast.

So here’s what my broke ass would do. I’d get the M850i. It’s a little rougher around the edges, but still comfortable and then i’d get the convertible so I can hear that things snarl. The M850 in a convertible is a BANGER and one of my favorite things from last year.

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