THE NEW 8 SERIES GRAND COUPÉ IS A TESTAMENT TO BMW’S SUPERIOR CAR MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES.
The BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of motorcars and motorcycles. This esteemed company has been producing top-quality vehicles for well over a century now and shows no signs of slowing down. This month, OHLALA magazine was given the opportunity to test drive the latest BMW 8 Series Grand Coupé 840i, compliments of the outstanding team at Alfardan Automobiles – BMW Group Importer. Having test driven a variety of BMW vehicles in the past, we had high expectations for this new coupé, expectations that were ultimately exceeded.
First up, the exterior. This vehicle has been built from top-of-the-line materials to ensure superior functionality and performance. The doors, the bonnet, the front shear panel, engine subframe, front bulkhead, rear bumper and outer skin of the roof are all constructed from aluminium, ensuring the strongest and lightest design possible. BMW have also combined expansive surfaces with precisely drawn lines for their new coupé, resulting in a unique balance between dynamism and elegance. The four-door coupé concept has been evolved to highlight the progressive nature of the vehicle.
The wide, low set front end radiates the car’s sporting intent, complemented by the adaptive LED headlights that are fitted as standard. The windscreen frame sits in a more upright position, giving the vehicle a higher roofline than its predecessors, whilst the rear window follows a slightly steeper line, allowing for a larger boot. At the sides, character lines accentuate the sweeping elegance of the vehicle’s design, flowing effortlessly from front to rear. Powerfully flared wheel arches house 18-inch, light alloy wheels and, along with the wide track, emphasise the robust form of the backend. The twin exhaust tailpipes, positioned on either side of the rear apron’s lower section, along with the slim All-LED rear lights finish off the exterior design in style.
BMW has combined expansive surfaces with precisely drawn lines for the new coupé, resulting in a unique balance between dynamism and elegance.
As we entered the Grand Coupé, we were greeted by the remarkably comfortable, electrically operated, multifunctional sports seats. These seats, along with ambient lighting, are fitted as standard in this new 8 Series. Thanks to certain design elements of this vehicle, including the raised roof and extended wheelbase, ample head, shoulder and leg room are on offer. The optional panoramic sunroof with its 1.5sq/m surface area, ensures the vehicle is always well-lit and adds to the sense of space on offer. A four-zone automatic climate control system along with electric blinds for the rear side windows are exclusively available for this four-door variant. The generous luggage area has a capacity of 440-litres, big enough to fit three large golf bags. This capacity can be greatly increased with the rear seating folded flat.
We found the BMW Operating System 7.0 along with BMW Intelligent Personal Assist to be quite remarkable. This highly functional and userfriendly configuration comprises a navigation and multimedia system as well as a fully digital, high-resolution instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. Add a 12.3-inch (diagonal) screen along with a 10.25-inch (across) control display into the mix and you have one impressive setup. This system’s modern, digital functions have been precisely crafted to the needs of the driver. Intuitive operations wise, the driver can choose from the Control Display’s touchscreen functionality, the iDrive Controller, the steering wheel buttons, voice control and gesture control, all of which function perfectly. The BMW Intelligent Personal Assist can be activated with the spoken prompt “Hey BMW” and assists the driver in using vehicle functions. This superb system continues to learn and improve thanks to updates transmitted by Remote Software Upgrade.
Performance wise, the new 8 Series Grand Coupé 840i has been designed for superior on-road performance. Housing a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, twinturbocharged petrol engine that produces 340hp and 500Nm of torque, this model can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in around 5.0 seconds and offers an electronically capped top speed of 250km/h. This engine alone is impressive enough, but when combined with an eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission along with outstanding suspension and breaking capabilities, you have something rather special. We found this vehicle to be exceptionally responsive in all areas of performance and we always felt in complete control of the driving experience.
Additionally, a wide range of state-of-the-art driver assistance systems and safety features have been included in the new 8 Series Gran Coupé. These include a Head-Up Display, Driving Assistant, Collision and Pedestrian Warning with City Braking function, Lane Departure and Lane Changing Warning, Rear Collision Warning, multiple airbags and a whole lot more.
With so many fantastic features, we highly recommend anyone in the market for a premium four-door coupé gives this exceptional vehicle a try.
For more information and to book a test drive of your own, please call Alfardan Automobiles on 4447 7577.