Thrilling, exhilarating, lightning-fast, beautiful, over-the-top—the all-new BMW M8 is the high-performance version of the 8 Series with more power, more athleticism, more aggressive exterior styling and a sumptuous interior. The M8 is a head turner that will get your blood pumping!
Base Price: $142,500
As Tested: $178,250
Horsepower: 600
Mileage: 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway/17 mpg combined
The 2020 BMW M8 is available as a convertible, coupe and gran coupe. The convertible starts at $147,995 and the competition convertible starts at $157,495. Every M8 has an all-wheel-drive system that sends power to the rear wheels when AWD isn’t needed.
The M8 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter, 32-valve V-8 that makes a whopping 600 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission with sport and manual shift modes. If that’s not enough power for you, the competition trim adds 17 more horses.
The M8 makes a pleasing growl when you start it up. Saying the M8 is quick is an understatement. It accelerates like a rocket going from zero to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds! The competition model does it in three. The transmission shifts super quickly. The M8 grips the road well and stays planted when cornering. The ride is fairly stiff but not jarring; in fact, the M8 is also comfortable as a daily driver and highway cruiser (especially with the top down!). Choose between Comfort and Sport modes to adjust the suspension depending on the driving you’re doing.
The convertible has a snap-in wind deflector that basically eliminates most of the wind buffeting when the top is down, so you can still hear the audio system and have a conversation with your passenger.
You don’t expect a car like this to get great gas mileage and that’s certainly the case. EPA ratings for the M8 Convertible are 15 mpg city and 21 mpg city with a combined rating of 17. I got 18 mpg during my week with a mix of city and highway driving. Premium unleaded is required.
The interior is beautifully finished, with upscale materials including saddle-quality Merino leather upholstery, Anthracite headliner, Nappa leather and carbon fiber trim, and every stitch perfectly placed. The cockpit is driver-centric with controls that are easy for the driver to see and reach. The front seats are roomy, supportive and comfortable. The tiny backseat, however, is not really habitable by anyone except very small kids. It is, however, a convenient spot to put your handbag, laptop and a couple grocery bags.
The M8 comes with many standard features, as you’d expect in a six-figure car, including keyless entry, remote start, rearview camera, 12.1-inch digital gauge cluster, 16-way adjustable power front M sport seats, heated and ventilated front seats, heated armrests and steering wheel, leather-wrapped multi-function M sport steering wheel, BMW iDrive 7.0 infotainment system with 10.25-inch touchscreen, 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound audio system, HD radio, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay (but not Android Auto), wireless charging, subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot, customizable ambient lighting, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a 12V power socket.
Available features include a Bowers and Wilkins Diamond surround sound system, M Carbon ceramic brakes, and the M Drivers package,
Standard driver assistance technologies include Dynamic Cruise Control, Active Guard with Frontal Collision Warning, Automatic City Collision Mitigation and Braking including Daytime Pedestrian Detection.
Available driver assistance technologies include lane departure warning, pedestrian and frontal collision warning with city collision mitigation, active cruise control with stop-and-go, active lane keeping assistant with side collision avoidance, front cross-traffic alert, and steering and traffic jam assistant for partially automated driving.
BMW’s iDrive 7.0 infotainment system can be controlled via the touchscreen, steering wheel controls and by a rotary control and buttons on the center console. The graphics look great on the huge screen and the system responds quickly to commands. However, there’s a learning curve as you have to go through menus and submenus for some functions.
My tester has the optional neck warmers which are great for top-down driving in cooler weather. Air outlets in the front seat head restraints blow warm air on the neck and shoulders of the front passengers. You can set the air flow to adjust automatically based on the convertible’s speed, or you can set it manually.
The M8 has 12.4 cubic feet of trunk space. A power trunk lid is standard.
The good:
Thrilling performance
Beautiful, upscale interior
Driver-centric cockpit
Roomy, comfortable and supportive front seats
Tons of standard and available features and tech
Standard Apple CarPlay
The not-so-good:
Tiny backseat that’s really not suitable for humans
Some rivals have even better performance
No Android Auto
Pricing info:
My tester starts at $147,995. Specific pricing info wasn’t available but here are some of the options: Driving Assistance Package is $1,100. Driving Assistance Professional Package is $1,700. Neck warmer is $500. M Carbon Exterior Package is $5,400. Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System is $3,400. M Carbon Ceramic Brakes are $8,150. M Driver’s Package is $2,500. Destination fee is $995. The grand total is $178,250.
Bottom line:
The BMW M8 Convertible is a head-turner with exhilarating, track-worthy performance, a beautiful interior, and lots of standard and available features and tech. If you can spend six figures for open-air fun, the BMW M8 provides a luxurious and thrilling ride.
