The relationship between BMW and Portugal seems to be going from strength to strength. After the German brand made the international presentation of the BMW Z4 and 8 Series Convertible on national roads, it was time for the M8 come here, more precisely to the Estoril circuit, for a round of tests.
Livening up the new M8 is a Bi-turbo V8 that, according to BMW, delivers more than 600 hp. The brand has already announced consumption and emissions — 10.7 to 10.8 l/100km and 243 to 246 g/km, respectively — but hasn't revealed anything regarding its performance, which is what we were most interested in knowing.
At the dynamic level, the German brand claims that the engineers from the M division carried out a deep overhaul to the chassis in order to improve its dynamic capabilities. In addition, the M8 has the electromechanical M Servotronic steering and will be able to have, as an option, carbon-ceramic brakes. As standard, the M8 will have 19-inch wheels and may, as an option, have 20-inch wheels.
All-wheel drive to grip the road
Associated with the V8 is an eight-speed M Steptronic gearbox. To pass the 600+ hp to the asphalt, BMW equipped the M8 with the M xDrive system used in the M5. This all-wheel drive system only sends power to the front wheels in situations where the rear wheels have reached their grip limit.
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However, BMW will allow the driver to turn the M8 into a rear-wheel drive — just like the M5 — by simply disabling the DSC system and activating the 2WD mode in which the M8 is free from most dynamic control systems. For the less adventurous, BMW has also provided the M Dynamic mode that allows you to carry out controlled drifts without completely turning off the electronic systems.
BMW claims that, like the engine and chassis, the design of the new M8 is already in the final stages of development before going into production. From what you can see from the peek images, the M8 will have large functional air intakes at the front, some aerodynamic appendages and four rear exhaust pipes. It is also planned that in addition to the M8 Coupé there will be two more variants: the M8 Cabrio and the M8 Gran Coupé.
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