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Philip Lord10 Dec 2018
NEWS

New BMW 8 Series lands in Australia

2019 BMW M850i Coupe and Convertible pricing and specs revealed ahead March launch

BMW Australia whipped the covers off the all-new 2019 M850i Coupe and M850i Convertible in Sydney on Friday, when local pricing and specs were also announced ahead of their launch in March.

The 2019 M850i Coupe is priced at $272,900 and the almost identically specced M850i Convertible at $281,900 (prices plus on-road costs).

BMW Australia head of product and market planning Brendan Michel said that while no firm decision had been made on importing other 8 Series variants, an entry-level six-cylinder petrol 840i is likely in the future.

When asked if the new BMW M8 Coupe -- and M8 Competition, which was recently leaked online -- would arrive here in 2019, Michel said that he “couldn’t confirm or deny that”.

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He added that given the popularity of M cars generally in the local BMW line-up, such models were very likely starters in Australia, “but I can’t comment on timing as these are not cars that have even been announced yet”.

Nor is there any word yet on global or local launch timing for the new 8 Series Gran Coupe four-door, which has already been revealed in concept form, will replace the 6 Series Gran Coupe and is also expected to be offered in M8 form.

The pair of right-hand drive 8 Series models was secured from early production and flown into Sydney for display for media and customer functions over the weekend. This was one of the first viewings of the new 8 Series Convertible outside Germany, as images of the all-new soft-top were only released just a month ago.

Both hard- and soft-top versions of the M850i -- which replace the ageing 6 Series Coupe and Convertible -- will arrive in top-shelf M850i xDrive spec, meaning they will be powered by a 4.4-litre 390kW/750Nm twin-turbo V8 driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

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The BMW M850i Coupe does the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.7 seconds while the BMW M850i Convertible does the same sprint in 3.9 seconds. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures have not been announced yet.

These outputs and performance are a big step up from the outgoing 6 Series, whose 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 developed 330kW/650Nm and in coupe form accelerated to 100km/h from rest in 4.5sec.

The all-wheel drive M850i gets the M Sport electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential, M Performance-tuned Adaptive M Suspension Professional with active anti-roll stabilisation (for less body lean during cornering) and variable Integral Active Steering (rear-wheel steering).

Standard wheel are 20-inch alloys, shod with 245/35/R20 tyres at the front and 275/30/R20 at the rear.

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As with other premium BMWs, the M850i comes equipped with BMW’s Laser headlights, which BMW says will throw 600m of light down the road ahead in ideal conditions.

The Convertible’s soft-top takes just 15 seconds to open or close and can be activated at speeds of up to 50km/h. A black soft-top is standard, with an Anthracite Silver soft-top available at no extra cost.

The BMW M850i Convertible comes standard with BMW’s Air Collar, which gives the occupants the option of channelling warm air to the backs of the necks when roof-down driving in cooler weather.

Meanwhile, the Coupe has the M Carbon roof, reducing kerb weight as well as lowering there centre of gravity, and also gets the M Rear Spoiler.

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Coupe and Convertible buyers can opt for a colour from the BMW Individual Metallic Paintwork range as part of the deal.

The Coupe has a boot capacity of 420 litres, while the Convertible has a 350 litre-capacity with the soft-top up. Both new 8 Series models are four-seaters with the rear seats folding down to allow additional boot space.

As the premium ‘regular’ 8 Series (that is, until the high-performance M8 and M8 Competition arrive) the M850i also comes laden with equipment inside that is optional on lesser BMW models.

BMW Individual ‘Merino’ leather interior with sports front seats (Coupe), Heat Comfort Package (front heated door/console armrests and steering wheel) heated front seats, soft-close doors and wireless smartphone charging are part of the M850i’s standard inclusions list.

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The driver also gets the latest and greatest of BMW’s cockpit and driver-assist technology.

BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional -- a 12.3- inch customisable instrument cluster together with the BMW Head-Up Display -- is fitted and linked to BMW’s Operating System 7.0 infotainment set-up.

The 8 Series also has a 10.25-inch Control Display, BMW Gesture control (Coupe only), voice control with natural voice recognition and Navigation System Professional with Speed Limit Info.

You sit low in the wide and long BMW four-seater (both models share the same 4851mm length and 1902mm width measurements), so the inclusion of a wide range of features will come as a relief to drivers wanting to be careful not to bingle their $300,000 car.

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These include Parking Assistant Plus, including Rear View Camera, 3D View and Reverse Assistant, Driving Assistant Professional and BMW Night Vision Camera with Pedestrian Recognition

Reverse Assistant is a relatively new BMW feature (also fitted to the new 3 Series). If you get stuck in a narrow, dead-end street for example, the system ‘remembers’ the last 50 metres you’ve travelled (forward) provided it’s at no more than 36km/h. When engaged, the automated Reverse Assistant feature will reverse the car out of the narrow confines without driver input required.

The M850i also has an upgraded BMW ConnectedDrive system, with Apple CarPlay, Connected Package Professional with Real Time Traffic information and Digital Key (which enables access to the car via smartphone).

How much does the 2019 BMW M850i cost?
BMW M850i xDrive Coupe -- $272,900
BMW M850i xDrive Convertible -- $281,900
* Prices exclude on-road costs

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Written byPhilip Lord
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