Yahoo Autos 2023 BMW M8 Competition Coupe Road Test: Massively potent, massively luxurious
I roll up to a stop sign after thoroughly exercising the 2023 BMW M8 Competition Coupe for the last 15 minutes. Warm air pours out of the side fender vent into my open window, filling the cabin with the excess heat produced by that maniacal 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. I increase the fan speed of the auto climate control a couple notches and jack the ventilated seat to its max setting. Ah, that’s better, I think before gunning it once more and watching the digital speedo race upwards at a daunting pace.
The M8 Competition is a lot of car, and I mean that in just about every conceivable way. It’s also a car that BMW has struggled with, as Bavaria took a year off selling the M8 Coupe and Convertible in 2021 due to there being a backup of 2020 examples still sitting on dealer lots. BMW’s price was simply an astronomical turnoff, as the 2020 M8 Competition Coupe started at a haughty $146,995. What’s the price of the 2023 model now that three years of inflation and industry-wide price increases have taken effect? $131,995. That’s the exact opposite price swing of what virtually every other new model has seen, but we’re not complaining.
Not only is the price lower, but BMW has updates for the 2023 model that make it even better than before. The big change inside for the M8 (which is now Competition-only with no standard M8 version) is the addition of BMW’s M Carbon bucket seats as an option. Those massively-bolstered seats that debuted in the M3 and M4 are as serious as any seat on the market today, and while they’re not ideal grand touring seats, they sure do make a statement. The 8 Series lineup as a whole is upgraded from the old 10.25-inch infotainment display to a 12.3-inch screen that is still running iDrive 7. As far as we’re concerned, that’s a plus over the many BMWs that have upgraded to the far less user-friendly iDrive 8.
The last of the improvements are in exterior aesthetics, as BMW gives the M8 a new grille, more black trim and offers the classic BMW Motorsport logo as an option. Five additional colors are added to the palette, with one of those being the Brooklyn Grey Metallic this test car is painted in, but I’d recommend skipping straight to the new Isle of Man Green option in the configurator. As far as mid-cycle refreshes go, the 8 Series (and by proxy the M8) went through a light one.
BMW’s V8 in its full-on M machines is a combination of so many qualities that’ll make an enthusiast giddy, and it shines particularly bright in the M8 Competition Coupe. Press the red start button, and it barks to life with an authoritative bite that clearly marks its dominance over BMW’s inline-sixes. If you like muscle, you’re going to like this sound. Keeping up with traffic feels like an afterthought for this engine’s meaty low-end, as revs rarely exceed 2,500 rpm when you leave the eight-speed automatic transmission to its own devices. Even driven calmly, though, the M-specific exhaust rumbles and crackles off buildings and walls alike. There’s nothing stealthy about it.
