The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- M8 model’s track performance
- Impressive power across the lineup
- Beautiful in every body style
- Agile for the size
Dislikes
- Tight cabins
- Not enough standard safety tech
- Extremely expensive
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2023 BMW 8-Series boasts beautiful styling, modern elegance, and agile moves in a pricey package.
What kind of vehicle is the 2023 BMW 8-Series? What does it compare to?
Part luxury car, part sports car, the 2023 BMW 8-Series is available as a slick coupe, convertible, or Gran Coupe sedan. It’s a challenger to the Audi RS7, Porsche 911, Lexus LC, and Mercedes S-Class and AMG GT 4-Door Coupe.
Is the 2023 BMW 8-Series a good car?
Yes, it’s a great car. It has the power, luxury, and styling to justify the high price. The most popular and most practical body style, Gran Coupe, is the basis of our rating of 7.0 out of a possible 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2023 BMW 8-Series?
A bunch of styling updates. The exterior gets a standard illuminated grille, more choices for paint colors and wheel designs, and more aerodynamic side mirrors on M850i models. The cockpit gets an upgraded 12.3-inch center display. Finally, a new limited edition in partnership with artist Jeff Koons will become available later in the model year.
All three body styles have sleek, low-slung looks, but if you want an 8-Series with a usable rear seat, the relatively practical Gran Coupe is it. Until 2023, we said the 8-Series avoided falling into BMW’s trap of styling excesses, though this year’s illuminated grille challenges that notion. Still, the 8-Series is elegant, with a flowing design emphasized by character lines beginning just behind the rear wheels and resolving at the rear wheels. The cabin boasts elegant looks and materials to match, with fine leather, a 10.3-inch touchscreen display, aluminum trim, and the option of a crystal gear shifter.
Every 8-Series configuration brings the power, beginning with the 335-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged-6 in the 840i models, proceeding to the 523-hp 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the M850i models, and finally that same V-8 tuned to 617 hp for the M8 Competition models. All-wheel drive is standard on all but the 840i, and though the 8-speed automatic transmission provides slick shifts, we’d also like a manual option. The 8-Series’ times from zero to 60 mph range from 4.7 to 3.0 seconds.
No 8-Series model offers a spacious cabin, but the Gran Coupe can accommodate four adults. The rear row in the convertible and coupe is best for small kids or packages.
How much does the 2023 BMW 8-Series cost?
The 8-Series coupe, convertible, and Gran Coupe are available in 840i, 840i xDrive (all-wheel drive), M850i xDrive, and M8 models. There’s also an Alpina B8 version of the Gran Coupe.
The 840i coupe and Gran Coupe start at about $86,000 and come with Merino leather upholstery, power front seats, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, a 16-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system, and 19-inch wheels.
The xDrive all-wheel drive system is a $2,900 option, and the convertible tacks $9,400 to the price.
Standard safety fare is a short list, just adaptive LED headlights with automatic high beams and automatic emergency braking. BMW charges extra for features like blind-spot monitors and adaptive cruise control that should be standard in this price range. An optional traffic-jam assistant system enables limited hands-free travel on highways.
Where is the 2023 BMW 8-Series made?
It’s produced in Germany.
2023 BMW 8-Series Styling
Low and wide with a sinister edge, the 2023 BMW 8-Series offers an elegant yet sporty look in the full-size segment.
Is the BMW 8-Series a good-looking car?
Some recent models have become caricatures of BMW’s design, but the 8-Series lineup mostly avoids that fate. It’s sleek and its low-slung stance draws out the car’s long character lines for a graceful exterior. We score a 9 here, including two points each for the sleek body and for the luxurious interior.
The 8-Series Gran Coupe, like the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, in a coupe-like sedan with a raked roof line, while the coupe and convertible feature a sleeker stance. The convertible’s power soft top is lighter and more streamlined than a power hard top would be.
For 2023, the 8-Series gets an illuminated grille that activates automatically when a door is unlocked or opened, or when turned on or off by the driver. M580i xDrive models get new M side mirrors and are available with classic BMW Motorsport badging to replace the BMW roundel exterior badging, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BMW M. Five new paint colors are available, along with two new 20-inch wheel designs. The new M Sport Package Professional adds black exterior trim, headlights with dark reflectors, and black brake calipers as options.
The cabin is elegant and modern, one of the most attractive out there at a sub-Bentley price point. The boxy center stack is crowned with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, surrounded by materials such as contrast-stitched leather, aluminum trim, and an available crystal shift knob. Select one of the light or bold upholstery colors to avoid losing these details in a sea of black.
2023 BMW 8-Series Performance
The 2023 8-Series features agile moves and powerful engines.
Is the BMW 8-Series 4WD?
The base 840i features rear-wheel drive, and the others come with xDrive all-wheel drive.
How fast is the BMW 8-Series?
There are three flavors: fast, faster, and even faster still. All 8-Series models offer sharp moves and a smooth ride.That combination is worthy of an 8 out of 10 on our scale.
A 335-hp 3.0-liter turbo-6 comes standard in 840i models, capable of a 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds. The M850i gets a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, good for 523 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds.The M8 Competition tunes the twin-turbo V-8 to 617 hp, cutting the 0-60 mph time to 3.0 seconds and enabling up to 189 mph when the optional M Driver’s package is ticked. The base turbo-6 provides strong power for daily driving, while every choice of V-8 threatens to pin you in your seat with every stab at the throttle. They sound great, too, with a distinctive low-pitched growl.
Every 8-Series model, and the M8 Competition especially, offers nimble moves for their size, further aided by optional rear-axle steering. Across the lineup, big brakes yield forceful stopping, but the M8 Competition has even bigger rotors, plus cooling to handle track runs. Optional carbon-ceramic brakes are even better on the track.
2023 BMW 8-Series Comfort & Quality
Though beautiful, the cabin of the 8-Series is too small for a large car.
The coupe and convertible 8-Series models are best for just two, and the Gran Coupe is the most practical, particularly for four adults. We award points for the 8-Series’ fab front seats and fantastic interior materials though the small rear seat loses a point. That’s good for a total of 6 out of 10 here.
The two-door body styles cover a smart 191 inches, but at 200 inches, the Gran Coupe is hard to park. Despite the footprint of a full-size car, the 8-Series feels like a compact inside. Even the Gran Coupe is snug for a four-door, and only kids will be comfortable in the back seats of the coupe and convertible.
The cabin is assembled with care and full of top-tier materials, such as Merino leather, quality large digital screens, and even optional gesture controls.
2023 BMW 8-Series Safety
The 2023 BMW 8-Series is offered with plenty of advanced safety tech, but has no crash-test ratings.
How safe is the BMW 8-Series?
The BMW 8-Series hasn’t been subjected to crash testing, which is typical of high-end luxury cars, but means we can’t assign a rating. Few safety features come standard, particularly in light of the lofty price, but there are many options.
The 8-Series includes standard automatic emergency braking and LED adaptive headlights with automatic high beams. Look for packages that add adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist with hands-free low-speed driving, a surround-view camera system, blind-spot monitors, automatic parking, front and rear parking sensors, and cross-traffic alerts.
2023 BMW 8-Series Features
BMW packs the 8-Series to the gills with features as it should for a near six-figure car.
BMW loads the 8-Series with features right out of the box, though there are plenty of options for personalization. With good infotainment as well, that’s good for a 9 here.
Which BMW 8-Series should I buy?
We recommend the Gran Coupe, a stylish sedan that is the most practical of the bunch. Starting at about $86,000, it includes Merino leather seating, power front seats, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.3-inch touchscreen, a head-up display, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a Harmon Kardon stereo, a panoramic roof, and 19-inch alloys. The M850i’s power intoxicates, though, so we’d be tempted to upgrade for about $101,000.
How much is a fully loaded BMW 8-Series?
The Alpina B8 Gran Coupe, which features the 4.4-liter V-8 engine and starts at about $141,000, can be optioned out with the Driving Assistance Professional Package, the M Carbon roof, and Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround-sound audio system for about $154,000. Numerous performance options, such as carbon-ceramic brakes for $8,150, make it easy to push the M8 Competition past $170,000.
BMW backs the 8-Series with a competitive 4-year, 50,000-mile warranty with four years of roadside assistance.
2023 BMW 8-Series Fuel Economy
The 8-Series trades in power, not frugality.
Is the 2023 BMW 8-Series good on gas?
No, but its ratings really aren’t bad considering its power. We score a 3 out of 10 for the entry-level 840i’s EPA estimates of 23 mpg city, 30 highway, 25 combined.
In convertible and Gran Coupe form, the 840i sacrifices 1 mpg city and 1 mpg highway though the overall rating stays the same, and all-wheel drive shaves estimates to 20/27/23 mpg for every body style.
The M850i drop-top and Alpina B8 coupe are rated for 17/24/19 mpg. M8 Competitions are rated at 15/21/17 mpg across the lineup.
The 8-Series requires premium fuel.
