No one can deny the speed of BMW’s M8 models. It doesn’t matter which body style you choose—be it Coupe, Convertible, or Gran Coupe—the BMW M8 is astonishingly quick. However, it’s also a bit disappointing, as it doesn’t provide anywhere near the sort of driving pleasure that its name, looks, and performance would suggest. In this new video from Joe Achilles, you get to learn why.
Despite its hefty curb weight, and it is hefty, the BMW M8 Competition Coupe is capable of rocketing from 0-60 mph in 2.78 seconds, in Achilles’ timed sprint. That’s an astonishing time for even exotic mid-engine supercars, never mind a 2.5 ton luxury coupe with comfy leather thrones, all the cabin tech you can imagine, and an automatic gearbox. So there’s no denying that the M8 is an absolute road-going missile.
However, that’s no where the problem with the M8 lies. Instead, the M8’s problem is when the road gets a bit twistier. Its name suggests that it’s an M car but it doesn’t feel like one when you have to actually steer the thing through corners. Sure, there’s tons of grip on tap but it never feels particularly sharp or enjoyable to drive. Its weight is also a factor because, despite its grip levels on flat pavement, bumps can easily upset its suspension and cause it to feel sketchy and nervous at speed. That much weight is hard to settle. What’s odd, though, is that the M8 Gran Coupe has similar suspension and it feels more planted. Ironically, the M8 Gran Coupe’s suspension is what the M5 CS uses and that car is just about perfect, so it’s odd to see such suspension tuning on the M8 Coupe.
Making matters worse, as Achilles points out, is that its ride isn’t good enough to make it a great GT car. So it’s too sloppy to be a proper sports car but it’s also too firm to be a comfy grand tourer, which puts it in a disappointing no-man’s land. What’s so frustrating is that we know BMW M is capable of brilliant driving cars, like the M3 and M4, as well as the M5 CS and M2 CS. And the M8 Coupe is a gorgeous looking car, one that screams about its high-performance GT potential. If the M8 Coupe was as good as its looks promised, it’d be incredibly dangerous to cars like the Maserati GranTurismo and Aston Martin Vantage. Unfortunately, it wears a price tag close to those cars but can’t provide the same level of driver enjoyment.
