The back from the dead BMW 8 Series is here, revived in spanking new clothes and lacking the elegance of the late 80’s original. Time has moved on since 1989, modern day cars have to contend with new safety regulations, better pedestrian protection in addition to packing in all sort of sensors and radar guidance technologies. All of this means that 21st-century automotive design can get a bit bloated. BMW’s revival of the 8 Series is a demonstration as such, it has none of the charm of the 1st gen and ultimately lacks proportion. 

Proportion is everything in automotive design, get this fundamental ‘design law’ correct and you even make bloated design look good. Thankfully BMW didn’t do a retro-inspired look, nonetheless, the new BMW 8 Series looks disorganized. BMW says it will usher in a new design language that will eventually filter down into future models. Powering this mess, at launch, is a revised 4.4-litre, 523bhp twin-turbo V8, a 67bhp increase over the previous iteration. The 3.0-litre straight-six diesel will power the 840d with 316bhp on tap which will enable a time of 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds compared to the M850i which can manage 3.7 seconds. This power will be combined with an 8-speed automatic featuring a revised shift pattern. All four wheels will provide drive with a bias towards rear-wheels. Clever software is programmed to distribute torque evenly depending on road and weather conditions. As with every 21st century car the 8 Series will come packed with the latest in active and passive safety technologies. Active steering is standard other technologies will include pedestrian avoidance, lane assist, active cruise control, park distance control, heads-up display. The interior looks as disappointing as the exterior, not befitting of a car expected to cost £76k at launch, sure there will be plenty of leather and contrast stitching but Audi’s use of dual touchscreen displays for the A8 has the appearance of 22nd-century technology. That said, research suggests that some – mainly older – buyers still prefer physical buttons over a full touchscreen interface. The new BMW 8 Series will go on retail sale in November across the UK, the 840D will start from £76k, the M850i will retail from £100k. Personally, I would buy the Aston Martin DB11. And no, we are not being paid to say that, the DB11 has something the 8 Series lacks, exclusivity and more importantly… style.