Any M850i xDrive owners on here?
Discussion
The PCP deal on my 440i M Sport is coming to an end in a few months. It's been a very lovely DD and I've enjoyed it, but the lure to try something different is strong. I was going to get an M3 comp, but I'm finding myself drawn to the 8 Series and in particular the M850. I love the look of these big coupes and the savings from new are rather attractive (low-£60k now from a list of around £105k), albeit I'd expect to lose another 50 per cent of the car's value in the next 3-4 years. But that's okay.
Anyway, this one has caught my eye...
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11106536
Are there any M850 owners on here who can enlighten me on their experience with this model? It will again be my DD, although only ever around 10k miles a year in pre-Covid times. All thoughts much appreciated.
Anyway, this one has caught my eye...
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11106536
Are there any M850 owners on here who can enlighten me on their experience with this model? It will again be my DD, although only ever around 10k miles a year in pre-Covid times. All thoughts much appreciated.
Despite having spent a lot of time in both Coupe and Gran Coupe this is a difficult one to answer - so much depends on how you will use it and what your expectations are.
On the plus side, it is a beautiful car and the engine sounds great in Sport (much better than M5/M8). However, it is desperately small in the rear so depends if you ever need to carry people. My kids could not sit in the back without me sitting unnaturally far forward.
The engine has great torque, but so linear is the delivery that it never feels that fast. It is also a big weight over the front which makes it feel a tad nose heavy.
For that reason, the 840 is actually a much sweeter steer. It is a little slower, but the whole car drives better for the lack of four wheel steer and four wheel drive.
That said, you can’t deny the appeal of a whacking great V8 in a pretty body. I know it is difficult to test drive at the moment, but I really think this a car that demands a decent drive to see if it fits your life. Expect it to be a sports car like a 911 or a Comfy coupe like a S Class Coupe and you will be disappointed. It is neither agile enough or soothing enough for this. However, it is an interesting combination that may appeal to you.
Might be worth finding a retailer with a demo and seeing if you could book your car in and borrow this as your loan car?
On the plus side, it is a beautiful car and the engine sounds great in Sport (much better than M5/M8). However, it is desperately small in the rear so depends if you ever need to carry people. My kids could not sit in the back without me sitting unnaturally far forward.
The engine has great torque, but so linear is the delivery that it never feels that fast. It is also a big weight over the front which makes it feel a tad nose heavy.
For that reason, the 840 is actually a much sweeter steer. It is a little slower, but the whole car drives better for the lack of four wheel steer and four wheel drive.
That said, you can’t deny the appeal of a whacking great V8 in a pretty body. I know it is difficult to test drive at the moment, but I really think this a car that demands a decent drive to see if it fits your life. Expect it to be a sports car like a 911 or a Comfy coupe like a S Class Coupe and you will be disappointed. It is neither agile enough or soothing enough for this. However, it is an interesting combination that may appeal to you.
Might be worth finding a retailer with a demo and seeing if you could book your car in and borrow this as your loan car?
I’ve had an M8 Comp Convertible since last October and done a couple of thousand miles since then.
I haven’t heard the 850 but have read on forums that it sounds better for some reason. The M8 had a software update that quietened it. TBH that doesn’t bother me as I’ve had noisy cars and don’t now feel comfortable drawing attention to myself.
I think they’re great cars. I’m 5 foot 10 and have 2 teenage boys as well as my good wife who can all travel about an hour in it with some comfort (seats forward etc). Not the end of the world but most of the time I’m on my own in the car.
I drove it from Mid-Cornwall to Bromsgrove and back in a day back in November and it was a great car for the distance. Quiet comfortable and averaged 30mpg on the way up!
So it is comfortable, great on the motorway and not bad costs to run. The M8 is of course pretty quick but I’m sure the 850 would be still more than fast enough. As the other person said, it isn’t a 911 but then I would much rather drive the 8 than a 911 over longer journeys.
My thoughts would be :
1. Consider a convertible. You loose nothing in space, gain on noise when the roof is down but it is super quiet with the roof up
2. I have climate comfort front screen which may or may not be standard but it really is amazing how quiet this makes it and weirdly is the first car I’ve ever had where you can’t here the windscreen wipers!
3. I have the drive assistant plus package with the lane keep assist, distance cruise control etc etc. It makes motorway journeys so easy, I wouldn’t get another luxury car without it tbh.
So if you can get a good deal and don’t think its an outright sports car then I would hugely recommend it. It’s not as big and heavy as people make out. I drive it around town a lot without any problem and don’t think it feels heavy on bendy roads.
I got a great deal from Cheltenham Cotswold which made my 12 month old car a fair bit cheaper than the M2 CS I was looking at. The CS makes no noise and feels too cheap inside for me. Maybe if I was 10 years younger!
I haven’t heard the 850 but have read on forums that it sounds better for some reason. The M8 had a software update that quietened it. TBH that doesn’t bother me as I’ve had noisy cars and don’t now feel comfortable drawing attention to myself.
I think they’re great cars. I’m 5 foot 10 and have 2 teenage boys as well as my good wife who can all travel about an hour in it with some comfort (seats forward etc). Not the end of the world but most of the time I’m on my own in the car.
I drove it from Mid-Cornwall to Bromsgrove and back in a day back in November and it was a great car for the distance. Quiet comfortable and averaged 30mpg on the way up!
So it is comfortable, great on the motorway and not bad costs to run. The M8 is of course pretty quick but I’m sure the 850 would be still more than fast enough. As the other person said, it isn’t a 911 but then I would much rather drive the 8 than a 911 over longer journeys.
My thoughts would be :
1. Consider a convertible. You loose nothing in space, gain on noise when the roof is down but it is super quiet with the roof up
2. I have climate comfort front screen which may or may not be standard but it really is amazing how quiet this makes it and weirdly is the first car I’ve ever had where you can’t here the windscreen wipers!
3. I have the drive assistant plus package with the lane keep assist, distance cruise control etc etc. It makes motorway journeys so easy, I wouldn’t get another luxury car without it tbh.
So if you can get a good deal and don’t think its an outright sports car then I would hugely recommend it. It’s not as big and heavy as people make out. I drive it around town a lot without any problem and don’t think it feels heavy on bendy roads.
I got a great deal from Cheltenham Cotswold which made my 12 month old car a fair bit cheaper than the M2 CS I was looking at. The CS makes no noise and feels too cheap inside for me. Maybe if I was 10 years younger!
Many thanks for the feedback, gents. Very interesting. There's nothing there that puts me off. I don't have kids, so the modest back seats are not an issue. I've had three 911s in various guises. Wonderful cars but none of them lasted longer than a year...so I think I need to finally learn from experience and not buy another!
Very good point about the extended test drive, though. I've never done that before. I'll talk to some dealers in the coming months and see how amenable they are to a 24-hour loan.
Very good point about the extended test drive, though. I've never done that before. I'll talk to some dealers in the coming months and see how amenable they are to a 24-hour loan.
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