The BMW M8 is on its way, and in the lead up to its reveal, the German carmaker is giving us tidbits about what to expect from its newest M car.
First up, the M8 will be available in standard and Competition versions, the latter already leaked on more than one occasion. Additionally, buyers will also be able to choose from coupe and convertible body styles (a Gran Coupe will come later), which isn’t much of a surprise based on prior spyshots we’ve already posted.
BMW’s latest info dump offers nothing in terms of exact engine specifications, so we’re left with what has been told earlier, that is the M8 will be powered by a high-revving V8 with M TwinPower Turbo technology that makes 600 PS.
Like the F90 M5, the M8 will also get the rear-biased M xDrive all wheel-drive system that can send drive exclusively to the rear wheels in 2WD mode, as well as an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission with Drivelogic (button on the gear lever).
What’s special about the M8 is it will debut a new display and control system that drivers will use to configure many aspects of the car, including the powertrain, chassis and driver assistance systems. Key to this new interface are two buttons located on the centre console – Setup and M Mode.
The Setup button covers five vehicle parameters – engine, chassis, steering, M xDrive and brake – each with their own individual modes. The ability to change the feel of the brakes is new on the M8, as the model uses an integrated braking system that brings together the brake activation, a vacuum-free brake booster and braking control functions within a compact module.
This brake-by-wire system is said to be lighter by two kilograms compared to a conventional system, and offers two modes to drivers – Comfort and Sport – which alter the amount of pressure on the brake pedal required to slow the car down. The system is applicable to cars fitted with the standard M compound brakes or optional M carbon-ceramic brakes.
As for the other vehicle parameters, the engine gets three modes (Efficient, Sport and Sport Plus), chassis gets three modes (Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus), steering gets two modes (Comfort and Sport), while M xDrive has three modes (4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD, the last one only available with DSC off).
With the Setup feature, drivers are therefore presented with a straightforward, overall view of what mode each vehicle parameter is currently in. Switching between modes can be done easily via the iDrive Controller or touchscreen.
Like the M5, two M buttons on the steering wheel allow you to save your preferred settings made in the Setup screen, along with other separate settings like the active exhaust, Drivelogic level, M Dynamic Mode and engine automatic start/stop function.
We’ve talked plenty about the Setup button, and there’s still more words to spare when it comes to the M Mode button. A simpler function compared to Setup, M Mode alters the responses of the driver assistance systems and the screens in the digital instrument cluster and head-up display.
You get three modes here – Road, Sport and Track – with the last one being exclusive to Competition models. In the default Road setting, all the standard and optional driver assistance systems are fully activated for daily driving.
Moving up to Sport mode, the active driver assistance systems now only transmit alerts on speed limits and overtaking restrictions. Additionally, all interventions in the braking and steering systems are disabled, aside from Collision Warning with braking function and the Evasion Assistant.
Drivers will also be treated to M View in both the instrument cluster and the head-up display, with information geared towards sporty driving being prioritised. This includes an M-specific engine speed dial and shift lights, digital speed display and active gear selected, as well as vehicle status and g-meter.
Holding down on the M Mode button engages Track mode, whereby upon confirmation, all the comfort and safety functions of the driver assistance systems are deactivated. Even the infotainment system is switched off in this state, allowing the driver to fully focus while on track.
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