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prove stability above those velocities.   a green circle when the “force field”
      It works fabulously in practice, with the  of safety systems are all engaged. It’s
      8 imparting an almost eerie sense of    all fairly transparent, save for the lane-
      steadiness in corners, where it hugs    keep assist function, which works
      the road like a Hoover on a red carpet.  quite aggressively to keep you from
                                              straying over a line. Get near a lane
                                              marking and the car will fight you like
      The new M850i can slay all types of     an arm wrestler, requiring more than
      asphalt and excels in all sorts of driv-  a little muscle to override; it’s also
      ing conditions—torrential rainstorms or   among the most overeager to activate
      icy mountain roads, dry and twisting    we’ve seen. Thankfully, the Intelligent
      canyon two-lanes, and even bump-        Safety systems can be configured
      er-to-bumper traffic. It jets off the line   individually to your liking, or you can
      and on to 60 mph in a blistering 3.6    simply turn them all off by holding the
      seconds, and every staffer who slid     button down for three seconds. It de-
      behind the wheel of the M850i was       faults back to “All On” when you cycle
      smitten with a car universally charac-  the ignition, though.
      terized as a smooth, incredible, and
      great all-rounder. The drive modes      As in other BMWs equipped with
      includes Sport, Sport +, Eco Pro, and   gesture controls, they come across as
      Comfort, with Sport+ naturally being    little more than gimmicks here—for ex-
      the most engaging, turning the BMW      ample, there’s virtually no difference in
      from a sporty and rewarding grand       terms of motion between twirling your
      tourer to a crackling, snarling beast,   finger or using the knob to adjust the
      eager to pounce at every apex.          audio system’s volume, and the knob
                                              has the distinct advantage of working
      Despite its size, as with most coupes,   every time. One feature we did actually
      the 8’s rear seats are best left to lug-  find neat was the ability to take phone
      gage duty, offering up just 29.5 inches   calls with the wave of a hand once
      of legroom and 33.6 inches of head-     you’ve paired your phone to the car.
      room. But used for cargo and com-
      bined with a deep trunk that can swal-
      low up to 15 cubic feet of additional   In all, the M850i is an incredibly im-
      loot, the 8-series can accommodate      pressive piece, and it’s hard not to be
      plenty of stuff for two people to enjoy   intoxicated with its huge power, highly
      the type of extended trip this car was   capable chassis, and surprising grace.
      made for.                               While it’s plenty satisfying on its own,
                                              the 8 Series family will include plenty
      Inside, the gauge cluster is fully digital;   of variants, including a convertible, a
      it’s a high-resolution affair and easy   four-door Gran Coupe, and the big
      to read, although we will admit that    daddy, the M8. But whether you stick
      the usability and overall presentation   with the coupe or try another version,
      of functions such as navigation in the   you’ll be the star wherever you show
      cluster is better executed in some VW   up.
      Group vehicles. We were pleased that
      the cockpit offers myriad methods to    2019 BMW M850i xDrive Specifica-
      control the ample technology inside,    tions
      including the iDrive controller, the 10.3-  ON SALE   Now
      inch central touchscreen, your voice,   PRICE $112,895/$119,295 (base/
      and, blessedly, plenty of hard buttons   as-tested)
      and switches. There’s even a handy      ENGINE        4.4L turbocharged
      button to activate the steering-wheel   DOHC 32-valve V-8; 523 hp @ 6,000
      heating element located—get this—on     rpm, 553 lb-ft @ 1,800 rpm
      the steering wheel.                     TRANSMISSION         8-speed auto-
                                              matic
                                              LAYOUT        2-door, 2+2-passenger,
      Among the tech you’ll find automat-     front-engine AWD sedan
      ic parking, a plethora of cameras for   EPA MILEAGE N/A
      backing up and viewing all sorts of     L x W x H     191.2 x 74.9 x 53.0 in
      angles, and BMW’s Intelligent Safety    WHEELBASE  111.1 in
      suite of features. These are controlled   WEIGHT      4,478 lb
      and quickly accessed using a button     0–60 MPH      3.6 sec
      in the center of the dash that displays   TOP SPEED  155 mph


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