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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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