The 2025 BMW M8 Gran Coupe makes no sense by making sense

Cars are such an emotional purchase – perhaps only clothing offers more immediate gratification. But while that tube top can be buried in the closet, tag still on, with minimal financial ruin, you must live with your car decision for a bit longer. This 2025 BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe is no different – BMWs with six-figure price tags are not for the financially weak-stomached.

But are they for the enthusiast?

The 2025 BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe Overview

It might be difficult to believe, but my first “official” review of a BMW M car came all the way back in August of 2022. That F90 M5 was so sweet, I still peak at used pricing just to see if perhaps I can sneak one into the garage without Mrs. Machines knowing. The key word in that last sentence was “used” – as in, older. Not made anymore. That car’s from 2017.

And yet, here it is, brand new! Well, mostly. BMW added three Ms to reach the number on the badge, and they did so by taking an M8 Coupe, adding just a bit more space in the rear, slapped on two more doors, and took it to the plastic surgeon. What emerged was called a Gran Coupe, and no, it still doesn’t make sense from a naming standpoint.

But elsewhere it does. We get the same running gear as in the M5 – a twin-turbocharged V-8, good for 617 horsepower. M xDrive. Gigantic wheels and tires. It’s fast – fast enough to keep up with super cars. But it’s also comfy – none of that carbon bucket nonsense here. You get all the creature comforts the rest of the lineup enjoys. And let’s face it – Isle of Man Green looks even better here, even if it was meant for the M3.

But, yea – $147,000 before any options means it’s pushing the limits of prestige for the Ultimate Driving Machine. Should I mention that you can grab a 2021 M8 for less than $70k?

You’re right, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s see if this M8 is great.

Performance Score: 8. If speed is all you need

I’ve no idea if BMW has used different spring rates, steering ratios, or throttle response software to make this Gran Coupe feel different from the regular Coupe. But it does, and so I like it better.

Engine

Pour one out for my bro. This is likely the last time I’ll ever review a new S63. It belongs in the engine hall of fame, and it’ll forever be one of my favorite BMW engines.

Let’s marvel at how, in Comfort mode, it’s as quiet and docile as a nun at the pope’s funeral. One need only press that M1 button to engage your presets and unleash Metallica upon said funeral. No one excels at giving an engine truly unique driving modes like BMW.

As usual, I leave it in Sport + for my test drive, with perfect throttle response and power everywhere. Maybe – mayyybe you can catch it flat-footed if you’re not smooth and allow the engine to fall off boost, but I’m smooth, and I’m sure you are too. Be rewarded with creamy pulls that rival electric cars in sensation and speed. It’s McLaren fast.

Sounds great too, although it’s actually pretty loud and boomy in Sport Plus. Even stock, it pops and cackles down the street. Fun though. If the 2025 BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe has personality, it’s right here.

Transmission

Again tuned to perfection, the ZF eight-speed is so crisp and precise, you’ll wonder why you ever needed a DCT. It never hesitates to kick down, holds gears with ease, and provides the kind of neck-snapping shifts you expect in Sport Plus.

But…the paddle shifters. First, peak that price tag, then set your gaze upon the lack of carbon fiber trim on the steering wheel. And that means instead of  those beefy paddles you get on an M4, you get the small, puny ones usually reserved for an X3. The 30i. Eww.

It’s the same wheel as the rest of the lineup, so no excuses, just cost-cutting.

Chassis and Steering

Sadly, I must bestow the same sad huzzahs on this Gran Coupe that other M8s suffer from – no steering feel. It’s just not there, so you can be doing 80 on a highway or 30 in a curve, and the steering offers a big nothing burger in return. No sense of speed or grip. Alpina managed to do it – ask them.

But the Gran Coupe redeems itself with a suspension that isn’t…terrible? The Coupe beat me up somethin’ fierce, but despite the same tires and overall weight, the four-door rides much better. No doubt, BMW correctly assumed that Gran Coupe buyers were after a bit more comfort. It offers a nice balance between the somewhat softer M5 and the Coupe.

It handles turns and track duty with such ease, you’ll forget that it weighs almost 4,400 pounds. Perhaps the lack of carbon fiber seats also help, but the car feels less snappy, less eager to bite you. And much less willing to abuse you.

Brakes

Snnnniiiiffffff. Smell that? Sure you do – it’s brakes cookin’. The standard steel discs feel fine, and the feedback is adjustable like it is in an M3 (the M5 did not have it). If you’re just going to commute or cruise, doubt you’ll notice anything.

But if you push this 4,400 pound sedan hard for more than a lap, you will induce some fade. Carbon ceramics are an $8,500 option, but if you’re leasing this car then they are only about 53% of that (or whatever the residual is). They also dust a lot less, and I can tell you that I’m tired of cleaning brake dust off BMW wheels.

Lifestyle Score: 5. Stylish sacrifice

On one hand, this car is more practical than the Coupe by a mile. If you’re the type to only occasionally use the back seat for adults, or have small kids, the M8 Gran Coupe makes a lot of sense.

But take the Coupe out of the equation and simply look at this as a four-door car – it’s tight in here too. The roof line is low, the back seat a place for punishment if you’re long of leg, and the trunk small. This is a big car, yet is tighter overall than an M4 Coupe. That the M5 offers the same type of speed and driving dynamics when compared to the Gran Coupe means that this is simply an odd car. It’s all lust – if you like the look, then by all means. If you want practical, get a 5er.

Let’s talk seats. If you are a sadist, you can opt for carbon buckets in the M8. That makes no sense, considering the car’s more luxurious mission. The standard seats are the same ones from an M3, and I love them. BUT (and it’s a big but), the F90 M5 had even more comfortable seats, and given the price point makes me wonder why they aren’t here. Maybe they don’t fit? I would have found a way, or given the M8 cousins their own sofas.

I’ll come back to this point shortly.

Fuel Economy: 6. Never change

To give you a better idea of how M tunes the S63, peak at the B8. It’s got a lot more torque and just a few less ponies, but achieves better overall mileage (22 vs 24). That’s due to the M motor being pushed more toward “frenetic” and less “relaxxxeeeddd“.

Such things probably don’t matter to you, and given the choice, I’d put the S motor into the B8 and call that Frankenstein my perfect BMW. It’s also about the same mileage as my M3 Competition with its inline-six.

Why are we trying to kill all the V-8s again?

Features and Comfort: 6. Aging out of the program

Remember the front seats? In a way, that extends to the entire 2025 BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe. Introduced in 2017, the aging tech is starting to feel out of place in BMW’s flagship model.

Older. Better?

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with iDrive 7. In some ways, I prefer it to 8.5, 9, or whatever the hell number they’re on now. I love that there’s real HVAC buttons (I miss mine soo much), and I love that it’s easy to navigate through the entire system without issue. And I love that they took the ambient light somewhat seriously – even if it palls in comparison to what Mercedes offers at this point point.

But let’s say you’ve just walked in off the street and you have $150k in your pocket. Yes, I’ll try the new G90 M5. And also, this M8. If you’re a layman, you’d be pretty sad once you got in here.

Still, Apple CarPlay, Merino Leather, an Alcantara headliner – it’s nice.

Busty beauty

Perhaps the best way we can judge if BMW got a design right is what they do with it during the car’s LCI. They didn’t really touch the 8 Series.

It’s soooo cuuurrvyyyyy. Like the original 8, this car will look good 20 years from now. Painting a BMW in a launch color from another model is usually a big style no-no, but Isle of Man Green Metallic works so well on this Gran Coupe – really any color does.

You get 20-inch wheels all around in style 810, 811, or the 813s you see here. Laser headlights and many different paint options are standard, and the 8 Series offers one of the broader Individual pallets in the BMW lineup. You just don’t lose any style for adding two doors. 

Others sport sedans to consider

• Alpina B8 Gran Coupe
• Porsche Panamera 4S Sport Turismo
• Audi RS 6 Avant
• BMW M8 Coupe
• BMW F90 M5
• Mercedes AMG GT 53

The 2025 BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe isn’t even the best 8 Series, but that’s okay

That M badge – it sells. It sells on a dorky X2 M35i, and it sells on this manly man M8, along with pretty much every car in between.

But truth be told, the M8 in any form is no sports car. It’s a grand tourer – hell it’s right there in the name. So if you asked me to pick an 8 Series to drive every day, I’d have an Alpina B8 and never look back. If you asked me to have a special M car for $145,000, I’d buy an M4 CS and never look back. All three cars are going to depreciate harder than a Lawrence Taylor tackle, but the M4 and B8 both feel much more special.

And that’s not the M8’s biggest sin – being not quite as good as an M5 is. Worse seats, different but not necessarily better styling, and dated technology in BMW M’s flagship model all conspire to make me think twice before I would consider this car. Go ahead and peak at used models – you’d lose half the value in three years. No other M car does that, SUVs not withstanding.

When you’re in it, I feel the allure. It’s so fast and capable despite its size, even on back roads. Looks great. Sometimes it’s hard to believe the car is nearly a decade old.

Just make sure you really want that M badge.