Recently we drove the BMW M850i xDrive. BMW did a great job inside with an easy layout and high-quality cabin finishing. There are newly developed sports seats upholstered as standard in Vernasca leather. The M850i comes standard with BMW Operating System 7.0 display and control concept, a 10.25-inch Control Display, gesture control, touch display, head-up display, iDrive controller, Live Cockpit Professional and a 12.3-inch display in the centre. Additionally there is telephony with wireless charging, climate seats, Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System, as well as glass applications for selected controls.

Practicality

The M850i is a four-seater and there is enough head and legroom in the front seats, conversely, at back the legroom is tight and probably suited for children unless the front passengers move their seats all the way forward, possibly compromising their seating position. Even with the sleek lines, the new M850i comes with a sizeable boot space measured at 420-litres which should be good during conventional trips, thanks to the foldable 50:50 rear backrest. Don’t fold the seats down often as the slots for safety belts in back seats can make indentations on the seats.

Safety

Our test BMW M850i came fitted with numerous cutting-edge driver assistance systems such as active cruise control with stop and go function, steering and lane control assistant, lane change warning and lane departure warning systems, lane keeping assistant with side collision protection and evasion aid, BMW night vision, as well as crossing traffic warning, priority warning and wrong-way warning systems.

Engine, transmission and drive

The M850i xDrive has an-all new 4.4-litre V8 engine with a 50 kW of power increase over the engine it replaces. It kicks out 390 kW of power and 750 Nm of torque. All that amount of power is accessed via an improved eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. You’ll do 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds. The car feels extremely quick and we can’t wait to see what the M8 will offer. The car grabs all the attention on the road with its loud exhaust and looks.

The car is enjoyed as a cruiser and a sports car. It’s able to attack challenging roads and corners thanks to the xDrive system and huge 20-inch tyres. It also copes well with daily driving courtesy of the standard four-wheel steering. What it does is that the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speeds – which is ideal during parking manoeuvres and cornering. Highway cruising at the maximum national speed limit is most enjoyable. You even forget that at a flip of a button you can unleash a beast that can pounce on many cars you will come across without even breaking a sweat.