One of our favorite presenters in the automotive realm today is, without a doubt, Tiff Needell. The former pilot has been doing this for quite some time now and we always enjoy his warm personality on camera, and thoroughly trust his opinion as he is a skilled driver unlike some other pretenders out there. This time, he is doing us all a favor by reviewing one of the most interesting cars to come out of Munich in the last few years, the brand new 8 Series.
Luckily for us, he didn’t just test one model but had the both of them out for a spin, the 840d and the M850i xDrive bad boy. His adventure took place in Spain though, a different location compared to where most of the journalists worldwide got to enjoy the revived 8 Series, namely Portugal. This seems to have been an event set up by the people from BMW UK, as the cars too seem to have been brought over from the island, as they are right-hand drive models and wear UK plates.
Onto the cars, Tiff does appreciate the design of the car and the new BMW interior design, which now seems to be, finally, up to par with the competition for a change. Room in the back seems to be limited, especially in the headroom department, but that’s to be expected on a GT car, as they are not necessarily known for the ample room offered to passengers. Yes, technically the car does have four seats but in reality the rear ones can only be used by children or adults but only for short trips.
Unfortunately, the guys took only the 840d to the track but even so, they do praise the way the car handles. Even with a diesel engine, and on stock steel brakes, the car performed admirably, one special mention going to the steering which Tiff claims to be spot on. As for the M850i, it got the scenic route treatment and it seems to put quite a smile on the reviewers’ faces.
