The new BMW 8 Series introduces a new model family to the luxury class of grand touring coupes and convertibles. Finding another like it proves tough since BMW combined superior styling and a high-performing powertrain to create this lovely GT, er, coupe. I mean, convertible.
Oh, wait. BMW created a Series because it couldn’t decide which vehicle to produce, so it made all three. Depending on which configuration you choose, the BMW 8 Series is a convertible, sports car, small sedan, family sedan, or a combination of a few of those.
The base model starts at $87,500 and higher trim levels jump above the $100,000 mark. While BMW strove to create a vehicle that resides in a class by itself, you can find competitors for BMW 8 among the other luxury vehicle manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Audi, and others.
BMW seemingly couldn’t decide between crafting a new roadster, four-door touring sedan, or sporty two-door sedan, so it made all three, hence the Series 8 family. You’ve got choices galore when shopping the Series 8. You can choose a ride that looks like it zip-zooped out of a James Bond film, or a sedate sedan ready to ferry you to your next business meeting.
Each well-appointed package offers similar performance. Perhaps one of the last new designs of gas-powered vehicles, the 8 Series offers decent fuel efficiency, earning 23 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.
The Series 8 features a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 612 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. It flies from 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds.
Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive standard, you’d expect an exciting ride but Car and Driver, Edmunds, and others report a boring response. The luxurious interior makes up for the handling lacking excitement.
In 2023, BMW introduces new colors for the exterior, letting you express your personality in new, funkier ways. Its blues and green draw increased attention to this four-wheeled wonder.
BMW probably didn’t design this just for road trips, but you could easily take one in it since the trunk offers an expansive 14.8 cubic feet of storage. While most adults can easily enjoy riding in the front seat with its 42 inches of legroom, stick the kids in the back seat. Legroom in the rear seat measures 29.5 inches. That cramps any grownup, but children could comfortably fit.
You can find alternatives to BMW’s roomy any vehicle in the 8 Series, however, this segment of its luxury class proves so small that less than ten vehicles truly qualify as alternatives. Let us help you get started with a quick list of our favorites, starting with our top three, then providing the runners-ups.
1. Lexus LC 500
The Lexus LC 500 vaguely competes with The 8 Series in price, starting at $93,050. The Lexus LC 500 and the BMW offer similar engines that produce close to the same horsepower and torque. The two vehicles differ in fuel efficiency ratings and driveline.
Why It’s Similar to The 8 Series
You can seat four in this luxury vehicle from Lexus. Choose from a coupe or convertible design. Its convertible trim costs about the same as the BMW’s higher trims. It offers similar handling and interior opulence but that’s it. The Lexus looks great but lacks in storage, fuel efficiency, and acceleration.
Vehicle Design Observations
The Lexus can’t compete when it comes to gas mileage. It earns an inefficient 16 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The two vehicles accelerate from 0 to 60 at nearly the same sped – 3.9 seconds.
Skip shopping in this tiny Lexus that offers a minuscule 3.4 to 5.4 cubic feet of trunk space. Unless you’re alone and can toss purchases in the backseat, you can’t fit much in this cute car.
The Lexus LC 500 provides a 5.0-liter, V8 engine that produces 471 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque on its standard model. The automaker couples this with a 10-speed automatic transmission and you can only get it with rear-wheel drive.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 4.7 seconds
Horsepower: 471 hp
Torque: 398 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $93,050
Seating Capacity: Four
Fuel Efficiency: 16 mpg in the city/25 mpg on the highway
Towing Capacity: not designed for towing
2. Jaguar F-Type
The Jaguar F-Type two-seat sports car offers a comparable design to the roadster version of the Series 8 starting at a bargain price of $69,900. That saves you nearly $17,000 on a racy sports car.
If you love choices, you can have them in this Jaguar entry in the luxury coupe class. The F-Type merges the configurability of the BMW with (unfortunately) the gas mileage of the Lexus. It also offers fun exterior colors and an opulent interior.
Why It’s Similar to The 8 Series
The engine remains a powerful 5.0-liter V8 with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine produces 444 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque. Jag lets you choose from rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive though.
Vehicle Design Observations
All of this results in a similar 0 to 60 time to the BMW’s, clocking in at 3.7 seconds. Of course, you pay at the pump for all of this. The vehicle earns an abysmal 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. You could reasonably run errands in this vehicle since it features a trunk space of 7.3 cubic feet without folding a seat. You can increase its space to 14.4 cubic feet by doing so.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 3.7 seconds
Horsepower: 444 hp
Torque: 181 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $69,900
Seating Capacity: Two
Fuel Efficiency: 17 mpg in the city/24 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: not designed for towing
3. Aston Martin Vantage
For about $50,000 more than the BMW and twice the price of the Jag, you can drive home an Astin Martin Vantage. Its smaller engine produces more horsepower but also eats gas for dinner, earning 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.
Why It’s Similar to The 8 Series
This rocking little roadster seats two individuals in style. It only comes as an eight-speed automatic. It offers import opulence in the same vehicle class with a few fun exterior paint colors including a jaunty lemon yellow. That’s where the similarities end.
Vehicle Design Observations
The Vantage comes with a 4.0-liter engine that produces 503 horsepower and 505 pound-feet of torque. You can’t customize it much since that’s its only engine plus you can only nab this UK legend in rear-wheel drive. Its smaller engine doesn’t accelerate as well, requiring 4.4 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 4.4 seconds
Horsepower: 503 hp
Torque: 505 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $143,900
Seating Capacity: Two
Fuel Efficiency: 18 mpg in the city/24 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: not designed for towing
Runners Up to the Top Three
If you didn’t find the next car of your dreams in the top three vehicle alternatives to the BMW 8 Series, keep reading. We located other BMW 8 Series alternatives, too.
4. Porsche 911
You might find it curious that BMW introduced a new competitor to the venerable Porsche 911. It did. Both vehicles offer a two-seater option and a four-seater sedan.
The entry-level 911 starts where the higher-level trims for the BMW do though, costing $101,200. It can’t compete with the BMW’s gas mileage either, earning 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. You do gain configuration choices with this option though since you can choose from three engines, two transmissions, and two drivelines.
Whew! The six-cylinder engine comes in 3.0-, 3.8-, and 4.0-liter versions. Pair any with a seven- or eight-speed automatic or six- or seven-speed manual transmission.
Drive this one home with either all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. Depending on the engine, the horsepower ranges from 379 to 640 and the torque ranges from 331 to 590 pound-feet.
5. Porsche Taycan
Assuming you’d like a bargain in luxury sports cars, the roomy Taycan (pronounced tie-kahn) offers it with a sticker price of $86,700. This electric model sports car seats four and offers an engine that can gleefully compete with the gas-guzzling powerhouses. It offers a range of 199 to 212 miles on battery only and earns 79 eMPG in the city and 80 eMPG on the highway.
This electric engine produces 321 to 616 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque. The two-speed automatic transmission doesn’t inspire racecar daydreams, but you get great road traction whether you choose the rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive option.
Related: Tesla Model S vs Porsche Taycan
6. Mercedes AMG GT
The “mild hybrid” Mercedes AMG offers a four-seater sedan that earns a combined 21 mpg. With an entry point of $102,600, it offers an underpowered alternative to the BMW 8 Series that costs the same as the BMW’s top trims.
It offers a single engine choice of mild hybrid 3.0-liter that produces 429 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. The nine-speed shiftable automatic transmission pairs with all-wheel drive. You do get a decent trunk with this choice – 12.7 cubic feet.
7. Acura NSX
At nearly double the price of the base model BMW 8 Series, the NSX starts at $169,500. Its appearance rivals anything Mario Andretti ever drove, seeming to have zipped off of the raceway. Nab it in its jaunty red or orange.
Its 3.5-liter V6 engine produces 600 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque. The NSX offers less than exciting fuel efficiency, earning 21 in the city and 22 on the highway. Available only as a nine-speed automatic with all-wheel drive, this two-seater can’t beat the steal that BMW created.
8. Audi R8
Starting at $150,600, the Audi R8 offers comparable acceleration, but can’t match BMW’s fuel efficiency engineering. The Audi earns just 14 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. There are pickup trucks from the 1970s that earn better gas mileage.
Audi went for power with a 5.2-liter, V10 engine that produces 562 to 602 horsepower and 406 to 413 pound-feet of torque. You can only have a seven-speed automatic transmission in this vehicle with a choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. This tiny coupe accelerates from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Any Vehicle in The 8 Series
Everybody’s got questions when they shop for a new vehicle. That’s normal. This FAQ addresses the most common questions by people when trying to decide which sports car to buy.
How many trim levels does The 8 Series offer?
BMW went all out on The 8 Series offering a whopping 10 trim levels. This might seem a bit over the top, but BMW seems determined to please everyone with the 8 Series. To do that, the venerated luxury manufacturer offers a little something for everyone.
Two trims cost the base model price of $87,500 – the 840i Gran Coupe and the 840i Coupe. You can expect to see about $5,000 added to that when it sits on an auto lot. According to Motor Trend, the fair market price starts at $92,237 for this vehicle. The 840i xDrive Gran Coupe starts at $90,400 from the manufacturer.
The next level of trims, the convertible options, adds more to the price. The 840i Convertible starts at $97,100, while the 840i xDrive Convertible costs an even $100,000.
Moving up the 8 Series’ M sub-class, the starting price for the M850i xDrive Coupe starts at $102,500, with the same price for the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe. Adding the convertible nature to the M sub-class with the M850i xDrive Convertible takes the price point up to $112, 100.
Finally, if you’d like to drive the top of the line, every bell and all the whistles from BMW The 8 Series, you’ll shell out $144,900. You’ll drive off into the sunset in an Alpina B8 xDrive Gran Coupe.
Stick with the three entry-level options if fuel efficiency matters to you. As the vehicles increase in opulence, they decrease in fuel efficiency. How much? Driving the 840i, your vehicle would earn 20 to 23 mpg in the city and 27 to 30 mpg on the highway, depending on its configuration of the engine, transmission, driveline, and your care and upkeep of it. Choosing the Alpina degrades your fuel efficiency to 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.
How safe is The 8 Series?
The US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has yet to rate the new BMW Series 8. The 2023 models of the vehicle include the typical safety features for any vehicle in the 21st century though. Every trim level offers standard lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision warning. The BMW Active Driving Assistant includes a 360-degree camera, blind-spot monitoring, plus a parking assistance feature. For added features, choose the available package titled BMW Driving Assistance Professional. It includes lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and front and rear cross-traffic alert.
Can any vehicle in BMW’s 8 Series work as a family car?
While it might sound like every variation of the BMW seats two or four, in their endeavors to please everyone, BMW offers one version that seats five individuals. The M850i xDrive Gran Coupe offers a powerful touring car that can seat five. From the outside, it looks like a sports car. On the inside, it easily seats two adults and three children.
Anyone with children will probably appreciate the soft-close doors, while the sports tuning will likely appeal to the individual in the family who drives most frequently. Keep abreast of the weather conditions and traffic on the car’s 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment tablet. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard as is a 16-speaker audio system.
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