BMW M8 Competition Coupe 2020 UK first drive

This feels like the ‘right’ BMW M8 to me. The Coupé, here driven in the UK for the first time. It’s smaller and lighter than a four door Gran Coupé and less floppy than a Convertible.

And two fewer doors than an BMW M5, with which this large ‘M’ platform otherwise shares a good amount – the same 616bhp 4.4-litre V8 and automatic four-wheel drive. Which can also be put into rear-drive. Goody. BMW’s big platform underpins 5, 7 and 8 Series but the M8 Coupé has a shorter wheelbase than the M5, sits 10mm lower and is firmly sprung to keep hold of its 1885kg.

There’s a 38mm wider rear track and, underneath, subframes are more firmly attached to the shell – so this is a more rigid car; more suited, you’d argue, to being a super-GT.

That, and its price, plus the fact that it’s the fastest BMW ever, gives it a vast array of rivals; everything from a Porsche 911 to a Bentley Continental GT, via the Mercedes-AMG GT, Audi R8 and even McLaren GT.

In essence, it’s a 2+2 that’s meant to do everything. A daily car designed to entertain, up to and including going on a race track. With a 0-62mph time of 3.2sec, a (delimited) top speed of 190mph and optional carbon-ceramic brakes, it has the credentials for a track, though I think an M8 Competition (there’s a less hardcore non-Competition one available overseas) would be surprised to find its owner had taken it to one.

Inside, the M8 is thoroughly well finished; sumptuous and comfortable but with a bewildering array of driving mode controls, as if BMW and Mercedes-AMG are competing to see which can create this year’s most baffling cabin.

Familiarity helps a little and there are two red buttons on a busy steering wheel to programme your preferred modes. I suspect after a few weeks of trial and error you’ll find one that works as your base mode and another for occasional faster driving.

The M8, despite its girth, is more impressive during the faster stuff. As well as the 616bhp, the engine makes a flat 553bhp figure all the way from 1800-5800rpm. At a test track, the car’s inherent pace was evident. It doesn’t feel quite as urgent as its headline acceleration time suggests but I think that’s down to the soft, big-boosting nature of its performance. It grips brilliantly, starts to slide and then has the security of four-wheel drive to pull it straight easily (or, in rear-drive mode, it has all the scope you need to murder the rear tyres in short order).