2019 BMW M850i Cabriolet: Expensive Bargain

As if the BMW 6 Series wasn’t prestigious enough, the German brand replaced it with the recently introduced 8 Series, available in coupe, convertible and—very soon—four-door Gran Coupé body styles.

Leapfrogging the BMW 7 Series sedan, it means the 8 Series is now the flagship model line and must be priced accordingly. A 2018 650i xDrive Cabriolet was listed at $113,000, and the new 2019 BMW M850i Cabriolet starts at $132,000 before freight and delivery charges. Is the latter 20 grand better than the former?

• Also: 2020 BMW M8 Coupe and Cabriolet Debut in Production Form
• Also: This is the New 2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe

The 8 must do battle with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and SL, but also the Porsche 911, the Jaguar F-TYPE and the Lexus LC. The upcoming high-performance M8 editions will go head to head with the AMG equivalents at Mercedes in addition to some other high-priced machinery such as the Bentley Continental GT, the Acura NSX, the Aston Martin DB11 and the Audi R8.

Actually, the M850i is more of a grand tourer than a pure sports car, which doesn’t prevent it from being overly powerful and wickedly fast. It’s equipped with a twin-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 that belts out 523 horsepower as well as 553 pound-feet of torque peaking from 1,800 to 4,600 rpm. Connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drivetrain, this engine provides the big luxury droptop with a 0-100 km/h time of 4.0 seconds. And we’re not even talking about the 616-hp M8 variants that will soon hit the market.

The 650i made do with “only” 445 horsepower, and needed 4.6 seconds to hit 100 km/h. As for the 600-hp M6 Cabriolet, which cost $132,200 in 2018, it required 4.3 seconds to achieve the same speed from a standstill. So, the M850i is slightly quicker than the old M6 in addition to being more fuel-efficient than both 6 Series variants, with a combined city/highway rating of 11.6 L/100 km.

We averaged 12.5 L/100 km during our week-long test, which included quite a few heavy dips into the throttle. Which is pretty hard to resist, as the V8 engine roars, spits and burbles when the drive mode selector is set to Sport or Sport+. The car has plenty of character, but it can also be smooth and silent in Comfort mode if we’re more in the mood for relaxed driving.

The 2019 BMW M850i Cabriolet’s cockpit and obviously more sophisticated than in the old 6 Series, adopting the brand’s most recent design cues with silver buttons and trim, complex seat stitching and aluminum speaker grilles. Buyers can choose between several bi-colour leather packages such as the beautiful Fiona Red/Black upholstery in our test car, along with what BMW calls CraftedClarity, a jewel-like appearance on the shift lever and infotainment system controller—which not might be to everyone’s taste. Driving with the top down, sunrays reflected on the multifunction knob to hit us right in the eyes, which was slightly disturbing.

Interior space isn’t all that generous for such a big car. Actually, there is enough leg- and shoulder room up front, but the steeply raked windshield limits headroom and makes the cabin feel cramped. On the other hand, four adults can ride in the M850i if front-seat occupants are willing to move their seats forward a little.

A handy feature on most German convertibles is the ability to open and close the roof while the car is moving. In the M850i, this task can be performed at speeds of up to 50 km/h, which saves us precious time—well ok, about ten seconds—as we’re arriving at our destination. The top can also be opened or closed from a distance using the keyfob.

Speaking of which, we’re not too fond of the BMW Display Key, which is a $300 option on the 8 Series. It includes a small LCD screen we can use to check if the car is locked or not as well as remotely start the engine. However, the key is big and cumbersome, not to mention slippery as a bar of soap, and we couldn’t keep it in the same pocket as our usual keychain for fear of scratching it.

Trunk space is rated at 280 litres—compared to 420 for the 8 Series Coupé—which is barely sufficient for a weekend getaway. Lowering the top will cut down on that volume, however. The S-Class Cabriolet’s trunk is a little bigger at 351 litres.

So, is the M850i worth the extra coin over the 6 Series? That’s a difficult question to answer. The 650i was almost as fast, almost as luxurious inside and could perform the same duty of covering long distances in utter comfort with the top down. We like the more modern infotainment system—even though BMW’s units don’t offer Android Auto integration—and new features such as the neck warmers, but that $20K bump in price seems hard to justify.

On the other hand, the BMW seems like a steal beside the S-Class Cabriolet, which starts at $169K for the 463-hp, S 560 variant. Our test M850i also included ventilated front seats, fancier leather seats, and a Bower & Wilkins Diamond Surround sound system for a total MSRP of $143,500—about $25K less than the Benz. The 567-hp F-TYPE SVR costs about $145K, but it’s a two-seat sports car and not a GT. All the other rivals cost $200K and up.

The M850i Cabriolet has all the performance, the sound and the luxury accoutrements we need to be happy. It isn’t affordable by any means, but the fact that its competitors are overpriced makes it even more convincing.