BMW /// M850i Convertible523 hp 4.4L BiTurbo V8, All-Wheel X‑Drive, 3.5s 0-60, 11.8s @ 119 MPH, Hands-Free Self-Driving. An Owner's ReviewIntroduction New Good Bad Missing Compared User's Guide Recommendations Join the BMW CCA (tell them I sent you). Even if you don't love the magazines and club events, often dealers offer discounts on service and new- and CPO-cars that more than pay for your membership each year. BMW /// M850i Convertible, 8:35 PM, Wednesday, 23 August 2023 (191.0" long, 39' turning radius, 155 MPH limited top speed, 4,643 lbs, 8.9 lbs/hp, 17/20/26 EPA MPG). Shot with Canon EOS R8 and Canon EF 100-400mm L II IS USM on EF to RF ring adapter at 400mm at f/8 at 1/640 at ISO 200 (LV 14.4), Perfectly Clear (now called Radiant Image). high-resolution.
June 2024 Car Reviews All Reviews Compared to Other Fun Convertibles BMW /// M850i Convertible, 5:05 PM, Thursday, 18 May 2023. Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 and OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko ED 90mm f/3.5 IS (180mm equivalent) at f/5.6 hand-held at 1/200 at Auto ISO 200 (LV 11.6), Perfectly Clear (now called Radiant Image). bigger or high-resolution.Get the M850i at eBay (How to Win at eBay) and find accessories at Amazon, like floating wheel center caps, 0W-30 synthetic oil and 245/35R20 front and 275/30R20 rear tires. This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
BMW /// M850i Convertible, 5:05 PM, Thursday, 18 May 2023. Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 and OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko ED 90mm f/3.5 IS (180mm equivalent) at f/5.6 hand-held at 1/160 at Auto ISO 200, +0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 11.3), Perfectly Clear (now called Radiant Image). bigger or high-resolution.
BMW /// M850i Convertible Interior in Cognac Merino Leather, 1:54 PM, Friday, 19 May 2023. Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO Ⅱ at 12mm (24mm equivalent) at f/6.3 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 200 (LV 11.6), Perfectly Clear (now called Radiant Image). bigger.
BMW /// M850i Convertible Interior in Cognac Merino Leather, 10:54 AM, Friday, 26 May 2023. Shot with Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 18mm at f/8 at 1/25 hand held at Auto ISO 100 (LV 10.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
BMW /// M850i Convertible 4.4l V8 Engine, 10:49 AM, Friday, 26 May 2023. Shot with Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 18mm at f/7.1 at 1/25 hand-held at Auto ISO 100 (LV 10¼), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
BMW /// M850i Convertible, 6:54 PM, Monday, 13 May 2024. Shot with Canon EOS R6 Mk II, Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM at 300mm wide-open at f/2.8 hand-held at 1/160 at Auto ISO 100, +1 stop exposure compensation (LV 10.4), Radiant Photo software. bigger or full-resolution 24 MP, 4.2 MB JPG file. Introduction topIntroduction New Good Bad Missing Compared User's Guide Recommendations
This BMW /// M850ix Convertible the first car I've bought for myself since I got my 1997 Mercedes SL500 decades ago. My neighbors have numerous Ferraris, Mercedes, McLarens, Porsches, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Lamborghinis and more, and nothing has caught my interest to replace my SL500 for all these years — until I drove this BMW. It's that amazing. I greatly prefer my M850ix to the foolish M8 version. We all have our preferences. Mine is for big, roomy, comfortable, quiet, practical, silent, nimble and insanely powerful convertibles that are a hoot to drive. I love comfort, agility and silent power, and the BMW /// M850ix Convertible has menu options to make the engine extra-quiet as I prefer, as well as the loud options that let it burble and scream and backfire in any mode you like. Whatever you want, the M850 does it. I saw this on a BMW lot while looking for something else, immediately loved it, took it for a spin, and was hooked. The more I drove and investigated it, the more I had to have it. Get the right options, and it even drives itself in traffic, which is exactly where you don't want to do the driving. The BMW's autopilot, called the ZDY Driving Assistance Pro Package (which is in addition to the regular ZDA Driving Assistance Package) lets you let go of the wheel and pedals and let your BMW drive itself for as long as there's traffic. You can raise both arms straight up in the air to wave to the Tesla drivers stuck in their sedans, whose phony "self-drive" modes require they keep their hands on the wheel. This BMW works completely hands-free. If your garage is at a weird angle at the side of your house down a long, narrow, twisty driveway that's a pain to back down, BMW's "backup assistant" magically self-drives itself back out of wherever you parked it. Even if it's days later, it quickly can back itself out into the street where it used to take me forever trying to make 6-point turns to flip around and go out forwards.
New for BMW intro top
New since my 1997 SL500 intro top
Good intro top
BMW /// M850 Automatic Transmission Selector Returns to Standard Position from SPORT. Play video.
Bad intro top
Missing intro top
BMW M850i Convertible Ground Clearance. bigger. What seems to be touching the parking wheel stop are the two black plastic wind deflectors in front of the tires, which are closer to the ground than the bumper-mounted wind deflector. You can't see it, but there is also a metal skid plate plate between the front wheels with the same ground clearance as the two wind deflectors seen here.
2023 Mercedes C43 Convertible Set Belt Presenter. bigger.
SpecificationsIntroduction New Good Bad Missing Compared User's Guide Recommendations
Engine (Power Unit)Quad-cam, 32 valve direct-injected V8 with twin gas-operated intercooled turbochargers, VALVETRONIC variable valve timing and double VANOS variable camshaft timing. 523 hp from 5,500 to 6,000 RPM USA (530 hp (390 kW) EU). 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) from 1,800 to 4,600 RPM. The curves below imply a 6,500 RPM redline, and that's where the M850i shifts at full throttle, although my dashboard tachometer redline starts at 6,000 RPM. The small, unnumbered bargraph tachometer in the HUD seems to be yellow from 6,000 RPM to 6,500 RPM. 268 CID (4,395 cc). Aluminum block & heads. Maximum turbo boost (indicated): 1.25 bar (18 PSI), which makes 4.4 litres (268 CID) perform like 9.9 litres (604 CID) since 1.25 bar of boost is 2.25 times atmospheric pressure, or 67.4" (1,711 mm) Hg manifold absolute pressure. 17 / 20 / 26 MPG EPA. M850i Power Curves. bigger.
Dimensions specs top191.0 x 74.9 x 53.0 inches (4,851 x 1,902 x 1,345 millimeters) LWH. 39.0' (11.9 m) turning circle with 3º rear-wheel steering. 111.1 inch (2,822 mm) wheelbase. 4.9 inch (125 mm) ground clearance. 0.32 Cd × 23.9 sq. ft. (2.22 m2) frontal area wind resistance top up. (Convertibles have typically a 0.70 Cd with the top down.)
Capacities specs top12.36 cu. ft (350 litres) luggage capacity, top up. Somewhat less with top down, much more with one or two rear seats folded forward. 17.96 gallon (68 litre) fuel tank, 91 RON. 11.1 quarts (10.5 litres) 0W-30 engine oil.
Transmission specs top8-speed automatic with torque-converter. Final drive ratio: 2.813 Tire revs/mile: 780.5 (average). Assuming a locked-up torque converter:
* Electronically limited to 155 MPH, which indicates about 163 MPH on BMW's deliberately optimistic speedometers. If you defeat the electronic speed limiter it should run a true 187 MPH at 5,638 RPM in seventh gear at 523 hp (390 kW), which ought to read about 197 MPH or 316 kmph on BMW's speedometer.
* Electronically limited to 155 MPH, which indicates about 163 MPH on BMW's deliberately optimistic speedometers. If you defeat the electronic speed limiter it should run a true 187 MPH at 5,638 RPM in seventh gear at 523 hp (390 kW), which ought to read about 197 MPH or 316 kmph on BMW's speedometer. It needs about 181 hp (135 kW) to cruise at 155 MPH (250 km/h).
Weight specs top4,442/4,607 lbs. (2,015/2,090 kg) DIN/EU per BMW. 4,643 lbs. (2,106 kg) C&D April 2019.
Wheels & Tires specs top5 × 112mm Ø bolt pattern (same as Mercedes, Audi, VW and others. Older BMWs used 5 × 120mm Ø).
780.5 revs/mile, average:
Front8J x 20 wheel. 245/35R20 95Y XL MICHELIN Pilot Sport 3 ★ MOE ZP BSW 320 / AA / A. 9/32" tread depth. 1,499 lbs at 50 PSI max. 10.0" wide overall on 8.5" rim; 8.1" tread width. 777 revs/mile, 26.8" diameter. Weighs 27.1 lbs. OE made in Italy. MSPN 87416.
Rear9J x 20 wheel. 275/30R20 97Y XL MICHELIN Pilot Sport 3 ★ MOE ZP BSW 320 / AA / A. 9/32" tread depth. 1,609 lbs at 50 PSI max. 10.9" wide overall on 9.5" rim; 9.3" tread width. 784 revs/mile, 26.5" diameter. Weighs 27.9 lbs. OE made in France. MSPN 69212.
Performance topIntroduction New Good Bad Missing Compared User's Guide Recommendations
Acceleration3.5s 0-60 MPH on the track with the engine already revved in Launch and Sport+ mode, measured with a real-time optical tracker. These are how the numbers you see in ads and magazines are measured. 5.13s 0-60 MPH as measured in the real world dead-stopped at the traffic signal from idle in Comfort mode as read from the 850's own somewhat delayed-readout digital speedometer, and corrected for BMW's over-estimating speedometer which reads about 1.5 MPH high at 60 MPH (I stopped the timer when it read 62 MPH). Seeing how the digital speedometer is probably about a second or two behind the actual speed, these match. 8.3s 0-100 MPH. 11.8s @ 119 MPH standing ¼ mile. 20.9s 0-150 MPH.
Braking performance top70-0 MPH in 151 feet.
Cornering performance top0.99 g.
Fuel Economy performance topEPA rated 17 / 20 / 26 MPG. EPA numbers are with the top up, which has half the wind resistance than with the top down. Expect fewer MPG with the top down. With the top down I average 16.5 MPG locally on side roads, and I get 29.0 MPG after hours of continuous driving at around 72 MPH with the top up on the freeway. I'll average somewhere in between these two numbers depending on the percentages of where I drive. What's unexpected is that the MPG indication is extremely accurate and if anything underestimates by about one percent. Most cars, even our Mercedes S580, read about 10% high because, unlike odometers and speedometers that have US federal requirements for accuracy, there are no requirements for MPG gauges to read accurately. Making them read higher make people much happier and less likely to start class action suits when they discover that few cars ever meet their EPA MPG in real-world driving. For instance, we actually got money back from a class action suit against Porsche (our Porsche also had a superbly accurate MPG indicator and I never found anything usual about its fuel economy).
Cabin Noise performance top
Speedometer Calibration performance topBMW deliberately miscalibrates its speedometers to read faster than you're going. BMW calls this "speedometer advance" as explained in BMW Technical Service Bulletin TSB 1996-620296. This keeps BMW drivers happy while they get fewer tickets and clock what they think are faster 0-60 MPH times. My speedometer reads:
In general, subtract 2 MPH at legal speeds and you're good. My odometer and indicted MPG are within ±1%.
Outside Temperature Gauge performance topLike many BMWs, it usually reads about 2º F (1º C) high. By comparison, my Porsches and Mercedes and most cars are usually dead-on.
Climate Control performance topThe temperature sets from 16.5 ~ 27.5° C (about 62 ~ 82º F), as well as LO and HI. The automatic fan speed control sets in five levels, as well as OFF. This means that while Mercedes simply set to AUTO and that's it unless you revert to manual fan speed control, BMWs have five automatic levels to suit your taste which vary themselves with conditions.
Harmon/Kardon Logic 7 Surround Sound System performance topThe standard Harmon/Kardon Logic 7 Surround system sounds great to casual listeners and plays loud enough to deafen your neighbors without distortion. BMW M850ix Convertible interior passenger door panel with Harmon Kardon audio system. bigger.
For serious music lovers it has the typical car stereo voicing: boosted upper midrange for false clarity and boomy bass to impress the innocent. This makes the Harmon/Kardon system super clear with strong bass for most people, but for serious listening requires turning down the 2 kHz and 5 kHz equalizer sliders and boosting 10kHz a bit, with the bass control adjusted to taste depending on the source material. I find these settings best for my tastes: Surround ON; normal strength. Bass set to taste, typically about halfway up depending on the source material. Treble: -3 clicks. On rare occasion I may change this depending on the source materiel. Equalizer at 2 kHz: -2 clicks. I never need to touch this. Equalizer at 5 kHz: -3 clicks. I never need to touch this. Equalizer at 10 kHz: +1 click. I never need to touch this. These equalizer and tone control settings are the same for all sources; they don't save and recall differently by source as some Mercedes do.
Bowers & Wilkins Sound System performance top
The Bowers & Wilkins system is a little better than the Harmon/Kardon, but oddly it's more muffled than smooth, and its bass is still boomy rather than flat and tight. I originally wished I had gotten the Bowers & Wilkins system, but once I heard it I'm glad I saved $3,400. The optional Bowers & Wilkins system isn't much smoother and it still has boomy bass which impresses the unknowing, but neither current system has any deep bass, typical for convertibles as they have no back deck for mounting speakers to use the trunk as box volume. The Bowers & Wilkins system (like the Harmon/Kardon) doesn't seem to do anything to muffle reflections and resonance from inside the doors, so its sound is colored by the mangled sound coming back out from inside. What make Bowers & Wilkins studio monitors so good is their insane dedication to ensuring that all the sound coming from the backs of the drivers is completely absorbed inside the enclosure, while in a car this mangled sound comes back out to screw up the experience.
The optional DSP sound system back in my 2003 540i was was much better than either of these: smooth and detailed with tight, well-defined bass and very little resonance or stored energy. Sound quality has nothing to do with how many watts or speakers or amplifiers a system has; it has everything to do with how well it was designed and how well the speakers are enclosed so you're not hearing sound from the backs of the speakers coming back out after it's been mangled inside the door panels. Either system easily plays loud enough to damage everyone's hearing permanently.
User Profiles & BMW ID performance topI had a loan car and loaded my settings from my existing BMW ID into the new car. The good news is that some settings, like my preferences for units of measurement and my various HOME screen settings came over from my main car, but the bad news is that most settings, like my settings for the numbered preset buttons, didn't. It's better than nothing, but far from perfect.
Completely Automatic Locking & Unlocking performance topA step above anything from Porsche or Mercedes, it's easy to program the BMW to unlock automatically as I come up to it, and to lock automatically when I walk away — never having to touch any handles! Of course I have to grab the handle to open the door; the point is that it's already unlocked so I don't have to wait for it to unlock before pulling. This also will unlock and fold out the mirrors, and then lock and fold them back in every time you walk past this car in your garage for whatever reason. After several days of this if I don't drive this BMW that it will ignore me. I don't know if it's programmed to stop this after a certain period of time if no one gets in, or if it stops doing this if I've drained my battery a certain amount.
Parking Beeps performance topThe front beeper seems to sound in F; the rear seems to be a B♭.
USB-C Charging performance topThe USB-C charge port in the center console (under your elbow) has only a basic 15W (5V at 3A measured) output. I use an Anker 323 charger popped into the 12V outlet in the same compartment which is rated 30W over USB-C (20V at 1.5A) and actually puts out about 32W. If you want more power and more outlets, I also use the mighty Anker 535 charger, which I measure really does put out at least 60W, and is rated for 67W from its various outputs.
Compared topIntroduction New Good Bad Missing Compared User's Guide Recommendations
The Three Body Styles: Convertible, 2-door & 4-door compared topToday's 8 series comes in convertible as seen here, or as a very similar two-door coupe with the same length and same tiny rear seats, and also as a longer-wheelbase four-door Gran Coupe with much more rear legroom and overall length. This is wonderful, as you have the same magnificent car available in three very different body styles. The similar Porsche Panamera Turbo only comes as a four door.
The Three Performance Variations: 840i, /// M850i and /// M8 compared topGod bless BMW as each of the three body styles also comes in three different versions: a competent, powerful and economical turbo straight-six 840i, my favorite comfy and quiet BiTurbo V8 M850i, and a showy M8 which has almost the same BiTurbo V8 engine and about the same performance as the M850i but plays tricks with gear ratios, a stiff suspension and lots of engine noise and vibration with a crummy ride, noisy brakes and abysmal fuel economy to give an impression of more power. The M8 comes in two versions, the regular M8 and the even more expensive M8 Competition.
Versus the 2019-2025 840i compared topThe 840i is a Turbo 3.0 L inline six rated 335 hp from 5,000 - 6,500 RPM and 369 lb-ft from 1,600 to 4,500 RPM. Today's 840i has a little more power and torque than the classic SL500's 5.0 Litre V8! The 840i also more power and more torque than the 12-cylinder 5.0 litre 850i (1990-1991) or 12-cylinder 5.4 litre 850Ci (1992-1999) ever did. Only the 1990s 5.6 litre V-12 850CSi had a little more power than today's turbo 6. While today's 840i has the same 155 MPH top speed limit, it accelerates faster than any classic 850, rated 4.7s 0-60 versus even the fastest 1992-1999 850CSi's 5.8s 0-60 MPH time. Compared to today's /// M850i, the 840i drives about the same. The 840i gets better fuel economy, while its engine has to work a little harder and thus makes more of a gentle hum rather than the silence of the /// M850i's V8 in normal driving. Either of today's 840i or /// M850i have more than enough power for any reasonable driving.
This 2019-2025 /// M850i compared topThe /// M850i is the thinking man's version of the 8 series. The /// M850i usually is silent, unless you set its exhaust to be noisy. It's an immensely overpowered car that keeps everything under control no matter how foolishly you drive. It's comfortable over any road, and sticks like the dickens and corners flat when punched or pushed. Even in quiet mode it goes Braaaap! around 3,000 RPM if you're giving it some gas. The /// M850i is the same for all these years. The center console screen grew a couple of inches in later years, while everything else is the same great stuff. Even the 2024 /// M850i thankfully keeps the superior i-Drive 7 system with 8 real preset buttons and dedicated climate control switches rather than the cost-reduced touchscreen-only interface of lesser 2024 models like the X5 with i-Drive 8.5.
Versus the 1999-2025 M8 and M8 Competition compared topThe M8 is noisier, rides crappier, has less-comfortable seats and sucks much more gas than the /// M850i, while giving about the same real-world performance. Do not get a convertible M8 if you plan to drive with the top down. The M8's brakes, like those of many ultra-performance cars, often squeak. While you can tolerate this on a closed car, it will drive you absolutely nuts with the top down. As convertible drivers know, you hear everything wrong with everyone else's car when you're driving, and the last thing you want is an M8 with its squeaky brakes. This is no secret, just ask your dealer's service department and they'll confirm that it's normal for M cars to have squeaky brakes. Also avoid ordering the M8 with bucket seats, as you can't get neck warmers with them, a necessity for all-year top-down driving. The M8 is not a luxury car. The M8 is a car designed for the track, not for comfort or luxury. If you want quiet comfort and luxury, you want the /// M850i as I do. The M8 is a car for people who spend more time reading magazine reviews than actually driving, or who just like to "flex" that they bought the BMW with the highest profit margin (markup). No one takes these to the track, and when you do take an /// M850i or 840i to the track they also handle supremely well. Germans don't screw around. While kids who read magazine reviews all know the M8 Competition has 617 hp versus "only" 523 hp in the /// M850i , what the magazines (who have always been in cahoots with the car makers trying to get you to spring for the M8 Competition without first trying the /// M850i) choose to forget is that each engine actually has the same power most of the time! All three 4.4 litre V8s in the /// M850i , M8 and M8 Competition have exactly the same displacement and exactly the same 553 lb-ft of torque and therefore exactly the same horsepower from 1,800 to 4,600 RPM!!! The only power difference is that while the /// M850i makes this torque up to 4,600 RPM and starts to fall off above that, the M8 makes this same torque up to 5,600 RPM and the M8 Competition does it up to 5,800 RPM. The only difference in performance is when you floor it and then only when the revs go above 4,600 RPM. Horsepower ratings are peak and are only at very small RPM ranges. The /// M850i makes full power from 5,500 to 6,000 RPM, while the M8 and M8 Competition make their peak rated horsepower only at exactly 6,000 RPM. Only in a small band between 4,600 and 5,600 or 5,800 RPM, and only at full throttle, does the M8 or M8 Competition have any more power. Otherwise the /// M850i, M8 and M8 Competition all have exactly the same power at and below 4,600 RPM, and rarely does anyone see more than 4,600 RPM anywhere other than the racetrack. If you compare the power curves for all three engines, they are identical up to 4,600 RPM! Some day I'll make a graphic with all three superimposed on each other. The M8 is rated 600 hp and 553 lb-ft from 1,800 to 5,600 RPM. The M8 Competition is rated 617 hp and 553 lb-ft from 1,800 to 5,800 RPM. So why does the M8 and M8 Competition feel faster and suck so much more premium fuel if it has the same engine performance at all reasonable engine speeds? Simple: the brutal suspensions of the M8s make you have to endure every bump and road imperfection, and it's far noisier with more engine exhaust note due to a less effective exhaust system, and very importantly the transmission is programed, even in the default ROAD mode, to shift later and keep the engine at higher RPMs so it feels more responsive. Click the /// M850i's shifter to the left for Sport programming and it does the same thing. And last but not least, the biggest reason along with the noise and vibration that make the M8 and M8 Competition feel "faster" is the oldest trick in the book: BMW swapped-in a lower 3.154:1 axle in place of the /// M850i's 2.813:1 rear axle so the engine is always turning about 12% faster in the same gear. The accelerator pedals are programmed differently in the M cars to work as if you're pressing them further than in the other cars. It doesn't make the cars any faster at full throttle; it just makes them seem faster at part throttle where everyone drives. Yes, the M8 and M8 Competition are a little bit faster on the test track, but aren't faster in actual real-world driving. Personally I prefer my /// M850i because it's much more comfortable, runs longer between fuel stops and is still more than twice as powerful as anyone needs for any real-world driving where you're not wearing a helmet or being egged-on by car magazines to drive like an idiot. The /// M850i hits 120 MPH in under 12 seconds; do you really need any more power? There are differences in gauges, menus and shifters in the M8s. For instance, oil temperature rather than coolant temperature is shown on the lower right. The M8 speedometer reads to 200 MPH linearly rather than to 160 MPH with optimized non-linear scales in the /// M850i and 840i. I'm not kidding about the M8; I also own an X5 M Competition with the same 617 HP V8 as the M8. The M8 is more show and noise than actual go; people have no idea how much power the 840i and /// M850i have if they'd just step a little harder on the gas pedal. The M cars are a hoot to drive short distances, but most of this is rowdier theatrics rather than actual higher performance.
Versus the 2019-2025 840d compared topThis is an inline 6-cylinder turbodiesel for Europe. Like the 840i, it has loads of power and uses even less fuel than the 840i. It's rated at 320 hp (235 kw) at 4,400 RPM and 500 lb-ft (680 Nm) of torque from 1,750 - 2,250 RPM with the same transmission but a 2.647 final drive ratio. It's rated for 0-62 MPH in 5.2s, which is about 4.8s for 0-60 — also way faster than any of the V-12s from the 1990s.
Versus the Iconic 1990s 850iThe original 1990s 850i series are icons of automotive styling, a living classic wedge supercar with pop-up headlights and an ultralow Cd of 0.29.
1990-1991 850iThe 1990 850i had a mammoth 5.0 litre V-12 that made 296 hp with 332 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 was about 6.3 seconds with a 155 MPH limiter - oddly identical performance to the 1997 SL500 with a V8.
1992-1999 850CiThe 850i was renamed to the 850Ci in 1992, with a larger 5.4 liter V-12 with 332 hp and 361 lb-ft of torque.
1992-1999 850CSiThe 850CSi had an even larger 5.6 liter V-12 with 375 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. It ran about 5.8s 0-60 with the same 155 MPH electronic limiter.
1992-1999 840i1992 also saw a stripper 840Ci with a 4.0 litre V8 with 282 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. In 1995 the 840i got a larger 4.4 litre V8 with the same 282 hp but 310 lb-ft of torque.
Versus the Mercedes SL500 (1990 ~ 2002) compared topThe SL500 was an instant timeless classic, among the world's most beautiful, expensive, practical and respected cars of all time. The SL500 cost the equivalent of over a quarter-million dollars when it came out in 1990 ($110,000 in 1990 was the same as $255,600 in 2023!) and wowed the world with the first one-button automated electric soft top. No longer did we have to undo two latches on left and right before putting the top down; just hold the switch and 24 seconds later you're on the road. The /// M850i looks pretty much like every other current BMW, while the SL500, one of Mercedes' proudest designs, has always commanded respect everywhere. I had a like-new collectible SL500 when I drove — and bought — this /// M850i to replace it because this has almost twice the acceleration with the same comfy and silent ride, and with far sharper and faster handing, all while using a little less gas. The //// M850i also has all of today's latest safety, entertainment and convenience features. The SL500 has an optional CD changer, stability control was usually optional, and that was it. I loved my SL500, but driving this /// M850i was like getting sucked into an alien spaceship with its other-worldly capabilities. This /// M850i has a much quieter ride with the top up, too! I'm only six feet (181cm) tall, and the SL500 barely had enough legroom with the seat all the way back. Also my big American size-14 feet often would catch on the bottom of the SL500's dashboard, while I fit just fine in the /// M850i with room to spare. SL500 is a thirty-year-older design. The SL500 came out in 1989 in Germany, and this /// M850i came out in 2019, so it's hard to compare. Both are immensely comfortable, quiet and fast luxury high-performance grand touring roadsters, and that's where the similarities end.
Versus the Porsche Panamera Turbo P971 compared topMy Porsche Panamera Turbo P971 has essentially the same drivetrain, handling, performance and brakes as my // M850ix Convertible, which is why I'm so glad I found the M850, because to me, having the top down is everything. The Porsche Panamera Turbo P971 is an absolutely amazing vehicle with huge cargo capacity as well as unbeatable performance, but who cares if the top doesn't go down? Honestly, I've owned both and they drive the same. They both have smooth BiTurbo 4.0 L (Porsche) or 4.4 L (BMW) power plants with north of 500 HP and smooth 8-speed transmissions coupled to all-wheel drive. My Porsche Panamera Turbo P971 also has rear-wheel steering, but it was an option rather than being standard with my 850. The Panamera has full-size rear seats; the Panamera is almost identical to the 4-door coupe version of the 8-series and sadly the Porsche Panamera Turbo P971 doesn't come as a 2-door coupe or convertible as does the 8 series. The biggest difference is the PDK double-clutch transmission of the Porsche versus a torque-converter automatic in the BMW. The PDK shifts a few milliseconds faster if you're drag racing. The PDK can have a rough 1-2 shifts and otherwise the PDK is marvelously smooth. The BMW is always smooth regardless, and both drive the same otherwise. Each downshifts instantly if you need it and neither has any turbo lag. Both are very low to the ground, making them more agile and fun to drive — but difficult for the less agile to enter and exit. These aren't rebadged sedans like an M3. The Porsche has only wired CarPlay and no wireless charging, while the BMW is entirely wireless. Both have similar touch screens. Apparently the BMW's wireless CarPlay and wireless charging are the most important things to many people. The BMW is also far more advanced electronically, with a far superior app and GPS car-finding and remote unlocking and card-keys to replace conventional keys. The Porsche costs a lot more, with a $183,000 sticker price versus the BMW's $126,000. I see and feel no difference in performance, handling or quality of materials. Both have his and her fan dual speed climate controls, all-leather trim, leather doors, leather dashboards, leather center consoles and everything. Both have solid-alloy inside door pulls. The Panamera Turbo has an alcantara (fake suede) headliner, while this BMW is a convertible! This BMW is a much better buy when you trust your own honest evaluations versus than reading too many car magazines.
Versus the Ford GT40 and GT compared topAcceleration wise, the M850i is much faster than the original 1960s GT40 supercar. This super practical and comfy M850i is just about as fast and powerful as the 2005~2006 Ford GT supercar. The supercharged V8 Ford GT has similar power (550 HP only at 6,500 RPM versus 523 HP from 5,500 to 6000 RPM and 500 lb-ft of torque only at 4,500 RPM versus the M850i's 523 lb-ft of torque in a huge band from 1,800 to 4,600 RPM).
i Versus ixThe "X" means X-Drive all wheel drive. All the 850s and M8s have X-Drive all wheel drive to get all that power to the road. I got lazy typing 850i rather than 850ix because M850ix is too much of a mouthfull. All 850s are actually M850ix. Only the 840 comes as two-wheel drive, the 840i, or comes as all-wheel drive, the 840ix.
M Versus NotNo 840s have an M in their name. All 850s and 8s are prefaced with an /// M, as in /// M850ix and /// M8. Again, I don't always type all that in the interest of brevity.
User's Guide topIntroduction New Good Bad Missing Compared User's Guide Recommendations
Auto High BeamsTap the lower left-side button on the left-side of the turn-signal stalk. You'll see a green headlight icon with an "A" on the left of the gauge cluster. Now the high beams will turn on and off as needed. If you push or tap the stalk forwards to force high beams manually, you deactivate the automatic control, but here's a hint: instead of pulling the stalk towards you to deactivate the high beams manually, tap the lower right button again to put it back into automatic high beam mode, which turns off the high beams as well!
Auto UnlockingIt's easy to set the M850 to unlock as you get within a few feet, and likewise to lock automatically when you walk away. That's right; you'll hear it unlock and lock all by itself. Cool. This works great, but if you often walk past your car without taking it for a ride, the poor M850 gets excited, and if you're like me, its mirrors fold out and then back in again — again and again every time you walk by. Worrying I'd wear out my mirrors from all the times I go out to the garage for other things, it's works just as easily if I set Auto Lock (only) and not Auto Unlock, so if I walk by it doesn't just open — and then close. Setting Auto Lock (only) means it still unlocks and locks automatically since it also automatically unlocks as soon as you touch the door handle; just that it doesn't unlock when you just walk past.
Day-of-the-Week DisplayThis is at the analog clock to display at the Home Screen. Otherwise it's almost impossible to find, unless of course you use CarPlay.
CarPlay with iOS 17.0.3For whatever reason, I lost CarPlay on 05 October 2023 after updating to iOS 17.0.3. Resetting and restarting and deleting and attempting to reconnect from my iPhones Settings > Bluetooth screen got me nowhere. It turns out what I needed to do is to: 1.) Turn off my iPhone's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections in my iPhone's Control Center (swipe down from top right). 2.) I needed to run the engine at the same time I held down the radio power button for 70 seconds (exactly). The screen popped on and off a few times. 3.) I went to Apps on the BMW screen (press the APPS button on the center console), pressed OPTION on my center console controller, and selected something like "Update Apps and Software" and said OK a few times. I said it was updating, and about 15 seconds later it was done. 4.) Turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth back on in iPhone Control Center. 5.) Here's what I probably did wrong before. Instead of trying to reconnect with the iPhone at Settings > Bluetooth, the trick is to get the BMW to its pairing screen, select CarPlay, and in the iPhone, go to Settings > General > CarPlay instead of Bluetooth. AHA! Works like a champ again. I wanted to write this trick down in case I'm stuck again and can't reach BMW support who were actually the ones who worked me through this. The trick of going to Settings > General > CarPlay instead of Settings > Bluetooth to setup probably applies to other car as well. Also at Settings > General > CarPlay > My Car you can reorganize your apps on your car's screen if you select your car on that iPhone screen and hit Customize.
Recommendations topIntroduction New Good Bad Missing Compared User's Guide Recommendations Get one, I did! It's the first car I've bought for myself in 20 years and love it to death. It's a 30-year-newer design than my 1997 Mercedes SL500 and has little in common other than being big, fast and comfortable. Join the BMW CCA. Even if you don't love the magazines and club events, often dealers offer discounts on service and new- and CPO-cars that more than pay for your membership each year. This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
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14 May 2024 rear photo, 04 Apr 2024, Feb 2024, 31 Oct 2023 brakes & GDO, 05 Oct 2023 CarPlay, 03 Oct 2023, 12 Aug 2023 added GT, 19 July 2023 added comparisons, 03-05, 11, 15, 22 June 2023
see also C&D April 2019 for a good overview