BMW M850i xDrive

The V8 grand tourer from BMW's 8 Series

The BMW M850i xDrive is the V8, all-wheel-drive version of the G15 8 Series coupe, and it sits below the full M8 in the range. This guide is scoped to the M850i xDrive Coupe (G15). The Gran Coupe (G16) four-door and the Convertible (G14) share the engine but are separate bodies with their own weights and their own acceleration figures, so they are not covered here. Our catalogue lists a 4.4L N63 twin-turbo V8 petrol engine producing 523 bhp and 750 Nm, with 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, a limited top speed of 250 km/h, an eight-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive, in a 2+2 seater fixed-head coupe body. We have not driven this model for this article. This is a desk-researched ownership guide built from BMW Group's February 2019 First Edition press release, a PistonHeads review and the government recall check, with a few clearly named secondary reads where those three are silent. We could not find a PistonHeads used buying guide for the M850i coupe. The PistonHeads piece we list is a UK review of the Gran Coupe published in July 2020, so treat its ownership points as a reviewer's observations about a closely related car and not as a fault history for the coupe.

Checking the figures

BMW's First Edition release prints the output as 390 kW and 530 hp. That is the metric horsepower figure, 530 PS, and it converts to the 523 bhp in our catalogue, so an advert that says 530 PS, 530 hp, 390 kW or 523 bhp describes one engine. Some North American sources round the same engine to 523 hp, which is the same number again in the other unit system. PistonHeads' spec box for the Gran Coupe prints 530hp at 5,500 to 6,000 rpm and 553 lb ft from 1,800 to 4,600 rpm, and 553 lb ft converts to the 750 Nm in our catalogue.

The BMW release we read does not state torque, acceleration or top speed, so those three figures rest on other reads. For the coupe, evo and Wikipedia both give 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds, which we round to the same 3.7 seconds for 0 to 100 km/h, and PistonHeads quotes 155 mph, limited, which is the 250 km/h in our catalogue. We could not open BMW's own technical data sheets, so we do not cite them. Our previous catalogue entry showed 3.8 seconds, and we found no source that supports that figure.

Be careful with nearby numbers. PistonHeads gives 3.9 seconds for 0 to 62 mph in the Gran Coupe, which is slower than the coupe. One BMW Canada table we saw also shows 3.9 seconds. US sources quote 0 to 60 mph in about 3.6 seconds, which is a different speed and so a different time. The M8 Competition is a separate, more powerful model and should not be confused with this car. PistonHeads' weight of 2,070 kg is an EU figure including the driver for the Gran Coupe, and the 1,960 kg in the same review belongs to the M8 Competition, so we do not give a kerb weight for the coupe. Confirm the power and equipment on the registration paperwork of any car you view.

Engine and gearbox

BMW describes the engine as an eight-cylinder petrol unit with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology and calls it a high-torque V8, paired with the eight-speed Steptronic sports transmission and BMW xDrive. PistonHeads calls the eight-speed gearbox pretty much beyond reproach and says the reviewer rarely felt the need to take manual control. It also says the V8 sounds more authentic in the M850i than in the M8, with a rumble that seems less synthesised, while still lacking the character of the best Audi and AMG engines. Sport mode, the reviewer adds, brings an embarrassing amount of flatulence from the exhausts, so listen to a car in each drive mode.

Reliability evidence for this exact car is thin, and we want to be plain about that. The N63 is a family of twin-turbo V8s with a mixed reputation, and the M850i carries a later version of it. A general N63 article from October 2026 on a third-party site lists oil leaks at the valve cover gaskets, oil filter housing gaskets, turbo oil lines and front crank seals, says the engine is sensitive to cooling problems, and discusses ageing injectors and carbon build-up on the intake valves from direct injection. That article makes no claim specific to the M850i. In a PistonHeads forum thread about buying an M850i, one poster said earlier N63 engines seemed to have a lot of issues and that buyers should look at cars from 2021 on, and another said owners of 850 and M8 models often report expansion tank problems that lead to faulty injectors, mainly in the United States. These are anecdotes and not data, and no poster gave a failure rate, a mileage or a repair cost. We therefore treat all of this as a list of checks to make, not as known faults of the M850i.

Ask for a service history with oil changes at sensible intervals, look for oil or coolant seepage around the engine and the turbos, check the coolant level and the expansion tank, and listen for rough running or misfires on a cold start. Have the car scanned for stored fault codes. A BMW-approved used car with a warranty is the lower-risk route, although one forum poster found the price of an insured warranty absolutely insane, so compare the cost of cover with the price difference.

Chassis, brakes and wheels

The xDrive all-wheel-drive system is standard on the M850i. The First Edition release says the drive and suspension technology was developed with motor racing know-how and was tuned to the vehicle concept, but it gives no detail on dampers, brake sizes or tyre sizes, so we do not quote any. PistonHeads, driving the Gran Coupe, found the damping secure and the ride still cushy in the default setting, found Sport abrupt throughout, and said the steering feels a little remote and can be inconsistent. It calls motorway refinement exceptional and the car a classic grand tourer, and says it feels large on minor roads, as most new cars of this size now do.

The First Edition car wore 20-inch M light alloy wheels in a Y-spoke design, and other cars will differ, so check which wheels and tyres a car has and whether the tyres are a matching set in good condition. We found no verified tyre sizes, so check the tyre sidewalls and the registration paperwork. On a heavy, powerful all-wheel-drive car, uneven tyre wear can point to alignment problems, and large alloy wheels are easy to kerb, so inspect each wheel. Look at disc surfaces for lipping and at the pads, and test the brakes hard enough to check pedal feel and any pulling. We did not find a source on adaptive dampers or rear-axle steering for this car, so ask the seller exactly which chassis options it has.

Body, interior and electronics

The coupe is a 2+2 seater, and the rear is tight. A PistonHeads forum poster called the interior unexpectedly small for such a big car and said the M850i is not rated for towing, and another said they would choose the Gran Coupe for its easier rear entry. Sit in the back before you buy if you will carry passengers there. The First Edition showed what the range could carry in equipment, with BMW Individual full leather Merino trim, an Alcantara roof liner, a Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System and an optional M Carbon roof. PistonHeads said the sound system has depth and clarity and is worth its cost, and that BMW's cabin work is hard to fault, although some parts are shared with cheaper BMWs.

Check every function on the screens, the cameras and parking sensors, the driver assistance functions and any connected services, and ask what is active on the account. Look at the paint and panel gaps for accident repair, and ask for evidence of any work. Carbon roofs and other optional parts are expensive to repair, so check them for damage.

BMW made a numbered First Edition of 400 cars worldwide in Frozen Barcelona Blue, built between April and June 2019 at Dingolfing, with a plaque reading First Edition 1/400. A car advertised as one should be checked against its paperwork. BMW's release gives combined fuel consumption of 9.7 to 9.8 litres per 100 km and combined CO2 of 221 to 224 g/km for that car, and a V8 of this size will cost more to fuel than a six-cylinder rival.

Recalls and history

We did not find a UK recall list for this model from BMW or DVSA that we could read. Third-party aggregator pages list United States safety campaigns that touch the 8 Series, including one on a brake component and one on rear-camera software, and a later software campaign. We did not check them against the US regulator, they are not UK campaigns, and we cannot say whether any applies to a particular UK car. Enter the registration in the DVSA vehicle recall service and ask a BMW dealer to check the VIN for open campaigns, and ask the seller for paperwork showing any work done. Also ask for the full service history, any accident repair evidence and a list of modifications, especially remaps, which can change the tune and the paperwork figures.

The 2022 update is a point where cars change. The sources we read give the same 390 kW and 530 PS rating, so for our scope the catalogue power figure applies to the early car and the later car, but check the screen and equipment on the car in front of you, because we did not find a source that lists what the update changed. We found no source that says the M850i gained mild-hybrid assistance.

Buying decision

PistonHeads' verdict on the Gran Coupe is that it is a very good car surrounded by greatness: broadly talented but not clearly the best in its class, with the reviewer naming the Audi RS7, Porsche Panamera GTS and AMG GT four-door as rivals, and not recommending it wholeheartedly although the all-rounder choice is valid. It found the M850i more comfortable and balanced than the M8, which it called slightly too formidable for everyday use. For a coupe buyer, that reads as a comfortable, fast grand tourer with a weighty feel and a tight rear.

The car is no longer new. BMWBlog reports that the final car was assembled in September 2025, with the regular model continuing for the United States until April 2026, and Wikipedia says production ended in April 2026. These sources disagree on the date and neither is official, so treat the end of production as unconfirmed, and check availability with a dealer. Compare current adverts instead of relying on a price quoted here. Prefer a car with a documented service history, matching tyres in good condition, a clear recall record, and an engine that starts, idles and pulls cleanly when you drive it yourself.