BMW M8 and 8 Series get mid-life refresh

UPDATED 27/01/2022 4:00pm: BMW Australia has confirmed the upgraded BMW 8 Series range will arrive Down Under around mid-2022, with prices up $5000 across the board – see below.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE PUBLISHED 27/01/2022 7:00am: BMW has freshened up its 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe range, including the supercar-baiting M8 Competition Coupe and Gran Coupe, for 2022.

The headline news for the MY22 BMW 8 Series line-up is that all body variants now come standard with the M Sport body kit.

The visual updates include a sportier front and rear bumper, with the latter incorporating a more defined diffuser. There are also new 19-inch rims and bigger brakes with blue callipers on entry-level variants powered by an inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

More expensive V8-powered models now get M8-inspired design cues including a new splitter up front, M8 door mirrors, a rear spoiler and a diffuser finished in a dark metallic hue.

Both 20-inch rims and an M Sport differential are also now standard on V8 models grades.

At the top of the 8 Series tree, the midlife tweaks for the flagship BMW M8 Competition Coupe and Gran Coupe are subtle. There's a choice of fresh exterior paint, a dark Shadow Line option and new 20-inch M-sport alloy wheels.

On both the 8 Series and M8 there's an updated illuminated grille that features a lit-up surround and 'waterfall' lighting for each grille blade. The added lighting is activated when a door is opened and can be turned off.

Helping celebrate half a century of the German car-maker's BMW M brand, both the 8 Series and the M8 are now offered with optional BMW badges that swap out the blue and white for blue, purple and red.

In other changes, base models get more comfortable multi-contoured seats, while the previous 10.25-inch infotainment system on cheaper models is binned for the larger 12.3-inch system found in the M8.

There are no changes under the bonnet, meaning for Australia the range continues to kick-off with a 250kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol engine in 840i-badged models.

The M850i, meanwhile, keeps its 390kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8.

Finally, the MY22 BMW M8 Competition Coupe and Gran Coupe both keep their 460kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, which even in the heavier Gran Coupe body delivers a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.2 seconds.

How much does the 2022 BMW 8 Series cost?
840i Gran Coupe – $184,900 (+$5000)
840i Coupe – $187,900 (+$5000)
840i Convertible – $202,900 (+$5000)
M850i xDrive Gran Coupe – $282,900 (+$5000)
M850i xDrive Coupe – $285,900 (+$5000)
M850i xDrive Convertible – $294,900 (+$5000)
M8 Competition Gran Coupe – $359,900 (+$5000)
M8 Competition Coupe – $362,900 (+$5000)
* All prices exclude on-road costs