Luxury and performance

Metropol motoring writer Nicholas Henare puts the BMW M8 Competition coupe through its paces.

As I sit in the incredibly comfortable BMW M8 Competition coupe sports seat and admire the beautiful shape of the carbon fibre roofing, I push the ignition button and the V8, 460kW engine roars to life.

Putting my foot down, I’m instantly pushed back into the seat as the vehicle accelerates to 100kph in 3.2 seconds, then passes 100… 140… 170 with ease.

I’ve driven pretty much every BMW available and roaring around Hampton Downs racetrack, this is the best yet. It’s sexy, it has power, and it was glued to the track.

There wasn’t a moment I felt out of control. I had the system in M1 mode, M breaking and sport mode with comfort steering. It made me feel safe but was still adrenaline pumping. M2 mode turns these options off, and I’d be shredding tires and insurance papers in no time, so I didn’t go there.

Turn the page and I’m picking up groceries with two teenagers. The rear seats are a squeeze but there’s plenty of room for groceries in the boot.

Yes, it can be used as a day-to-day car without being too pretentious.

Coming in at $350,400, it has all you could want, including 20” bi-colour alloy rims, BMW gesture control, M sport differential, BMW night vision with person recognition (think military grade tech here), plus a Bowers and Wilkins sound system.

The best features were in the drive. It’s subtle but like any beast if you prod it, it has plenty of bite. With a full leather ‘Merino” black interior you can’t help but fall in love with its simplicity and elegance.

I would rate this in my top 10 easily for the just the drive, and the top five once you add the luxury elements.