BMW M8 Competition (F92) — a two-door coupé for four-hundred-kilometre runs

Nobody books a large eight-cylinder coupé in Warsaw for traffic-light sprints. In town the car is on the losing side of every argument: its width, the firm suspension, the narrow streets of Śródmieście. The point of it appears where a straight expressway opens up for four hundred kilometres and there are two or three people on board rather than five with suitcases.

In short. The BMW M8 Competition is a two-door coupé of the F92 body with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 from the S63 family and M xDrive all-wheel drive whose front axle is disengaged in software. For the Competition version the manufacturer quotes 460 kW (625 hp) and 750 Nm; top speed according to fleet data is 250 km/h. In the Polish context its strength is long runs across the expressway network, its weakness is city traffic and luggage for four.

Why a two-door flagship in Warsaw

The geography of the Polish capital works differently from most European cities of comparable size. Warsaw sits in the middle of the country, and almost every worthwhile destination is not a hundred and fifty kilometres away but three hundred and more. Gdansk and the Tricity are 340 kilometres along the S7 expressway, or 415 by way of the A1 motorway. Krakow is 294 kilometres, and since late 2024 the S7 runs through without a single traffic light. Wroclaw is roughly 360. Zakopane is 413, with the final stretch past Nowy Targ still an ordinary mountain road.

A coupé with a broad torque plateau and all-wheel drive comes into its own over distances like these rather than in town. Three and a half hours of steady progress on the S7 with two or three lorry convoys to pass is the scenario the car was engineered around. Eight sets of lights along Marszałkowska is the scenario in which any crossover in the fleet does better.

One feature of long Polish routes surprises visitors: there is no national vignette for a passenger car. Expressways carrying the letter S are free of charge for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, and classic barrier payment survives on exactly three concession sections — the A1 between Rusocin and Nowa Wies, the A2 from Konin to the western border, and the A4 between Krakow and Katowice. Of the routes listed above, a tolled section appears only on the longer coastal option via the A1. The state e-TOLL system does not concern passenger cars at all; it is built for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and for buses.

The S63 engine: one index, six different units

Under the bonnet sits a V8 of 4,395 cubic centimetres with two turbochargers mounted inside the vee of the block — the so-called hot-vee layout. The same basic unit works in the F90-generation M5 saloon and in the X5 M and X6 M of the same period.

This is where a confusion worth remembering begins. S63 is not one engine but the name of a family of at least six hardware and software revisions, spread across 2009 to 2023 and four model platforms. The first version arrived in the X5 M and X6 M and became the M division’s first series production engine with forced induction — everything before it had been naturally aspirated. Then came a revised unit for the fifth-generation M5, a separate branch for the next generation of crossovers, a revision for the sixth-generation M5 and, finally, the most powerful and last member of the family for the limited-run M5 CS. Cars of the very same model year physically carry different revisions, even though in conversation all of it is simply “the S63”.

For the M8 Competition the manufacturer quotes 460 kW (625 hp) at 6,000 rpm — in American press material the same figure appears as 617 hp because of a different measurement standard — together with 750 Nm. The plain M8 without the Competition suffix delivers 600 hp at the same torque. Factory acceleration to a hundred is quoted at 3.2 seconds for the Competition coupé. Output and acceleration for this particular fleet car are not published in the catalogue, so the figures above properly describe the version in general rather than this vehicle.

M xDrive: what really happens in 2WD

All-wheel drive on the M cars is built differently from ordinary xDrive, and differently again from the way most popular articles describe it. In hardware it is a separate transfer case with a chain drive instead of gears — the manufacturer states that this arrangement produces less noise and fewer parasitic losses — plus a reinforced multi-plate clutch, its own control unit and a locking rear differential.

There is no fixed percentage split of torque between the axles. The underlying logic is rear-driven: drive goes to the rear wheels, and the front pair is brought in only once the rear can no longer put torque down onto the surface. During relaxed driving the share at the front axle falls to zero.

The most widespread misconception concerns the 2WD mode. The front axle is not mechanically detached in it — there are no disconnecting couplings of the kind used on ladder-frame off-roaders anywhere in the design. The electronics open that same multi-plate clutch in the transfer case completely, torque stops reaching the front propshaft, but the shaft itself and the front differential stay connected and spin freely. What is more, partial opening also happens in the normal modes — during steady motorway cruising, for instance, to save fuel. So 2WD differs not in the presence of a disconnect but in the clutch being held open permanently while the stability system switches off at the same time.

Behaviour on Polish tarmac

Motoring critics describe the production M8 as a car with precise steering and minimal body roll, one that conceals its mass better than a nearly two-tonne coupé has any right to and grows more coherent the faster it goes. The rear-drive character can be felt even with the front axle engaged. The eight-cylinder pulls evenly and almost without pauses, the eight-speed automatic shifts unobtrusively, but reviewers find the soundtrack restrained next to Italian and Stuttgart rivals.

The main complaint the press has about the model concerns long journeys specifically: the suspension feels unexpectedly firm on real roads, road noise is noticeable, and as a touring car the coupé loses ground to rivals from the neighbouring segment. One publication questions the model’s standalone value outright: it shares its mechanicals with the M5 saloon, the wheelbase is shorter, and no tangible gain in handling follows from that.

In Polish conditions this verdict needs a correction for surface quality. The main corridors — the S7 towards the sea and towards Krakow, the S8 to Wroclaw, the S17 to Lublin — were built or rebuilt over the past decade, and on them the firm suspension barely intrudes. The problem appears on regional roads: the approach to Mazury beyond Ostrów Mazowiecka, the stretch along the Vistula to Kazimierz Dolny, the road from Nowy Targ up to Zakopane. There a low-slung, firmly damped coupé stops being comfortable.

As for the top figure: 250 km/h from fleet data is a specification number. The legal maximum in Poland is 140 km/h and it applies on motorways only; roads carrying the letter S allow 120 or 100 depending on whether the opposing flows are separated. The power reserve here works when overtaking, not at cruising speed.

Interior, luggage and the fourth passenger

The F92 body is a two-door coupé. The 8 Series range also included the F91 convertible and the F93 four-door Gran Coupé, which is about twenty-three centimetres longer than the coupé and rides on a wheelbase twenty centimetres greater. Of the three, the coupé is the most compact and the tightest in the back.

The practical conclusion for a trip: four adults will fit, but the rear row is best planned for short hops rather than four hours to the coast. Luggage follows the same logic — a pair of medium suitcases with soft bags on top. For a family with children the limit is not the dimensions but the access: in Poland a child restraint is compulsory for anyone under 150 centimetres tall, and fitting and removing a seat through the door aperture of a two-door body every time is awkward.

One more detail renters overlook: the driver of a rented car must carry the originals of the driving licence, the registration certificate and proof of third-party liability insurance. Electronic verification through the national register without documents in hand covers Polish citizens driving their own vehicles only.

Who it suits and who it doesn’t

It suits those whose scenario is a long run for two or three across the expressway network: Gdansk for the weekend, Krakow, Wroclaw. All-wheel drive with rear-driven base logic gives confidence on a wet surface, the torque reserve settles the question of overtaking on two-lane sections, and a petrol engine of this age clears the requirements of the Warsaw clean transport zone with room to spare: from January 2026 the zone admits petrol cars from Euro 3 or built from the year 2000 onwards.

It does not suit those who mostly need a city car, a fifth seat or a proper boot for four. Nor does it suit routes where a substantial part of the way runs along ordinary regional roads — Mazury or Kazimierz Dolny are more pleasant in something with more suspension travel.

If you want the same class of performance with five seats and normal access to the rear row, the closest alternative in the fleet is the BMW M5 G90. If long-distance comfort with four doors matters more, look at the Mercedes-AMG GT 53. The full line-up is in the catalogue section.

FAQ

Are the M8 and the M5 the same car in different bodies? Not the same, but closely related. The coupé and the saloon share the S63-family powertrain, M xDrive all-wheel drive and a large part of the suspension. Wheelbase, seating position, damping stiffness and seat count differ. The specialist press has openly questioned the coupé’s standalone value, arguing that the same engineering works more convincingly in saloon form.

What does the 2WD mode mean, and does the front axle disengage physically? There is no mechanical disconnection. The electronics fully open the multi-plate clutch in the transfer case and torque stops reaching the front propshaft, although the shaft itself keeps spinning freely. Partial opening also occurs in the standard modes during steady cruising. What distinguishes 2WD is that the clutch is held open permanently and electronic stability control is removed.

Do I need a vignette to drive from Warsaw to Gdansk? No. For passenger cars the vignette does not exist in Poland as a legal instrument. The road to the sea along the S7 expressway is free over its entire length. A tolled section will only appear on the longer version of the route via the A1 motorway, where payment is a one-off at a barrier-equipped booth.

How many people will actually fit in the coupé? Formally four. In practice the rear row of a two-door body suits short hops rather than three or four hours to the coast. The boot takes roughly two medium suitcases. For a weekend trip for four with belongings it makes more sense to choose a four-door car with full access to the second row.

What is the top speed of the fleet car? Fleet data gives 250 km/h. That is a specification figure rather than a working range: the national speed ceiling is 140 km/h and is available on motorways only, while roads carrying the letter S allow 120 or 100 depending on whether the flows are separated. The power reserve is realised in short bursts when overtaking, not at sustained speed.

Why does the S63 engine show so many different power figures in different sources? Because the index covers a family of at least six revisions produced between 2009 and 2023 for four different platforms. Models of the same year carry different versions of the engine. Measurement standards add to the confusion: European metric horsepower and the American standard return different numbers for one and the same unit.