View PhotosDick Kelley|Car and DriverFrom the April 1994 issue of Car and Driver.Sport coupes are about style and speed. Driving one, you expect to cut a wide visual swath through the legions of droning four-doors, and you also expect to be able to make them dine on your dust. And if that sport coupe is expensive, it should also come equipped with every creature comfort short of a butler. Finally, it should possess that elusive exclusivity that reeks of money even to those who can’t immediately identify it. BMW’s 850i coupe has always been blessed with copious sex appeal. The atmospheric price ensured that its owner wouldn’t suffer the humiliation of encountering other 850s every five minutes. And it cosseted its occupants with flawlessly stitched leather upholstery and indulged them with an impressive array of computerized conveniences. Unfortunately, the 850i lacked the full measure of speed it needed to assume its rightful station near the top of the automotive pecking order. Not that it was slow. One can hardly characterize as slow a car that accelerates to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds and arrives quickly at a governed top speed of 156 mph. But BMW offers a practical four-door sedan, the 750iL, that’s just as quick. View PhotosDick Kelley|Car and DriverWhat’s more, the 850 didn’t feel notably livelier than the 750, in large part because it was barely 100 pounds lighter than the 4247-pound sedan. As a result, the 850 never developed the hot-blooded reputation it needed to figure prominently in enthusiasts’ dreams. HIGHS: Eager to run and remarkably light on its feet.With the introduction of the new 850CSi, however, it’s time to recalibrate our view of this car. Although this version is not any lighter, several significant improvements have injected a hefty dose of pulsating energy into the big coupe. First, BMW engineers have pumped an additional 76 horsepower into the 24-valve SOHC V-12 by boring and stroking the engine from 4988 to 5576 cc, raising the compression ratio from 8.8 to 9.8 to 1, fitting hotter camshafts, and opening up the exhaust system. The new version develops 372 horsepower at 5300 rpm and 402 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. There’s also a new engine-management system that results in each gear having a varying rpm limit. For example, in first and second, the computer allows the engine to be pushed to a maximum of 6400 rpm before the fuel injection is shut off. Third is good for 6200 rpm, fourth for 6100, fifth and sixth for the 6000-rpm limit that was the limit for all gears in the original 850. The higher redline is safer in the lower gears because the engine accelerates so quickly through the elevated rpm. To take full advantage of this higher revving capacity, BMW fitted the 850CSi with shorter 2.93:1 final-drive gearing instead of the original’s 2.65. View PhotosDick Kelley|Car and DriverThese changes slice a full second from the 850’s 0-to-60 sprint. It now hits 60 mph in the same 5.3-second blink of the eyes required by the Porsche 928GTS. The quarter-mile comes up in 13.9 seconds at 102 mph and the CSi reaches 150 mph in 38.4 seconds, which is about the same time the old model needed to hit 135 mph. This added performance completely changes the feel of the car. While the old model accelerated with a stately grace, the CSi feels like it’s bursting with energy all the time. The bigger engine and shorter gearing ensure that this newfound liveliness is present throughout the rpm range. The 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70-mph top-gear acceleration times have dropped from the sluggish 12-second range to the much-peppier 8-second area. LOWS: Costs more dollar bills than you can pack into its tiny rear compartment.The CSi is made even more energetic by flipping the switch on the console marked EML from K to S. This changes the programming of the drive-by-wire throttle system. The K program opens the V-12’s dual throttle plate very gradually as the accelerator is depressed. The S program opens them much faster. Either way, planting your foot on the floor results in full power, though the S setting makes the engine feel much racier.View PhotosDick Kelley|Car and DriverRevised running gear also does its part to invigorate the 850CSi. Stiffer springs and shocks, a faster steering ratio, a lowered ride height, wider wheels and larger rear tires all contribute to quickening the CSi’s reflexes.The quicker steering feels fast, progressive, and very natural. Move the wheel and the CSi changes direction instantly, without a trace of nervousness. While the new 850 still doesn’t cut with the suddenness of a Mazda RX-7, it feels much nimbler than did the previous car as if half a ton has been shorn from it. More on 850i Reviews From the Archive
- Tested: 1991 BMW 850i Tested
- Tested: 1992 BMW 850i versus Porsche 928 GTS
As you push towards the edge of its 0.85-g cornering limit—up from the 0.80 g on the last 850 we tested—the CSi hangs on without drama until the last tenth, and at that point the driver can control which end lets go with either the steering or the throttle. This big coupe can be driven in spectacular tail-out fashion if you like, but it seems a shame to shred the rubber when you can go just as quickly by being tidy. View PhotosDick Kelley|Car and DriverAmazingly enough, the upgraded chassis imposes very little penalty on comfort. Even on the 48-psi high-speed tire pressure settings, the ride is not unreasonably harsh, yet the suspension keeps the car on an even keel during even the most vigorous automotive exercises. We also found that the CSi has a much better sense of straight-ahead than previous 850s. On the truck-worn lanes of freeways around Ann Arbor, the new model was far less disturbed by the uneven pavement than was its predecessor. For the new suspension to endow the 850 with a livelier steering response, while it also does a better job of filtering road imperfection is truly amazing. No such miracles have been worked to make the new 850 roomier inside. The front seats provide ample space, but there’s still no way that four adult humans can get inside this machine. VERDICT: What we always expected from the top-line BMW coupe.That, of course, is one of the sacrifices that coupe buyers make in exchange for style. In the case of the 850CSi, you will also sacrifice many dollars to acquire one—$108,395, to be exact. And to make sure that this particular 850 will be suitably exclusive—as if the price tag weren’t enough—BMW plans to import only 200 examples this year. We predict that those 200 owners will not be disappointed.CounterpointsI drove this car to Toronto to carry a charming woman to a New Year’s Eve party. She asked, “This a sports car, or, like, a luxury car?” Excellent question. Mostly, the 8-series offerings have been massive, heavy touring coupes. Which makes them neither. But now, after three years of fiddling, BMW has perfected the species. In fact, if Porsche becomes interested in selling 928s again, the 850CSi should be its target. In my book, this BMW makes the Benz 300, 500, and 600SL redundant. On the other hand, at evening’s end, she went home with a guy who drove a Corrado. —John PhillipsMuch is made of the power and handling improvements in this CSi over the first 850i we tested—and carped about—in July 1991. The V-12 just didn’t adequately yank that 4153- pound car around with adequate BMW sports pizazz. “Any car costing $90,000 should do everything but make coffee!” we bleated. Well, now it makes coffee, but the price is $108,395. To me, it was the remarkable exterior beauty, combined with an exquisite interior, that made this grand tourer worth the drool, and it still is. It still does not have a realistic back seat. I’ll take the thriftier original and just putter along, thank you. —Steve Spence It might only sell a few cars in comparison to its towering parent, but BMW’s M Division knows better than anyone what a BMW should be. The 850 is a case in point. Before the M men got hold of it, it had numb steering, a bland ride, and an inert character. Even the sound of the big V-12 had somehow been suffocated. But now, in CSi guise, the car has a communicative steering wheel, a virile exhaust note, and the kind of responses you expect when seated behind the blue and white propeller. This car is good enough to be called the M8. —Barry Winfield
Source: caranddriver.com
