Latest news with #grandtourer
The National
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The National
Ferrari reveals sublime Amalfi grand tourer to succeed the Roma coupe
Ferrari has revealed a stunningly proportioned grand tourer – the Amalfi – conceived to succeed the Roma coupe that debuted in 2020. Although it's an extensive revamp, rather than an all-new car, enough has changed to warrant the switch to the Amalfi moniker, which is inspired by the breathtaking 50km stretch of coastline in south-western Italy along the Sorrentine Peninsula. The new entrant is due on sale in the UAE in the first half of 2026 and, although official pricing is yet to be announced, it is expect it to be about Dh1m. That represents a slight increase on the Dh955,000 start price for the superseded Roma coupe. The key ingredients of the Amalfi are as per the Roma, but Ferrari has focused on honing all elements of its dynamics. The power-train, chassis control systems, steering and braking are all upgraded to yield a package that, according to the company, provides a significantly broader spread between relaxed touring capability and hard-edged performance. However, more noteworthy is the fact that the main suboptimal elements of the Roma have been successfully remedied – namely that unappealing perforated grille, plus the hit-and-miss haptic controls on the steering wheel, now replaced by physical buttons, plus the return of an aluminium start button. With not a single body panel carried over from the Roma, the Amalfi shares a marked family resemblance with the 12Cilindri, sporting slit-like headlights that peer out from within a dark recessed band positioned below a visor-mimicking panel at the front. A similar stylistic treatment is used at the rear, with the taillights hidden within what Ferrari refers to as 'graphical cuts'. An active rear spoiler with three positions – Low Drag, Medium Downforce and High Downforce – is neatly integrated into the rump, and in its most aggressive setting it generates 110kg of downforce over the rear axle at 250kph. The wing remains in Low Drag or Medium Downforce mode on straights, with the High Downforce setting only being triggered under hard braking or when cornering at speed. Ferrari says it has worked extensively on the Amalfi's aero, and even the underfloor has been optimised for smooth airflow. There is also a hidden duct above each headlight that helps lower under-bonnet temperatures as well as reducing pressure build-up. There's a great visual purity to the Amalfi and it's hard to find a bad angle on the car. The curvaceous coupe's surfacing is minimalistic, with little to distract from its smooth voluptuous contours. The Amalfi retains the Roma's 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, but it features lightweight new camshafts (they save 1.3kg) and even the engine block has been redesigned (saving another 1kg). Peak power has been bumped up to 640hp (620hp for the Roma), although torque remains unchanged at 760Nm. The Amalfi sprints from 0-100kph in a claimed 3.3 sec (0.1 sec faster than the Roma), while 0-200kph is dispatched in 9.0 sec (0.3 sec quicker than the Roma). Although the raw numbers aren't dramatically changed, Ferrari's chief product development officer, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, says the perception from behind the wheel is of a car with much sharper responses, thanks to the V8's lower reciprocating masses and revised turbocharger set-up with its low-inertia turbines. In addition, enhancements to braking, steering and chassis-control systems has enabled a greater dynamic spread between the Wet and Comfort drive modes to the more aggressive Sport, Race and ESC Off settings. Fulgenzi emphasises that the Amalfi still comes across as a thoroughly safe and non-intimidating car, as its target audience is generally not seeking the hardcore driving experience that the 296 and SF90 serve up. The Amalfi also represents a notable step forward in cabin comfort and aesthetics vis-a-vis the Roma. There's again a pronounced dual-cockpit layout whereby the driver and passenger are each ensconced within their own domain, but a lower-set centre console creates the perception of more cabin space. Facing the driver is a 'monolithic' instrument cluster that houses a 15.6-inch digital display panel with all key information able to be easily taken in at a glance. A horizontal 10.25-inch infotainment screen in the centre replaces the old portrait screen, while passengers get their own 8.8-inch screen that displays parameters such as g-forces and engine revs.
Auto Express
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Used BMW 8 Series (Mk1, 2018-date) buyer's guide: a GT with a hint of sports car
The BMW 8 Series is unusual in that it's part grand tourer and part sports car, although it's more of the former than the latter. Some of the rivals we've suggested are more sporty, while others have more of an emphasis on luxury. But the BMW offers a good balance of both worlds because it's an excellent long-distance cruiser at the same time as being fun and engaging. Practicality is also very good if you view the 8 Series as a two-seater (Gran Coupé aside), so if you're in a position to buy one we can't think of a good reason not to. Apart from maybe a six-cylinder 4 Series… Advertisement - Article continues below There was a time when every mainstream car make had a coupé or two in its range, but in recent years coupés have fallen out of favour, and there are far fewer convertibles than there used to be. But BMW has persisted with these cars that put style ahead of outright practicality, and one of its best is the 8 Series, which is as rare as it is desirable. The two-door 8 Series coupé arrived in December 2018 in 840d (315bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel), or M850i (522bhp twin-turbo petrol 4.4 V8) forms. In May 2019, a convertible appeared with the same powertrains; a month later came the four-door 8 Series Gran Coupé in 840d and M850i forms, or there was a 335bhp 3.0 six-cylinder 840i. The M8 Competition arrived in December 2019 with a 616bhp twin-turbo V8. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below View 8 Series View 8 Series View 8 Series View 8 Series A facelift in January 2022 brought a tweaked exterior design including an illuminated grille plus an improved infotainment set-up. The 840d model was also dropped from the range. In truth, the six-cylinder models offer all the performance and refinement you could need. The V8s give extra bragging rights, but you'll pay more to buy and run one, without getting any extra usable performance. Advertisement - Article continues below The standard kit includes 20-inch alloy wheels, dynamic ambient cabin lighting, Merino leather trim, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, a head-up display, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, adaptive LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, a rear camera and electric adjustment on the front seat. The 8 Series is a big car (every version is around five metres long), but it's fast and surprisingly agile, albeit best suited to long, high-speed motorway drives. The eight-speed automatic transmission that's standard across the range works brilliantly, while the steering offers decent feedback; a choice of driving modes adjusts the throttle response, suspension stiffness and steering weight, so it's easy to find a setting that suits, whatever the occasion. Even the four-wheel-drive models feel like they're rear-wheel drive, while the M850i comes with standard four-wheel steering for even greater agility. The closest rival is the Mercedes S-Class, which also came in coupé and convertible forms, with V8 or V12 engines. Fast, composed, fabulously built, hi-tech and with a glorious interior, the Mercedes is a tough adversary. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The Porsche 911 is superb to drive and the Jaguar F-Type is also highly desirable, just like the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. If you want something really special, the Bentley Continental GT and GTC might suit, while the Lexus LC coupé and cabriolet look fabulous, but they're very rare. Drive on Advertisement - Article continues below All variants of the 8 Series, apart from the 840i, come with xDrive four-wheel drive as standard. The 840i has rear-wheel drive. Tyring stuff Six-cylinder models came with run-flat tyres as standard, but the V8s were fitted with conventional rubber and a can of sealant, with the option of run-flats. Peace of mind There's a three-year warranty with no mileage limit. All connected services (map updates, concierge, traffic, music) are supported only for the first three years. Common problems The 8 Series is too unusual for any significant fault patterns to be established from a trawl of owner forums. The key thing is to keep the software up to date so that the infotainment and associated functions all work as they should. Naturally, the BMW's cabin is filled with high-quality materials, and as you'd only expect, the overall design is superb. The controls, 12.3-inch digital instrument display and 10.25-inch touchscreen are all easy to understand, while there's plenty of adjustment for the seating position, although you sit low, so visibility is compromised. Rear-seat head and legroom in the two-door models are poor, but much better in the Gran Coupé, while all models have a decent amount of oddments space. The coupé's boot capacity is also nice and big, with 420 litres available; the Gran Coupé has 440 litres, but the convertible's load area is pegged at just 350 litres. The market isn't awash with 8 Series, but there are enough to go round. Convertibles account for one in six two-door cars and diesels for one in five. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Check the price of a BMW 8 Series with our free car valuation tool... BMW'S Condition-Based Servicing allows up to two years or 16,000 miles between services, and because only the parts that need to be replaced are renewed, service prices aren't fixed. An oil and filter change costs £410; replace the air filter and spark plugs too and the bill is £735. Fresh brake fluid every two years costs £147, but there are no cambelts to replace. Insurance will be costly, with 41 being the lowest group (for some 840ds), but most models are at least group 45; all V8s are group 50. Road tax costs £195 per year, plus the £425 expensive car supplement for the first five years, while the most economical model, the 840d, is claimed to average 44mpg. The 840i is pegged at 33mpg and the M850i at 26mpg, but expect less in the real world. BMW has issued five recalls for the 8 Series in total. The first was in July 2019 because of fuel pumps leaking on cars made in March and April 2019. Faulty seatbelt buckles led to recall two, in April 2020; it affected cars made in February and March 2020. Braking system glitches were behind the third recall, in February 2021 and involved cars made between February and November 2020. Faulty brake discs led to recall four, in March 2021; the latest campaign came in August 2022, due to engine bay fires in cars made up to September 2020. The 8 Series has never appeared in our Driver Power surveys, but there are always a few BMW models in there. Our latest poll included the 3 Series Mk7 (18th), 5 Series Mk7 (22nd), 1 Series Mk3 (25th), and X3 Mk3 (36th), which is par for the course; BMW rarely does spectacularly well, but a solid performance is typical. In our Brands survey, BMW came 14th out of 32, ahead of Mercedes (25th) and Audi (27th). Did you know you can sell your car with Auto Express? Get the highest bid from our network of over 5,500 dealers and we'll do the rest. Click here to try Auto Express Sell My Car now... View 8 Series View 8 Series View 8 Series View 8 Series View 8 Series View 8 Series EV affordability alarm! Running costs are £6k higher than for petrol cars, say car clubs EV affordability alarm! Running costs are £6k higher than for petrol cars, say car clubs Running costs for car share club EVs are £6k higher than ICE equivalents according to new data Not bothered by MoT advisories? That may be about to change Not bothered by MoT advisories? That may be about to change The number of MoT failures caused by worn tyres is on the rise, and experts are calling for mandatory follow-ups on advisories Mazda MX-5 goes electric: the iconic roadster's radical future Mazda MX-5 goes electric: the iconic roadster's radical future The next Mazda MX-5 roadster is set to be offered as a pure EV, and our exclusive images preview how it could look
