Its been a wonderful two years of driving. As such, I’m very smitten by this automobile. Is that this thread overkill? Most likely.
Sedona, AZ
Crested Butte, CO
Southeastern Utah
Jasper, Alberta
Glacier Nationwide Park
The reply to the above query is a convincing sure. Sure, it’s the finest GT automobile within the BMW lineup. There, I made it straightforward for you.
Word: There will be much more footage on the finish of my blathering.
My 2022 M850 turns 2 years previous as we speak and now has 36,500 miles. It has additionally turn out to be my favourite automobile……ever. And I’ve pushed practically 820,000 miles to date, thus, I do not make this distinction evenly.
Granted, I have never owned gobs of BMWs – however, I’ve owned 10. The E60 5 sequence became the F10 5 sequence – all six cylinders, one MT. Then the primary of the V-8s: an F10 550xi, a G30 M550xi, an F90 M5 Base and in addition an F90 LCI M5 Comp. All nice vehicles. All nice on the highway. The enjoyable issue actually ratcheted up with the commencement to the V-8s. The M550 was chic, even with “solely” 456 HP. The M5s had been insane, clearly. A part of me needed an M8 (effectively, most of me….), however I assumed the M850 may be the true candy spot for what I needed in a automobile. I wanted very quick – test. I wanted nice styling – test (Duh). I wanted luxurious and luxury – test. (M vehicles could be a “tad” harsh, let’s assume?) I wanted near M degree dealing with – test. It needs to be good within the snow – test. I needed good each day driver capabilities – test. I needed reliability for lengthy, lengthy journeys – test. Thus, I now posit that the M850 does all of these items higher, collectively, than any automobile within the BMW line-up. (Positive, the Alpina B8 ratchets issues up fairly a bit, however not “technically” a BMW.)
And, I do not care if anybody disagrees with me. I will not take offense if anybody has totally different ideas. Positive, I have never pushed each mannequin of BMW. I needn’t. Will a 7 sequence chew up miles higher whereas crossing the continent on an interstate? Perhaps – however I am going to kick their ass on a two lane highway by the mountains in Wyoming and Colorado. As a result of I keep away from freeways just like the plague. The place’s the enjoyable in that?
So, I introduced this little Carbon Black magnificence dwelling a pair days earlier than leaving on a protracted deliberate 4,200 mile journey that took us to Arizona after which over to San Diego for a household marriage ceremony. I used to be solely 17 months into my 2021 M5Comp – which was a wonderful automobile – and actually trying ahead to taking it on this journey. However I felt the M850 was the place I wanted to be, so I pulled the set off (it was on the lot) and headed off on a grand journey – after a harrowing begin. Extra later.
The M850 has been on 5 journeys everywhere in the Western US and Canada, travelling 17,800 miles over 62 complete days. So, half of it is mileage life has been on the highway – away from my pothole laden metropolis. Common each day mileage in the course of the journeys was 287 miles, with a excessive mileage day of 509 miles – the place I stepped out the automobile recent as a daisy. The one different automobile that permit me do this was the M550. Energy is easy and clean. It comes on like gangbusters, with the silky clean transmission at all times seeming to be in the correct gear. I can get practically 500 miles on a tank of fuel in the correct circumstances. The seats are extra snug than the M5’s. The A/C is fabulous – it really blows a lot of chilly air out of the driving force’s entrance left facet vent. Though the automobile is lengthy and heavy, the rear wheel steering actually shrinks the turning radius. I want the trunk was a tad larger. I’ve by no means added oil, coolant or tire air on a visit. Hell, I’ve by no means wanted so as to add oil in any scenario. The automobile has by no means had any issues. Zero.
I’ve stored it largely bone inventory. It has the carbon roof and the Carbon Exterior Bundle. My solely mods have been tints, a ceramic coat and and a set of Vossen HF5 wheels. The OEM tires and wheels on this measurement automobile are manner too slender. I took the fronts from an 8 inch 245 to a 9 inch 255 setup. The rears went from a 9 inch 275 to a ten.5 inch 295 setup.
This additionally gave the automobile a wider stance. Dealing with and stability have been vastly improved and now it feels actually planted within the corners. Passing in Sport+ is easy – you do not want a whole lot of highway to get round slower autos. Additionally, I ought to have at the very least PPF’d the hood. It’s a very lengthy snout. Love the inventory exhaust. Positive, there’s issues I’ve missed concerning the M5 Comp – however I’ve zero regrets in making the change. And, it feels practically as quick.
There’s a whole lot of fabulous issues to see on this facet of the nation. I’ve executed separate threads for every of the varied journeys over on the 8 discussion board. Here is a smattering of a few of the finest stuff – somewhat over a dozen or so footage from every tour. (Besides Colorado. You’ll be able to’t do Colorado with simply 15 footage.) They’re largely simply vehicles pics, however hopefully there may be typically one thing fascinating within the background. There are a couple of landscapes, the place even a automobile as good as an M850 would simply wreck it.
The 5 Routes
Journey #1 – April 2022: Loss of life Valley, Grand Canyon, San Diego
4,220 Miles – 15 Days
The climate turned wild the second week of April. This was my deck, only a week earlier than we had been to go away.
Good grief! I had 4 routes out of Oregon. All had passes over 5,000 toes. All buried in snow.
The snow tires had simply been taken off the M5 – I hadn’t even thought concerning the M850 sitting down at my vendor’s lot. I did not even understand it existed, despite the fact that I’m at all times checking their web site for brand new arrivals. The mountain passes had been all buried in snow. I did not wish to put the snow tires again on the M5 – it may very well be over 90 levels in Arizona. I used to be leaving on Wed. the twentieth. What to do? Nicely, on Fri. the sixteenth, you may look on the vendor web site and see a pleasant Carbon Black M850 – with all the pieces that you’d spec, minus the Bowers & Wilkins. Is {that a} deal breaker? (Apparently not) My M5 lease could be up in Dec 2023, nonetheless 19 months away. Rates of interest had been about able to skyrocket, M8 offers had been non-existent. Perhaps I would just like the M850 experience somewhat higher than the M5. The price of cash was positively going to be larger in 19 months.
It does not harm to go down and simply look, proper? I may get it after I get again. If I favored it. I scheduled a take a look at drive with my CA. Dammit, I favored it. However, they did not need an M5 with 4,000 extra miles on it in 2 weeks (I used to be already over 23,000 miles), so I obtained an incredible deal on my lease buy-out, an incredible low cost off MSRP and a pair of.75% financing. The deal got here collectively on Mon. the 18th, however I nonetheless had a snow downside. My M5 snow wheels (705Ms) had the improper offsets and the tires had fairly the poke. It will have been unimaginable to supply a snow set of tires to suit the OEM wheels in at some point. So, my solely possibility was my M550 snow wheels, a set of 664Ms. They need to be appropriate to the M850, that they had good rubber on them (Pirelli Sotozero3) – however they had been a non-staggered set, giving me solely 8″ broad wheels on the corners with 245 broad tires. Clearly not excellent for this behemoth. Dealing with would suck, however I’d almost definitely get out of Oregon. The 664Ms simply cleared the calipers and 40 hours after taking possession, we had been off, and headed for our first 5,000′ snowy move. Who buys a automobile a day and a half earlier than you permit on a 4,200 mile journey?
It was flawless.
Even when it was a bit squirrely at occasions within the sizzling AZ solar. I believe we noticed the mid 90’s a pair days.
Willamette Move, OR – 5,000 Ft
CA Hwy 139 – – Convey it!
US Hwy 395, Mono Lake Vista – 7,500 toes
The worst of the snow hit lower than an hour later. At 6 PM we crossed Deadman’s Summit at simply over 8,000 toes. It was darkish. It had simply dropped to twenty-eight levels. The sunshine snow became a blizzard blowing 50 mph sideways and visibility turned a faint reminiscence. Site visitors mainly vanished. Hrrrm. We soldiered on. However the automobile did not actually appear to present a shit that we had been in snow (we by no means slipped) and half-hour later it was throughout. The city of Bishop was simply 20 miles away and brisket dinner was ready. Day 2 was over. We had travelled 476 miles – we had been now 768 miles from dwelling.
All of the snow and mountain passes had been behind us. I hoped the snow tires would final one other 3,452 miles within the warmth and never simply soften everywhere in the tarmac.
US Hwy 395, south of Bishop, CA – Sierra Nevadas
Badwater Highway – Loss of life Valley
Badwater Basin – 280 toes under sea degree
CA Hwy 127 – Loss of life Valley, CA
South Rim, Grand Canyon Nationwide Park
Courthouse Butte – Sedona, AZ
Saguaro – Phoenix, AZ
Jacaranda Tree – San Diego, CA]
CA Hwy 1 – Pacific Coast Hwy (One of many best stretches of highway in all the USA)
Huge Creek Bridge – Pacific Coast Hwy
Bixby Bridge – Pacific Coast Hwy
Journey #2 -September 2022: Colorado, Utah
4,083 Miles – 14 Days
Colorado in September is simply phenomenal. Utah does not suck, both.
It was late September. We’d finally go over 12 passes above 10,000 toes. Snow threatened us once more a couple of occasions. I used to be on summer time tires. Made it with none issues.
CO Hwy 82 – Independence Move, 12,095 toes
Pikes Peak – Elev 14,115 toes
Crested Butte, CO – Elev 9,000 toes
CO Hwy 50 – Dillion Pinnacles
Telluride, CO – Completely unreal
US Hwy 550 – Million Greenback Freeway, CO
CO Hwy 65 – Grand Mesa
Colorado Nationwide Monument – an unknown gem
UT Hwy 128, close to Moab, UT
Useless Horse Level State Park
Arches Nationwide Park
Bonneville Salt Flats – they allow you to drive on the market (I did not)
NV Hwy 140 – at Denio Junction (A lonely, lonely stretch of highway)
Journey #3 – April 2023: New Mexico
4,763 Miles – 16 Days
Time for a brand new state. Additionally enjoyable simply getting there.
US Hwy 20 – Juntura, OR
UT Hwy 24 – close to Torrey, UT (Fabulous surroundings)
UT Hwy 95 – Comb Ridge, SE UT
UT Hwy 211 – Canyonlands Nationwide Park – Needles Dist.
US Hwy 64 – Arizona/New Mexico border
US Hwy 285 – Encino, NM
Roswell, NM – The Reality is out There
US Hwy 62 – New Mexico / Texas border
White Sands Nationwide Park, NM
US Hwy 395 – north of Bishop, CA
CA Hwy 158 – June Lake, CA
US Hwy 395 – Mono Lake Vista, Elev 7,500 toes
Journey #4 – July 2023: Canadian Rockies
2,233 Miles – 9 Days
Again to our honeymoon stomping grounds.
Toppenish, WA – Murals all over the place
WA Hwy 155 – Banks Lake
Grand Coulee Dam, WA (Columbia River)
Can Hwy 16 – Moose Lake, BC
Yellowhead Hwy – Jasper, Alberta
Jasper to Banff is presumably the very best 178 miles of highway in North America – completely gorgeous.
Icefields Hwy 93 – Jasper NP
Countless Chain Ridge
Ice Fields Hwy – Jasper NP
Peyto Lake – It actually IS that shade
Cascade Mountain & Banff, AB from Sulphur Mountain Gondola
Mt Rundle & Banff
Morant’s Curve – Bow River (Close to Lake Louise)
Can HWY 1 – Paget Peak, BC
Can Hwy 1 – Rogers Move, BC
Journey #5 – September 2023: Yellowstone & Glacier Nationwide Parks
2,496 Miles -8 Days
Time to select off two fabulous roads: Hwy 212 Beartooth Move (MT & WY) & Going-To-The-Solar Highway in Glacier NP.
Craters of the Moon Nationwide Monument, ID
Climate over Yellowstone Lake
Shoshone River, WY
Jim Mountain – Close to Cody, WY(Soiled automobile)
US Hwy 212 – Beartooth Move, MT, excessive level goes to 10,947 toes
US Hwy 89, close to Mammoth Sizzling Springs, Yellowstone NP
US Hwy 191 – NE Yellowstone NP
MT Hwy 86 – Bridger Canyon Highway, MT
US Hwy 89 – Fairfield, MT
The views in Glacier Park are phenomenal.
Going-To-The-Solar Highway – Glacier Nationwide Park
Going-To-The-Solar Highway – Glacier Nationwide Park
Logan Move – Elev 6,647 Ft
Paradise Meadow
US Hwy 12 – A enjoyable cease in Pomeroy, WA
Again dwelling
I am going to say it once more: The M850 is one high quality car. By no means get bored with hopping into it – even when it is only a 2 mile run to the grocery retailer. I really feel very lucky and fortunate to have the ability to expertise these machines.
Could be taking a look at going again to Wyoming and Colorado for Spherical 6 in June.
Thanks for following alongside. Hope you loved the journey.
Final edited by snowbimmer; Yesterday at 06:28 PM..
