[SIZE="4"]In the beginning...[/SIZE]
BMW introduced the new G8X on September 22, 2020. I was one of those people that despised the new redesign. The sides reminded me of a R35 GTR with its more angular approach and then there was the front kidney grilles that drew comparisons to a pig nose or beaver teeth. I was expecting something more similar to the G20 or a smaller M5 and it took a lot of us by surprise with BMW's new direction.
The Early Renders
I fell in love with the F80 M3 as soon as I saw one. I still think it's a beautiful looking car and has that classy timeless aesthetic. It was Matt from Obsessed Garage and his mineral white M3 that really got my mind set on the F80. In March of '17 my local dealer posted what appeared to be a mineral white F80 on their social media. It was a sign!! A few days later I purchased my very first new car! A mineral white F80 M3 with the competition package. I planned on keeping the F80 and it being a one owner car. 3.5 years later when the G8X was introduced my mentality was basically more justification that my F80 was the car for me. I didn't have any FoMO (fear of missing out) whatsoever. Things were good!
The Social Media Post of My Car
My First New Car
[SIZE="4"]Change of Heart[/SIZE]
While the F80 had my attention from the very beginning, the G80 took some time. However once the new design grew on me, the FoMO started to set in. I started to prefer the new grille over the smaller older ones. I was hooked! It was bold and in your face! I needed one!
After some discussions with the boss—I mean wife—I emailed my local dealer on Aug 20, 2021. After lots of back and forth, on Aug 27, 2021 I was officially first-in-line for a M3 allocation. Almost 9 months later on May 4th, I got a call that my local dealer had received their first G80 allocation. It just so happened to be the 50 Jahre Edition. To be honest I was slightly torn at this point. This was the first time I was going to order a car specced exactly how I wanted it. I wanted Frozen Dark Grey in the beginning and then that transitioned to Dravit Grey since I didn't want to deal with the matte paint. I wanted full merino leather with Silverstone "white" interior and the carbon fiber exterior package and carbon bucket seats. I wanted my car exactly how I wanted it from the get-go without worrying about costly piecemealing OEM carbon fiber bits or cheaper questionable quality variants.
There was little known what the 50 Jahre Edition was going to include. The communication to the dealers was vague besides the Orbit Grey Matte wheels. The rest was labeled as Special Edition Content and Special Order Equipment. Then an order sheet with only a small selection of items to choose. After a few hours and talking with the wife, I decided to go with this limited number edition and figured that would outweigh the potential missing items I had my mind set on.
The Order Sheet
[SIZE="4"]
The Timeline For My Build[/SIZE]
+ On waiting List (first in line) for Allocation 8/27/21
+ Allocation & Order Placed 5/4/22
+ Production Number Issued 6/13/22, Est Prod. Week 29
+ Scheduled for Production 6/27//22
+ Production Begins - 7/7/22
+ Exterior Body Assembly Begins - 7/14/22
+ In the Paint Booth - 7/15/22
+ Assembly in Progress - 7/18/22 (morning)
+ Quality Check - 7/18/2022 (evening)
+ Final Assembly - 7/19/2022
+ Ready for Transport - 7/19/2022
+ Awaiting Carrier Assignment - 7/19/2022
+ Dispatched from Factory - 7/19/2022
+ At the Port - 7/21/2022 (Hamburg)
+ In Transit - 8/9/2022
+ At Port - 9/3 (Long Beach, CA)
+ Arrived at Dealership - 9/23 in the morning
+ Purchased 9/23 6pm
[SIZE="4"]Tracking the Ship[/SIZE]
Themis Leader
At the Port in Germany - Hamburg
First Stop
Second Stop
Across the Atlantic
Panama Canal
Long Beach Port, CA
[SIZE="4"]Impressions after one week[/SIZE]
As countless people have stated, the car looks way better in person. Images don't capture the presence the car has. The Lime Rock Grey and Orbit Grey Matte wheels also appear lighter in photos than in person. It's darker than Brooklyn Grey and Nardo grey for reference. The best photo that captures the Lime Rock Grey is below:
Lime Rock Grey M3 CS (back) vs Nardo Grey M4 (front)
The Seats
The carbon bucket seats live up to the hype. The competition package seats in the F8X were my favorite seats I've sat in. I felt they were just comfortable enough while also holding you in place and looking good. In my opinion these seats feel just like those seats but with higher side bolsters that hold you even more. The cushion in the seats feel identical to the zCP seats. Getting in and out is obviously more difficult than the zCP seats but it is way easier than I thought it would be based on all the fuss. I'm fairly athletic and on the smaller side at 5'9" 170lbs. I took my Dad for a ride and he was able to get out by himself but it wasn't easy. For larger (wide individuals) and if you aren't nimble, these seats probably would make things more difficult. Side note: I did find a YouTube video of a guy in a wheelchair that loved the carbon buckets. They held him in place—especially his legs—and would use his arms to climb in. As soon as I saw these seats in the promotional material I knew if I got the G8X, I needed these seats. I have zero regrets. If I had the dream scenario, the middle portion would be smaller or removed. However after one week I'm already used to it. That middle portion was the main piece my wife had issue with. She also mentioned that if she wore a skirt, getting out of the car would flash everyone. The day after purchase we were going out of town for the weekend and got to drive 3 hours away. I had no issues whatsoever with the long drive.
[SIZE="4"]Controversial iDrive 8 - The Screen[/SIZE]
I'm in love with the new screen! While I thought the seats would "make" the interior, I actually feel it's the screen. I'm a gamer and a common term is "next gen." I feel that iDrive 8 and the screen give the interior that next generation look and feel. The older iDrive 7 with the hood over the cluster gauge and the side screen feel dated and too common now. It was only a small update from the F8X generation which in turn was only a small update from the E9X generation. I like the one continuous screen appearance versus the two screen look of the recently announced '24 Mercedes C63S E. Just like the grilles, it is an acquired taste and I understand why many people don't like it but I'm on board.
My Dash
C63S E
[SIZE="4"]DCT vs Automatic[/SIZE]
I loved the DCT and how quickly it shifted. My main gripe was the jerkiness at low speeds. When it would guess wrong and you'd jerk around a little. It felt like something was going to break sometimes. This automatic feels just a quick and a lot smoother. If I had a car for only the track, than I can see the advantages of a DCT but the new automatics have made me a believer. I feel its the best of both worlds. The only thing I miss with the DCT is taking my foot off the brake and the car not moving until I pressed the gas (like a manual).
[SIZE="4"]Misc Images[/SIZE]
At the dealer getting ready for delivery - I won the tire lottery!!
In the Delivery Bay
