Unbridled performance and a customised driving experience: BMW M GmbH develops new display and control system for its high-performance sports cars.

Munich. The feeling of an M car is unmistakable – and
now it can be tailored even more closely to the individual. BMW M GmbH
is unveiling a new display and control system for the configuration of
the powertrain, chassis and driver assistance systems on its
high-performance sports cars. As well as additional scope for adapting
the vehicle settings both to the situation at hand and to personal
preferences using the Setup button, drivers will also enjoy the
services of the new M Mode (activated at the touch of a button). The
Setup button can be used to adjust the vehicle settings, while M Mode
allows the displays and driver assistance systems to be tuned to the
driver’s requirements. This extra individualisation and even more
intuitive operation will be included for the first time in the new BMW
M8 Coupe and BMW M8 Competition Coupe (fuel consumption combined: 10.6
– 10.5 l/100 km [26.7 – 26.9 mpg imp]; CO2 emissions combined: 242 –
238 g/km; provisional figures), and the new BMW M8 Convertible and BMW
M8 Competition Convertible (fuel consumption combined: 10.8 – 10.6
l/100 km [26.2 – 26.7 mpg imp]; CO2 emissions combined: 246 – 241
g/km; provisional figures). With the help of these new features,
drivers of BMW’s high-performance models for the luxury segment can
enjoy their exceptional range of abilities – from supreme
long-distance comfort to alluring track dynamics – in even greater depth.

The control system developed for BMW M models traditionally enables
their powertrain and chassis technology to be configured in a wide
variety of ways according to personal tastes and needs. Indeed, the
driver can activate various settings for the engine, suspension and
steering independently of one another. In models specified with the M
xDrive all-wheel-drive system, the distribution of power between the
front and rear wheels can also be tweaked. And now the new BMW M8
Coupe and new BMW M8 Convertible offer the ability to configure the
braking system as required, too.

 

New Setup button enables intuitive operation with direct
access to all powertrain and chassis systems.

The new Setup button on the centre console of the new BMW M8 Coupe
and new BMW M8 Convertible enables direct access to all available
setup options for five vehicle parameters. Pressing the button brings
up a Setup menu in the Control Display, which offers an overview of
the vehicle settings currently engaged. The driver can then activate
their desired mode for the engine, suspension, steering, brakes and M
xDrive – in a single step in each case – via the touchscreen or the
iDrive Controller.

The engine characteristics can be adjusted by means of the EFFICIENT,
SPORT and SPORT PLUS settings, while the COMFORT, SPORT and SPORT PLUS
chassis options give access to the three profiles for the
electronically controlled dampers. The driver can also choose between
COMFORT and SPORT for both the M-specific electromechanical steering
and the new braking system. When DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) is
deactivated, the 4WD, 4WD SPORT and 2WD (for pure rear-wheel drive)
settings for the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system also come into play.
Two individually composed variants of this setup can be stored
permanently with the driver’s preferred settings for the engine sound,
gearshift characteristics, driving stability control and Auto Start
Stop function. The overall vehicle configuration can then be called up
instantly at any time by pressing one of the two M buttons on the
steering wheel.

 

Premiere in the BMW M8: integrated braking system with precise
pedal feel and M-specific configurability.

The M-specific version of a new braking technology paves the way for
the configuration of braking characteristics, a feature available for
the first time in the new BMW M8. The new system brings together the
brake activation, brake booster and braking control functions within a
compact module. The integrated braking system reduces weight by around
two kilograms and employs a vacuum-free brake booster to enhance the
car’s overall efficiency. The brake pressure required is triggered by
an electric actuator, which allows it to be generated more dynamically
and also ensures significantly faster and more precise interventions
from the driving stability control system.

The integrated braking system also does an excellent job of allowing
vehicle deceleration to be geared precisely to the driver’s
requirements and of generating sublime pedal feel in any situation.
Braking feedback to the driver is unimpaired by wet road surfaces,
significant lateral acceleration or high brake temperatures, and this
ensures precise metering of braking power at all times. The version of
the new braking system developed for BMW M models also presents the
driver with two pedal feel settings.

COMFORT and SPORT modes alter the amount of pressure on the brake
pedal required to slow the car. This allows the driver to choose
between a comfort-oriented perception of the braking process and a
particularly direct, instantaneous response to applications of the
pedal. The new BMW M8 teams this innovative system with both the
standard M compound brakes and optional M carbon-ceramic brakes.

 

Pure driving pleasure through innovation: the M Mode button.

In addition to the new configuration options opened up by the Setup
button, the new BMW M8 also allows the gearshift characteristics of
the eight-speed Steptronic transmission to be adjusted using the
Drivelogic button on the selector lever and the engine sound to be
varied via a separate button on the centre console. M Dynamic Mode –
which raises the intervention thresholds for the driving stability
control and allows controlled drifts – and DSC Off mode can also be
initiated at the touch of a button.

A fresh addition to the new flagship models from BMW M GmbH is the M
Mode button on the centre console. This can be used to alter the
responses of the driver assistance systems and the screens in the
all-digital instrument cluster and Head-Up Display. M Mode allows the
driver to activate ROAD and SPORT modes, while the new BMW M8
Competition Coupe and BMW M8 Competition Convertible also come with a
TRACK setting. These options enhance the hallmark M driving experience
according to the situation at hand. Changing the settings alters the
information presented to the driver on the screens, while the
safety-enhancing interventions by the driver assistance systems – such
as active braking or steering inputs – are reduced to a bare minimum
or deactivated altogether.

In the default ROAD setting, all the standard and optional driver
assistance systems are fully activated. A simple press of the M Mode
button engages the SPORT setting, in which the active driver
assistance systems (in the configuration set by the driver) now only
transmit alerts on speed limits and overtaking restrictions. This mode
disables all interventions in the braking and steering systems, aside
from those made by the Collision Warning with braking function and the
Evasion Assistant.

In SPORT mode, the driver benefits from M View in both the instrument
cluster and the Head-Up Display. Here, only relevant information for
sporty driving – i.e. an M-specific engine speed dial and the shift
lights (which indicate the ideal time to change gear), a digital speed
display and the gear currently engaged – is displayed in the cockpit.
Information on coolant temperature, charge pressure, tyre condition,
and longitudinal and lateral acceleration can be viewed in the right-
and left-hand areas of the instrument cluster. The Head-Up Display
read-out is concentrated around the engine revs and shift lights,
navigation instructions and distance warnings, the gear selected and
the vehicle speed, plus the speed limits and overtaking restrictions
detected by the Speed Limit Info system. Pressing the M Mode button
again returns the driver to the default ROAD mode.

An extended press of the M Mode button engages TRACK mode, which is
available in the Competition models and designed exclusively for use
on race circuits. The decision to activate this mode must be confirmed
using the iDrive Controller. In this setting, all the comfort and
safety functions of the driver assistance systems are deactivated. In
addition, the audio system and Control Display are both switched off
in order to focus the driver’s attention even more intently on the
road ahead. TRACK mode allows drivers of the new BMW M8 Competition
Coupe and new BMW M8 Competition Convertible to experience an
ultra-pure, racing-car-inspired distillation of M feeling. Added to
which, the instrument cluster and Head-Up Display also include M View,
although TRACK mode blanks out the road sign detection and distance
information. Pressing the M Mode button again takes the car out of the
TRACK setting and back into ROAD mode.