BMW 840I vs Jaguar XJ

What's the difference?

Phwoar. Mate!

Or should I say, M-eight-fifty-I. That’s right. This is the all-new, 2020 BMW M850i Gran Coupe, the first ever example of its kind. It’s a big, long, luxury, sporty, coupey thing. And it’s gorgeous.

The BMW 8 Series 2020 range includes this new Gran Coupe body style, and also the Coupe and Convertible models. This particular model, the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, is essentially BMW’s answer to, say, the Audi RS7. Or one of the many Porsche Panamera variants. Or the Mercedes-Benz CLS or Mercedes-AMG GT 4 door Coupe. 

Like those cars it has svelte looks, striking dimensions and a sledgehammer engine under its long, shapely bonnet. This is first ever 8 Series Gran Coupe, as it essentially stands in place of the existing, now defunct, 6 Series Gran Coupe. But it’s bolder, bigger and more brutal - just take note: this isn’t a full-scale ‘M8’ Gran Coupe. It has more of a luxury speed cruiser angle to it, arguably like a Mercedes-AMG CLS 53, not the full-fat AMG 63.

The question is, then, should you buy it over one of its established rivals?

Let’s figure it out together, shall we?

As a child, my parents - who aren't car people - would see a Jaguar and point. It didn't matter if it was an XJ, Daimler Double Six or a Mark II, there was a great deal of mystique around these bastions of Britishness. It also didn't matter that these weren't necessarily good cars. The Seventies and Eighties saw the brand slide into a funk while being passed between owners like hot potatoes.

Somehow, the brand survived its brush with Ford's useless Premier Automotive Group strategy which only came good towards the end as Jaguar's management woke up and put in place a change in direction that produced the Ian Callum-designed XF. Riding high on that design, Jaguar then promptly introduced the very pretty Jaguar XJ.

It has been on sale for ages, but with the addition of a few bits and bobs to stay competitive, it's as compelling as ever. Most importantly, the performance-focused R has kept its unique supercharged V8.