2023 BMW 8 Series Facelift Debuts Light-Up Grille, Larger Display

The BMW 8 Series arrived in 2018, and the German automaker is ready to refresh the model. For 2023, the 8 Series Coupe, Cabriolet, and Gran Coupe sedan are getting a mild makeover inside and out. This is a mid-cycle refresh, so there aren’t many changes to note, but BMW did make some improvements customers should appreciate.

Inside, the biggest change will be in the dash where BMW replaces the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster with its 12.3-inch Live Cockpit Professional display. One could say the more substantial changes are on the outside, but BMW doesn’t change much. The 2023 8 Series receives a new illuminated grille featuring redesigned u-shaped vertical bars. The trick grille activates when the vehicle is unlocked or when a door is opened. The driver can manually turn off the feature.

BMW also gives the updated model five new colors – Skyscraper Grey metallic, San Remo Green metallic, Portimao Blue metallic, BMW Individual Frozen Tanzanite Blue metallic, and Frozen Pure Grey – and two new optional wheel choices.

The M850i xDrive coupe, convertible, and Gran Coupe models receive a few more upgrades. The model gets the M exterior mirrors initially designed exclusively for the BMW M8 and an M badge in the grille. A new optional M Sport Package Professional is available for the M850i xDrive coupe that adds black calipers, a black kidney grille, a black spoiler, and Shadowline headlights with dark inserts.

All M850i xDrive models will be offered with the classic BMW Motorsport logo on the hood, trunk, and wheel hubs in place of the traditional BMW roundel. The company is celebrating 50 years of BMW M GmbH, and the BMW says the new logo is reminiscent of the first one BMW used on its racing cars in 1973.

US production for the refreshed BMW 8 Series will begin this March, with the entry-level price unchanged from the 2022 model year. That means the 2023 Coupe and Gran Coupe will start at $85,000, which excludes the $995 destination charge. The 2022 8 Series Convertible starts at $94,400.

However, BMW will introduce the 8 X Jeff Koons edition 8 Series before production begins. It’ll be a very limited edition 850i xDrive Gran Coupe that BMW will present on February 17. The company says the car features a “multi-layer exterior finish in eleven colors,” while the interior will have “the very finest leather” and more. The Alpina B8 Gran Coupe will enjoy the 8 Series’ new grille, display, and color choices.