Compare the2022 Porsche 911VS 2022 BMW 8 Series

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the 911 helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The 911 offers an optional Surround View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 8 Series only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the 911 and the 8 Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche 15th in initial quality. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 20th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche second in reliability, above the industry average. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Porsche 3 places higher in reliability than BMW.

The 911 has more powerful engines than the 8 Series:

As tested in Motor Trend the 911 S 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder is faster than the M850i 4.4 turbo V8 (automatics tested):

In a Motor Trend race course test, the Porsche 911 S Coupe was clocked 3.88 seconds faster than the BMW M850i xDrive Coupe (95.52 sec. vs. 99.4 sec.).

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the 911 lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the 911 4 3.0 turbo flat-6 8 speed SMG with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the M850i Convertible 4.4 turbo V8 xDrive (18 city/24 hwy vs. 17 city/24 hwy).

The 911’s optional fuel tank has 5.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the 8 Series (23.7 vs. 18 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Porsche 911 higher (5 out of 10) than the BMW 8 Series (3). This means the 911 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 8 Series every 15,000 miles.

The 911 offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and fuel economy. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The 911 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The 8 Series doesn’t offer an SMG.

For better stopping power the 911 Turbo S’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the 8 Series:

The 911 offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The 8 Series doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The 911 stops much shorter than the 8 Series:

For better traction, the 911 Turbo S/GT3’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 8 Series (F:255/35R20 & R:315/30R21 vs. F:245/35R20 & R:275/30R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 911 has standard 20-inch rear wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the 8 Series. The 911’s optional 21-inch rear wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the 8 Series.

The 911 GT3 handles at 1.15 G’s, while the M850i xDrive Coupe pulls only .98 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The 911 GT3 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the M850i xDrive Coupe (22.3 seconds @ .95 average G’s vs. 24.2 seconds @ .85 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the 911 GT3’s turning circle is 4.1 feet tighter than the 8 Series’ (34.1 feet vs. 38.2 feet). The 911’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the 8 Series xDrive’s (36.8 feet vs. 39 feet).

The Porsche 911 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 950 pounds less than the BMW 8 Series.

The 911 is 1 foot, 1.2 inches shorter than the 8 Series, making the 911 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The 911 Coupe has .1 inches more front legroom and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the 8 Series Coupe.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Porsche service is better than BMW. J.D. Power ranks Porsche first in service department satisfaction. With a 33% lower rating, BMW is ranked 8th.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the 911 (except Cabriolet/GT3) offers an optional rear wiper. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The 911 has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The 911 (except Manual/GT3)’s optional Active Parking Support can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote ParkAssist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The 8 Series doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2019 issue and they ranked the Porsche 911 S Coupe first. They ranked the BMW M850i xDrive Coupe tenth.

The Porsche 911 outsold the BMW 8 Series by 18% during the 2021 model year.