The 8 Series Convertible has been well received by the internet. All over the web people are mainly impressed with the way the car looks and, in general, the impression one could get is that this car will be a popular choice. Of course, when talking about spending six figures on a luxury convertible, popular has a different meaning than usual. You won’t see one on every corner as you do with the Toyota Corolla but keeping the proportions, this should be a best-seller in its segment.

In the US the drop top model will only be offered in M850i xDrive guise at first. An additional 840i will be on offer later on but for now, we’ll focus on the M Performance model, which is actually the one you want, with a powerful V8 under the hood. The pricing for this beauty will start at $122,395 including the destination and handling tax. That’s a cool $9,500 more than the Coupe alternative, in case you were wondering.

The first models will be arriving at dealers in March 2019 but until then, it would be a good idea to take a look at how the competition stacks up. The first competitor that comes to mind is the S560 Cabriolet, of course. The 463 HP drop top from Mercedes-Benz starts at $133,300 and comes with a V8 as well. Therefore, the M850i comes with more power, better performance (3.9 seconds vs 4.5 seconds) and a lower price tag.

Then there’s also the Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante which starts at just under $200,000. Sure, the Volante does look better in my book but that’s about it. The BMW is faster, more powerful and, for the price difference between them, you can easily get yourself another car, like a BMW M3, for example. Of course, people won’t necessarily cross shop the two but it’s good to have an idea of what else is out there for your open air cruising needs.