Four Doors, Two Hearts
BMW has pulled the covers off the 8 Series Gran Coupe, a four-door sibling that stretches, widens and lifts the already dramatic 8 Series Coupe into something more habitable without surrendering its grand-tourer swagger. Available as the rear-wheel-drive 840i, the all-wheel-drive 840i xDrive, and the range-topping M850i xDrive, the Gran Coupe goes on sale in autumn with pricing starting at $84,900 for the 840i, $87,800 for the 840i xDrive and $108,900 for the M850i xDrive — all before destination.
The extra metal is not filler. Compared with the two-door 8 Series Coupe, the Gran Coupe rides on a longer wheelbase and wears broader rear flanks, trading the Coupe’s tight cabin for genuine rear-seat accommodation. From the A-pillar back, the bodywork diverges substantially. The windshield sits at a shallower rake so the roofline rises higher above the front seats, buying headroom. The roof then flows rearward in one continuous sweep, meeting the trunk lid in a long, tapering tail. Rear glass is steeper than the Coupe’s, partly to make loading the boot easier and partly because the fixed rear pane doubles as a structural element, stiffening the body and cutting road noise.
Look closely at the C-pillar and you will spot a subtle flying-buttress contour where the roof meets the rear haunches. BMW says the finishing folds of that metalwork are still done by hand — a small, old-school touch on a car that bristles with new technology. The Hofmeister kink, that signature BMW daylight opening jog, sits high on the substantial C-pillar and ties the side profile into sculptured rear fenders.
Glass, Carbon and Aluminium
A panoramic glass roof stretches from the windshield header all the way to the rear glass, flooding the cabin with light. The multi-functional antenna is baked into the rear window itself, eliminating the traditional shark-fin aerial and leaving more surface area for the glass roof. On the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, buyers can swap the glass for an optional carbon-fibre roof panel that shaves weight and lowers the centre of gravity — useful when you are chasing lap times or simply want the car to feel tauter through quick direction changes.
Weight-saving materials appear throughout the structure. Aluminium shows up in the doors, bonnet, front bulkhead, engine subframe and rear bumper support. The boot lid is pressed from dent-resistant plastic. Inside the cabin, a magnesium dashboard support trims more mass, and sections of the central driveline tunnel use carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic. Up front, large bumper openings and functional Air Breather vents in the front wings channel air around the wheels, cutting drag and lending the nose a purposeful, almost race-bred expression. Slim LED tail lights perch high above twin exhaust outlets at the rear.
Interior: Five Seats, Nappa Everywhere
BMW describes the 8 Series Gran Coupe as a five-seater, though the longer wheelbase and wider rear track translate first and foremost into generous space for the two outboard rear passengers. Front headroom, rear headroom, rear legroom and rear shoulder room all see visible improvement over the Coupe. The heated front seats have integrated headrests and a thinner backrest profile to free up knee room behind them.
Nappa leather covers the dashboard and upper door panels as standard. Electroplated surrounds frame the air vents, and quilting with decorative stitching dresses the seat cushions. The centre console is unique to the Gran Coupe: it extends rearward, separating the two outboard seats while still leaving the middle position usable. Rear occupants get their own climate controls, air vents, a storage tray and USB-C ports. The rear bench folds in a 40:20:40 split, so you can carry anything from golf clubs to flat-pack furniture without sacrificing all the seats.
LED optical fibres run along the contour lines of the centre console and door shoulders, providing indirect ambient illumination. Standard paint finishes include non-metallic Alpine White and metallic options in Carbon Black (with the M Sport package), Black Sapphire (840i only), Mineral White, Sonic Speed Blue, Sunset Orange, Bluestone (840i only), Blue Ridge Mountain and Barcelona Blue (840i only). The BMW Individual palette adds Dravit Grey Metallic, Tanzanite Blue II Metallic, Aventurin Red Metallic and Frozen Bluestone Metallic.
Leather choices run deep. Both 840i variants get Vernasca leather in Black, Ivory White or Cognac as standard. Individual Extended Merino Leather — available in Black/Ivory White, Cognac, two-tone Night Blue/Black, Tartufo/Black and Fiona Red/Black — is optional on the six-cylinder cars and standard on the M850i xDrive. BMW Individual Full Merino leather expands the menu further across every Gran Coupe model.
Six-Cylinder Smoothness, V8 Thunder
The BMW 840i and 840i xDrive Gran Coupe draw on a TwinPower Turbo 3.0-litre inline-six. Lighter than the engine it replaces, it develops 335 hp between 5,000 and 6,500 rpm. BMW quotes 0–60 mph (100 km/h) in 4.9 seconds for the rear-drive 840i and 4.6 seconds for the xDrive variant, where the extra front-axle traction cuts the launch time.
Internally, the six uses an exhaust manifold cast into the cylinder head, a twin-scroll turbocharger with reduced-mass turbines for quicker spool-up, and direct injection at 350 bar. A charge-air cooler is integrated into the intake system, and the latest VALVETRONIC fully variable valve timing provides instantaneous throttle response. The manifold sits within the cylinder head cooling jacket, an oil module with integral heat exchanger manages temperatures, and a low-friction belt drive plus lighter crankshaft and oil pump trim parasitic losses.
Step up to the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and the engine bay fills with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 523 hp between 5,500 and 6,000 rpm. The 0–60 mph sprint drops to 3.7 seconds. Two twin-scroll turbochargers sit in the hot-V between the cylinder banks, keeping charge-air paths short. High Precision direct injection, VALVETRONIC variable valve control and Double-VANOS variable cam timing round out the M Performance TwinPower Turbo package.
The V8 block uses a new aluminium alloy for extra strength, while wire-arc sprayed iron coatings on the cylinder walls reduce friction. Reinforced Grafal-coated pistons and optimised rings cope with the additional output, and a viscous damper on the crankshaft minimises torsional vibration. A flap-controlled exhaust system gives the V8 a split personality — throaty and aggressive in Sport, relaxed and distant in Comfort — all selectable through the Driving Experience Control switch.
Eight-Speed Automatic and Intelligent xDrive
Every Gran Coupe channels power through an eight-speed Steptronic automatic with an optimised hydraulics control unit for sharper shifts. A new generation of torsion dampers reduces rotational forces within the drivetrain, improving both comfort and smoothness, while twin-damper isolation systems limit slip at the torque converter lock-up clutch. Steering-wheel shift paddles are standard, and a Launch Control function holds the engine at its torque peak for maximum-attack standing starts.
The transmission controller networks with the navigation system. If the route data shows an intersection ahead, the gearbox downshifts early to exploit engine braking. String two corners together and the controller avoids shuffling between gears, picking the right ratio and holding it. On the 840i xDrive and M850i xDrive, BMW xDrive all-wheel drive varies torque front-to-rear through a multi-plate clutch linked to the chassis and powertrain electronics. When extra grip is unnecessary, 100 percent of drive goes rearward — preserving the rear-drive feel BMW sports cars are known for.
Chassis, Brakes and Rolling Stock
The Gran Coupe chassis uses double-wishbone front suspension and a five-link rear axle, with Dynamic Damper Control standard across the range. Separating steering and damping functions at the front means the helm stays communicative even over broken surfaces. Bi-elastic bushings in the rear suspension isolate powertrain vibrations from the cabin, boosting acoustic comfort while maintaining precise wheel location.
Integral Active Steering — rear-wheel steering — is standard on the 840i xDrive and M850i xDrive, and optional on the base 840i. At low speeds it turns the rear wheels opposite to the fronts, tightening the turning circle. At higher speeds it steers them in phase, sharpening lane-change stability and cornering poise. The electromechanical front steering includes Servotronic speed-sensitive assistance and a variable ratio.
The six-cylinder models ride on 18-inch V-spoke Style 642 wheels with 245/45 R18 front and 275/40 R18 rear all-season run-flat tyres. Optional 19- and 20-inch packages are available with all-season or performance rubber. The M850i xDrive wears 20-inch V-spoke wheels in cerium grey as standard, shod with 245/35 R20 front and 275/30 R20 rear performance run-flats. Non-run-flat 20-inch tyres can also be specified, along with 19-inch wheels for those who prefer a taller sidewall. M Sport brakes are standard on the M850i and optional on the 840i models.
Driver Assistance and Digital Cockpit
The safety and assistance roster is extensive. Frontal Collision Warning with City Collision Mitigation is standard, capable of braking the car to a halt to avoid or mitigate an impact. The optional Driving Assistance Professional package adds Active Blind Spot Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Surround View cameras, Parking Assistant, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Speed Limit Information.
Active Cruise Control with Stop and Go handles stop-start traffic, bringing the Gran Coupe to a full stop and pulling away again automatically after up to 30 seconds. The Lane Keeping Assistant with Active Side Collision Protection uses both steering vibration and active steering intervention to nudge the car away from danger. Extended Traffic Jam Assistant takes over on limited-access highways in heavy congestion, while Evasion Aid now detects pedestrians and Front Cross Traffic Alert warns when nosing out of obstructed junctions.
Inside the cabin, BMW Live Cockpit Professional pairs a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with a 10.25-inch centre touchscreen. The latest-generation iDrive system offers haptic control on the rotary controller, a touch interface on the screen, cloud-based voice recognition and gesture control. Navigation Professional, two USB ports and Bluetooth connectivity are all included. Content displayed in the head-up display — vehicle speed, speed limits, route guidance, assistance system warnings — can be customised through the M mode button on the centre console.
BMW Connected, the companion app, links the car to the Open Mobility Cloud, syncing with iPhones, Apple Watches, Android devices, Alexa speakers and Google Home. Calendar appointments and saved addresses flow from the phone into the navigation system, and the app calculates the optimum departure time based on real-time traffic, notifying the driver when it is time to leave. Because the car itself is linked to the cloud, the pre-calculated route loads directly when the ignition comes on.
Whether the extra doors make the 8 Series a better grand tourer depends on your priorities. The Coupe is the purist’s choice, the one with the cleaner silhouette and the tighter cabin. But the Gran Coupe offers something the two-door cannot: the ability to carry four adults in genuine comfort, across continents, without apology. BMW’s M850i xDrive variant, with its 523-hp V8 and 3.7-second sprint, proves the practicality does not come at the cost of performance. And at $84,900 to start, the 840i Gran Coupe undercuts some of its German rivals while offering a spec sheet that reads like a technology showcase. Munich has given the 8 Series a second body style that broadens its reach without dulling its edge — and that is no small engineering achievement.
Vehicle data
| Make | BMW |
| Model | 8 Series Gran Coupe (840i / 840i xDrive / M850i xDrive) |
| Model year(s) covered | 2020 (announced June 2019) |
| Body style | Four-door Gran Coupe |
| Powertrain / engine | 3.0-litre TwinPower Turbo inline-six (840i / 840i xDrive); 4.4-litre TwinPower Turbo V8 (M850i xDrive) |
| Power / torque | 335 hp @ 5,000–6,500 rpm (inline-six); 523 hp @ 5,500–6,000 rpm (V8) |
| Transmission | Eight-speed Steptronic automatic |
| Drivetrain | Rear-wheel drive (840i); all-wheel drive xDrive (840i xDrive, M850i xDrive) |
| Key performance figures | 0–60 mph: 4.9 s (840i), 4.6 s (840i xDrive), 3.7 s (M850i xDrive) |
| Price (as stated) | From $84,900 (840i), $87,800 (840i xDrive), $108,900 (M850i xDrive) — excluding destination |
| On-sale / announcement period | Announced June 2019; on sale autumn 2019 |
| Market | United States (primary); global |