After the success of the spectacular 8-Series Coupe, BMW has announced the debut of its practical four-door sibling, the 8-Series Gran Coupe. According to the posh Bavarian auto giant, the all-new 2020 8-Series Gran Coupe has been developed alongside the Coupe version and the M8 GTE racing car. The 8-Series Gran Coupe is also claimed to be the only model in its segment that is directly derived from a two-door sports car. The Gran Coupe is the latest in the new 8-Series model line-up, which includes the already available 8-Series Coupe and 8-Series Convertible.
BMW said in a statement, “The world premiere of the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe will be one of the highlights of the inaugural BMW Group #NEXTGen event in Munich. This third model in the BMW 8 Series range adds more fuel to the ongoing product offensive in the luxury segment identified by the BMW Group – as part of its NUMBER ONE > NEXT strategy – as a key element in ensuring the company’s sustained growth. The newcomer will be built alongside the BMW 8 Series Coupe and BMW 8 Series Convertible at BMW Plant Dingolfing in Lower Bavaria.”
The BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe scores well on the practicality front, too. Its boot can hold up to 440 litres of cargo, while the rear seats can easily accommodate three occupants.
“The world premiere of the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe will be one of the highlights of the inaugural BMW Group #NEXTGen event in Munich. This third model in the BMW 8 Series range adds more fuel to the ongoing product offensive in the luxury segment identified by the BMW Group – as part of its NUMBER ONE > NEXT strategy – as a key element in ensuring the company’s sustained growth. The newcomer will be built alongside the BMW 8 Series Coupe and BMW 8 Series Convertible at BMW Plant Dingolfing in Lower Bavaria.”
In terms of its exterior dimensions, the BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe measures 5,082mm in length, 1,932mm in width and 1,407mm in height – making it 231mm longer, 30mm wider and 61mm taller than the Coupe that it is based on. Its wheelbase of 3,023mm is also as a result of a 201mm stretch over the Coupe’s. And with a 1,671mm wide rear track, which is 28mm wider than in the Coupe, the new 8-Series Gran Coupe is the widest model in the entire BMW line-up. The design of the 8-Series Coupe and Gran Coupe are identical, right up to the beginning of the A-pillar. The Gran Coupe features a more upright windscreen, higher roofline and of course, an elongated silhouette with a prominent boot aperture and rear doors with sharply contoured windows.
The low-slung front of the 8-Series Gran Coupe incorporates a sculpted bonnet with sharp contours, slim headlamps with well-detailed LED daytime-running lights (DRLs), large BMW kidney grille with a single-piece surround, and a protruding bumper with sporty, big air intakes and a lip spoiler. The Gran Coupe’s side profile exudes sporting elegance with its distinctly stretched and sloping roofline, crisp character lines and rear haunches. The most defining design characteristics at the rear of the 8-Series Gran Coupe are its sleek LED tail lamps and trapezoidal twin-exhaust pipes. To keep the weight of the Gran Coupe low, BMW has made extensive use of lightweight aluminium, carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and magnesium, while the boot lid is made from plastic. The end result of all this is a weight gain of only 70 kilograms over the Coupe.
Depending on the variant, the 8-Series Gran Coupe can be had with features such as BMW Live Cockpit Professional with a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and 10.25-inch touch-infotainment display.
The BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe scores well on the practicality front, too. Its boot can hold up to 440 litres of cargo, while the rear seats can easily accommodate three occupants. As with the 8-Series Coupe, the interior of the new Gran Coupe is sumptuous and finished in high-quality materials. Depending on the variant, the 8-Series Gran Coupe can be had with features such as a BMW Display Key, four-zone automatic climate control, Merino leather seats with heating and cooling function, leather sports steering wheel with shift paddles, panoramic glass roof, power sun blinds, LED ambient lighting, Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System with 16 speakers, and BMW Live Cockpit Professional with a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and 10.25-inch touch-infotainment display.
Upon its launch in September, the 2020 BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe will be available in four variants: the entry-level 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, and 840d xDrive. All variants are equipped with an 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission, and except for the base variant, all Gran Coupes offer all-wheel-drive as standard. The 840i variants are powered by a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with 340hp and 500Nm of torque. The M850i gets a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged eight-cylinder petrol engine with 530hp and 750Nm of torque, while the 840d houses a 3.0-litre straight-six diesel engine with 320hp and 680Nm of maximum torque.
