Several years ago, the powers-that-be at BMW sat down with a cup of coffee and cleared their schedule for the day. It was brought to their attention that their model range had a few gaps in it. There was a reasonable demand for models with a particular modus operandi that could serve in the spots that were open. To most, this would seem like nothing more than marketing drivel, but BMW knew better. They knew better because of the X6.
The X6 had shown BMW that the introduction of a product with coupe-like styling attracted a different type of customer. Despite having the X5 in their lineup, the X6 still sold and sold well. It appealed to a more style-conscious buyer, one that wanted the raked lines of a coupe, but still wanted the practicality of a 4- or 5-door machine.
Related: Top 4 BMW 8 Series features that stand out from the competition.
They walked out of their meeting with a plan, all of the odd-numbered models would have 4- or 5-doors while the even numbers would be used to denote the 2-door coupes. It was genius really, and didn't require too much modifying of their current lineup. The 1 Series would get a 2 Series brother and the same would happen to the 3 Series, with the 4 Series carrying the coupe flag. The 6 Series was already a 2-door offering and the 8 Series was too, even though it had been discontinued in 1999.
All was well in the world until those same marketing execs got bored. Somewhere along the line, only a few years later with the X6 history lesson still fresh in their minds, they dreamed up an imaginary market where they believed that there were customers that wanted 4-door versions of their coupes. Blatantly ignoring the fact that the 4-door versions existed, they set out to convince the factories to make what they dubbed, the Gran Coupe range. Enter purist rage, stage left.
One of the more recent Gran Coupe creations is that of the 8 Series. While social media has been awash with images and opinions on the M8 Competition, the lineup has grown to include a 4-door version, naturally with coupe-like styling.
Styling
While I have my own reservations about the latest trend in coupe-like styling and the bastardization of the strictly-2-door coupe designation, rooted in my purist nature, there's no denying that the 8 Series Gran Coupe strikes an imposing visage. Small it is not, and with clear intentions of being a long-distance GT cruiser, the 8 Series Gran Coupe stands proud with some, but not all, of the latest BMW styling cues.
It's only in resemblance that the Gran Coupe can lay claim to the 8 Series badge as the body itself is more than just an 8 Series with additional doors. In fact, the Gran Coupe is no less than 223 mm longer and 30 mm wider than its 2-door stablemate. It also carries a roofline that is 55 mm higher and a wheelbase that is 201 mm longer. The windscreen is more steeply raked and this all contributes to a larger, more practical interior - without sacrificing too much styling flair.
You won't find the large, lung-like grilles up front (thankfully) but you will still get a set of large, diamond grille infested kidneys in the nose. The LED headlights with half-moon DRL elements are pulled back, windswept and create the impression that the Gran Coupe is doing 250 km/h while standing still. With the M-Sport package, the front bumper is awash with purposeful creases and large, gaping air dams.
The side profile is only spoiled by the optional, multispoke, 20-inch wheels, model 729M. While ideal for a Standard Model, they seem out of place on an M-Sport model - best you select one of the other options then.
Around the back, the 840i Gran Coupe carries a hint of Chris Bangle-era 6-series with a decklid that is pulled downwards into a V-shape with the taillights diving deep into the boot lid. The M-Sport package sees vents flanking the bumper and the twin, trapezoidal chrome exhaust tips are hard to ignore.
The rear quarters stand proud with muscular lines that allude to the performance characteristics of the Gran Coupe and do well to inform you of the rear-wheel-drive nature of the underpinnings.
Interior & Space
One of my favourite design elements of the E31 BMW 8 Series was the sloping dashboard and interior design. Echoing supercars of the day, like the Lamborghini Diablo and Nissan 300ZX, the dashboard would run from the lowest edge of the windscreen and taper down to your knees. The Gran Coupe carries a similar design and can't the centre fascia in a very BMW-like fashion to create a driver-orientated cockpit environment.
Legroom is generous, for both front and rear passengers but headroom in the rear is slightly limited, as is to be expected in a vehicle that has a sloping rear roofline. The Mercedes-Benz CLS and Porsche Panamera both suffer here as well. If you're a reasonably sized human, this won't be too much of an issue, but if the Harlem Globetrotters have their eye on you you may find the rear a tad tight.
A small concern comes in the form of the aperture through which front passengers alight. As is to be expected, the doors on the Gran Coupe are considerably shorter than that of the Coupe, great for crammed parking lots, horrible for ingress and egress when the dashboard and steering wheel protrudes as far as it does. With the steering wheel jutting out this far, it leaves you with even less space through which to clamber in order to get into your seat, and I'm not even the largest build.
It's a similar fate for the boot which, while able to hold 20-litres more than the coupe and coming in at 440-litres, struggles to swallow larger items due to the restricted opening. Some careful planning and a hint of Tetris skill is required to get sizeable baggage through the gap.
Comfort & Convenience
There's certainly no shortage of tech in the latest 8 Series Gran Coupe and the M-Sport is bundled with a variety of extras that would ordinarily form part of the options list. Such items include 4-zone climate control, multifunction electric seats for the front with heating and ventilation as well as comfort access and soft-close door actuation. The BMW display key is standard fare as well, allowing you to time your departures and set your climate control pre-conditioning accordingly.
The BMW Live Cockpit Professional package ensures that you stay not only entertained but connected as well. Wireless Apple CarPlay allows for screen mirroring and the use of supported, car-friendly apps while driving. Gesture control is one one of the control methods provided in the Gran Coupe, complementing the iDrive controller in the centre console, the touchscreen on the dashboard and the multifunction steering wheel. Add to this the BMW Intelligent Assistant that recognises natural speech and you have several methods to carry out anything from skipping tracks to altering the mood lighting in the car.
Rear seat passengers get control over their own climate control with a digital interface and two USB-C ports for device charging - which brings me to the concern around the shift from regular USB ports to the USB-C type that necessitates an additional adapter for connection to most devices.
Performance
There's no shortage of power from the 3.0-litre B58B30 inline six-cylinder engine and the 840i Gran Coupe M-Sport will do that standing sprint in only 5.2-seconds. That places it well within sportscar territory and ahead of its Porsche rival who only manages 5.6-seconds (Porsche Panamera). The mill in the Gran Coupe has been tuned to produce 250 kW at 5000 RPM and 500 Nm torque from as low as 1600 RPM.
The engine sends the drive to the rear wheels through an 8-speed Sport Steptronic automatic gearbox, making the 840i Gran Coupe feel like a BMW should. The recent rise in xDrive models has robbed some of the models of their traditional BMW driving feel but the 840i manages to retain some of the character that one got from the older 5 and 7 Series offerings. The 840i M-Sport is fitted with an M-Sport limited-slip differential that aides with turn-in and corner exits, allowing power to be applied earlier and with greater efficiency than would ordinarily be possible.
Chassis and drive control, in the form of the Adaptive M Suspension and chassis control allows you to flick from comfort to Sport modes while the Individual setting allows for a combination of settings to be applied as you wish. The throttle response was best in Sport mode while I preferred the subtle shifts of the drivetrain when in Comfort. Individual allowed me to tailor it to my liking.
Fuel Economy
At 1875 kg, the 8 Series Gran Coupe is no lightweight, which makes the performance figures all that more impressive. One would think that naturally the 8 Series Gran Coupe, just because of its sheer size, will drink like the proverbial fish. While BMW quotes figures of 7.9 l/100km, I was able to muster together figures in the mid-9s with admittedly erratic driving conditions, consisting mainly of urban byways.
BMW also claims that one could see as much as 861 km range from a full tank, but this would rely on you never venturing into the aforementioned Sport mode.
Safety
Safety features high on BMW's priority list and the 8 Series Gran Coupe has to ensure that it hold that banner high and bright. Thus, you can expect to find no fewer than 6 airbags and the usual array of braking and traction control assistance systems.
High beam assist and the Adaptive LED headlights make night journeys a joy while you also have the option of selecting a night vision package that will allow you to identify pedestrians and cyclists in the dark.
ISOFIX mountings ensure that little ones are kept secure when strapped into appropriate ISOFIX car seats. The driver benefits from active driving assistance including lane-departure warnings and lane-keep assists, adaptive cruise control and a surround camera system for slow speed and reversing manoeuvres.
Price
The Gran Coupe may seem to offer more in the way of practicality but it does so without hiking up the price tag. In fact, the Gran Coupe is the cheaper alternative to the 8 Series Coupe and the 840i is your starting point. The M-Sport version that I was driving starts at R1 599 930 while the run-of-the-mill BMW 840i Gran Coupe will cost R1 547 230.
Expect to pay roughly R29 000 pm on a typical finance agreement over 72 months with a 10% deposit, 13% interest rate and no balloon payment.
Competitors
The competition is tough in this arena. While there's not too much to choose from, if you keep the pricing similar you will be looking at a Porsche Panamera (R1 602 000) or a Mercedes-AMG CLS53 4MATIC+ (R1 683 320). The AMG is worth looking at though as it has both the BMW and Porsche's numbers in the performance department.
Verdict
If you absolutely have to have a 4-door GT car with coupe-like styling, you could do a lot worse than the BMW 840i M-Sport. It truly is a striking design and the drive, for all the small foibles is every bit as good as the brochures and marketing collateral leads you to believe.
It's a fair amount of money to part with, but if you're not keen on the idea of a Range Rover or similar SUV, then you can do your bit to keep the sedan and coupe lines alive by parking an 840i M-Sport in the garage.
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