Striking New BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe Adds Two Doors 

It's only been a few months since we first saw BMW's new 8 Series, but the first variant is already here. The four-door 8 Series Gran Coupe.

Yet another entry in the lineup of cars with the roofline of a coupe (almost) and the practicality and ease of rear ingress (sort of) of a four-door sedan. It offers the performance of the 8 Series coupe with a little more space for your passengers.

Whatever you think about that styling trend in general, this is a good looking car. A sedan by any other name that looks oh so sweet. It adds 201 mm to the wheelbase of the coupe and 231 mm overall, making it 3,023 mm between the wheels and 5,082 total. Everything from the base of the A-pillar rearward is new. A more upright windshield leads to more headroom for front and rear passengers despite that roofline. The back glass is more laid back than the coupe, which means a larger trunk opening. Then there are those massive rear shoulders, 30 mm wider than the coupe, giving this car the look of mammoth muscle. The new dimensions make it almost as big as the 6 Series Gran Coupe, and it's now longer and wider than the 5 Series sedan. Heck, it's only 45 mm shorter than a short wheelbase 7, which shows how large this and the 6 Series really are.





The 8 Series pays off the muscular looks under the hood. Like the coupe, expect it to arrive here in M850i xDrive form first. With a twin-turbo, 4.4L V8 that offers 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. Linked with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

Inside, there's an optional panoramic glass roof that starts from the top of the windscreen and extends all the way to the rear. The front glass opens and tilts, sliding over the rear section. The two-ply blinds are controlled electronically and rear-seat passengers can open and close theirs themselves.

Those rear-seat passengers get 201 mm more legroom than the coupe and significantly more shoulder space too. A larger trunk fits 440L of stuff, which means up to three golf bags.

BMW says that an adaptive M suspension will come standard with active roll stabilization an option. M850i cars get an M Sport differential standard along with active steering.

The extensive range of driver assist features includes auto high-beams, collision and pedestrian warning with city braking, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic, and parking assistant. Plus radar cruise and evasion assist.

8 Series Gran Coupes are expected to start arriving in September.