BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe: carsales Car of the Year 2020 contender

The flagship of the BMW range, the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe represents the best Bavaria can deliver.

Although it’s a conventional vehicle in many ways, it is nonetheless a statement of how BMW views modern prestige and a return to a melding of style and substance.

Built to take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, the four-door Gran Coupe adds a level of cabin sumptuousness that’s been missing from the marque’s vehicles for too long. Although it shares underpinnings with the 8 Series coupe and cabriolet, it’s a proper 4+1 seater.

As BMW’s big, bold and blown range-topper, it represents what many pundits would term peak-BMW… Especially in its rear-drive 840i form. And, frankly, that alone should cement its place as a contender for the 2020 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

Well-heeled, well-read and, well, pretty happy to stand out in a crowd – that’s the sort of buyer BMW is targeting with 8 Series Gran Coupe.

Forget about the clap-trap that this is a four-door sportscar… Its sheer dimensions mean it’s not.

What the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe is, however, is a fast, capable and very, very stylish substitute for the conventional 7 Series or perhaps even M5 buyer. Of course, BMW will also be looking to steal customers from Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG as well as Audi with the new 8 Series four-door.

There’s good room for four in the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe but five might be a crowd. And in Europe at least, in this COVID-normal and security-obsessed world, the 840i and the stove-hot M850i and M8 Competition variants will likely cross countries faster than the transit time offered by airline travel… Perhaps we’re looking at a return to long-distance executive transport on the ground…

Prices for the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe start from $204,900 (plus on-road costs) for the six-cylinder 840i Gran Coupe.

Featuring a 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol six, the 840i punches out 250kW/500Nm and undercuts its two-door coupe counterpart by $3000. Standard equipment includes M Sport package, 20-inch M alloys with run-flat tyres, soft-close doors, the BMW Display Key, Driving Assistant Professional and Parking Assistant Plus tech packages, laser headlights, a panoramic glass sunroof, and keyless entry and start.

Performance features on the 840i Gran Coupe include adaptive M suspension, 374mm M Sport brakes and an M Sport rear differential.

A fair way further upstream, the all-wheel drive M850i xDrive Gran Coupe is priced from $277,900 (plus ORCs) and features a 390kW/750Nm twin-turbo 4.4-litre petrol V8 that can reach 100km/h from standstill in 3.9sec – 1.3sec earlier than its sibling six.

The M850i adds Adaptive M Suspension Professional with active roll stabilisation, 20-inch M light alloy wheels with performance tyres, BMW ‘CraftedClarity’ glass ornamentation, BMW Night Vision with pedestrian detection, larger 395mm M Sport brakes (up from 374mm in the 840i), and a tyre pressure indicator.

At the top end of the 8 Series Gran Coupe range is the M8 Competition that starts at $354,900 (plus ORCs) and aims directly at its cross-town rival, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-door Coupe.

Like its two-door M8 coupe sibling, the flagship four-door packs in a 460kW version of the 4.4-litre bi-turbo bent-eight and reduces the 0-100km/h sprint to 3.2sec. Top speed also increases to 305km/h.

The $77K premium over the M850i brings a vast array of modifications and additional M-specific features as standard, including the M Driver’s package, M Sport exhaust and M carbon engine cover. The cabin is a high-dosage blend of sport and luxury – M Sport seats in BMW Individual full-leather Merino upholstery being a case in point – while an on-board camera system can capture on-demand recordings of the vehicle’s surroundings.

What have we already said about the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe?
In his international launch review of the BMW 840i Gran Coupe, carsales technical editor Ken Gratton praised the vehicle for its blend of performance, style, practicality and relative parsimony.

“We can testify to the great touring ability of the 840i Gran Coupe and its decent performance with the entry-level inline six-cylinder engine – embodying all the signature BMW traits of straight-six power delivery and refinement,” he said.

“And while there’s no lack of performance, the BMW 840i was surprisingly frugal too. With three on board and some luggage in the boot, plus an unrelenting charge along the local freeways, it finished the trip posting a fuel consumption figure of 11.1L/100km.”

But, said Gratton, the $200K price of entry weighed on the 8 Series’ admittedly handsome shoulders.

“The question that goes begging is whether the BMW can justify that extra expense. Sure, the 840i Gran Coupe has some good gear, and some of the rivals mentioned are getting long in the tooth, but BMW may have its work cut out convincing buyers the 840i Gran Coupe is worth that much more than the opposition.”

Value for money is always a large part of the winning equation for the carsales COTY. Whether the sum total of the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe’s parts adds up to a winner, we’ll need to wait and see…

BMW 840i Gran Coupe at a glance:
Price: From $204,900
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 250kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.9L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 180g/km (ADR combined)