2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe adds a usable second row

It'll be available in both I6 and V8 flavors, and it'll be out before the end of the year.

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By Andrew Krok, Roadshow

The BMW 8 Series is one heck of a flagship coupe, offering impressive amounts of ride quality, performance, interior trimmings, you name it. The 6 Series it replaced eventually spawned a longer, extra-doored Gran Coupe variant, and as luck would have it, BMW had the same thing planned for its new big-boy coupe.

BMW unveiled the 2020 8 Series Gran Coupe on Tuesday. Just like the 6 Series Gran Coupe before it, the 8 Series GC places a focus on adding interior space and two extra doors. It's meant as more of a fashion-forward choice than BMW's other large luxo-barge, the 7 Series sedan. But like the regular 8 Series, the four-door variant is packed to the brim with the latest stuff BMW has to offer.

The 8 Series Gran Coupe is technically different from the windshield back. It's 9 inches longer, 1.2 inches wider and 2.2 inches taller than the 8 Series Coupe, and its wheelbase is almost 8 inches longer, too. Its rear track is 1.2 inches wider than the coupe, as well, which happens to give it the widest rear track of any BMW. The automaker actually had to update its plant to make sure the platform could fit down the assembly line.

There are other changes to differentiate it from the 8 Series coupe, too. The windshield's rake is lower, which adds headroom for both rows of occupants. The rear glass is steeper than the coupe's, in order to expand the trunk opening. A glass moonroof is standard, but M850i xDrive variants can opt for a carbon fiber roof instead. 

Inside, there's room for up to five people. Thanks to all the aforementioned adjustments, there's an extra 0.2-inch of front headroom and an astounding 3.4 inches of extra headroom in the rear. Second-row legroom goes up 7.1 inches, and rear shoulder room increases by 7.7. Heck, even the trunk is 0.7-cubic foot larger than before. As with the 8 Series coupe, the Gran Coupe's interior is plenty sumptuous, with Nappa leather, sport seats and optional crystal accents on the shifter.

Three different 8 Series Gran Coupe variants will be available. The base 840i Gran Coupe sports rear-wheel drive and a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 gas engine, which puts out 335 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. Mated to the eight-speed automatic transmission that all trims get, it's good for a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.9 seconds. The second variant adds xDrive all-wheel drive to the equation, dropping the 60-mph sprint to 4.6 seconds. At the top of the range is the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, which rocks a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 putting out 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet. It's mighty quick, reaching 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.

As with the 8 Series coupe, there's plenty of tech hiding behind all those fancy panels. Standard safety kit comprises forward-collision-warning automatic emergency braking, and that's it. Blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view camera, adaptive cruise control and all that other good stuff is hidden behind optional packages. All 8 Series Gran Coupe models get a 12.3-inch screen for a gauge cluster, along with a 10.25-inch infotainment screen. Wireless charging is standard, as is a Wi-Fi hotspot. Apple CarPlay compatibility is standard, but it'll cost $80 per month to subscribe to it, or buyers can make a one-time payment of $300 and enable the service for 20 years. The purchase is tied to the VIN, so future owners will be able to use CarPlay if the first owner dropped those three Benjamins.

The 2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe enters production in July, and it will go on sale in September. It will cost $85,895 for the 840i, $88,795 for the 840i xDrive and $109,895 for the M850i xDrive. All prices include the mandatory $995 destination charge.