BMW 840i Gran Coupe looks better than the competition.
BMW has wasted no time in building out its 8 Series range of slinky coupes and saloons.
After the Coupe and Convertible (and their hotter Competition variants), we now have the four-door 8 Series Gran Coupe. It is to be expected since BMW did the same with its 4-series five years ago.
What’s new about the BMW 840i Gran Coupe?
There is a lot to like about the big new Gran Coupe, starting with its stylish design, which could take some shine off the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes four-door GT.
Its tapering glasshouse and swept adaptive LED headlights convey speed and purposefulness, while slim LED tail lights accentuate the car’s low, wide stance. It is a clean, arresting attractiveness that few competitors can match.
Two more doors means more space inside the BMW 840i Gran Coupe.
To create usable space for two more in the 840i Gran Coupe, BMW added 201mm over the Coupe’s wheelbase, 30mm to the width and 61mm to the height, the last of which is down to a slightly more upright windscreen.
The 840i Gran Coupe is meant to be a 4+1, but the centre occupant in the rear will have to sit with legs apart to accommodate an extended centre console housing individual rear air-conditioning vents and two USB-C charging ports.
Legroom is sufficient for a coupe, but folks taller than 1.8m will find rear headroom a tad limited.
The 840i Gran Coupe’s cockpit is luxurious but not entirely different from lesser BMWs.
In the luxurious cockpit, you grip a well-padded three-spoke M steering wheel while your eyes take in information from either a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster or a 10.25-inch infotainment screen.
How’s it like to drive?
On a scenic route around Serra de Monchique, just outside the Algarve International Circuit, the 840i Gran Coupe displays a softer yet firmly resilient ride.
Thanks to its longer wheelbase, the 840i Gran Coupe takes the bumps far more readily in its stride, making for a calmer, less frenetic ride. Even large potholes do not elicit a sharp expulsion of breath from passengers.
No doubt its adaptive M suspension helps smoothen things, although you can also choose Sport or Sport+ for harder driving.
The rear-wheel-drive BMW 840i Gran Coupe flows around corners.
Though down on power from the full-fat 4.4-litre V8 in the M850i, the new 3-litre straight-six in the rear-wheel-drive 840i – firing 340hp through an eight-speeder – is a keen revver.
It never feels breathless and delivers a spine-tingling roar in the upper ranges.
Out of high-speed corners, a standard-fit differential helps sharpen the handling. The car’s brakes always bite down resolutely to shed speed readily.
With extensive safety systems and a poised ride, the 8 Series Gran Coupe is a confident partner on long distances.
BMW 840i Gran Coupe 3.0 (A)
ENGINE 2998cc, 24-valves, inline-6, turbocharged
MAX POWER 340hp at 5000rpm
MAX TORQUE 500Nm at 1600-4500rpm
GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 5.2 seconds
TOP SPEED 250km/h
CONSUMPTION 13.3km/L
PRICE INCL. COE To be announced
AGENT Performance Motors Limited
