Here Are Five Things to Know About the BMW 840i Gran Coupe

I’ve long been a skeptic of the four-door coupe craze that swept through the auto industry a few years back, but I have to admit that a couple of recent experiences have turned me into a convert. The first was a gorgeous Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4Matic Coupe that looked so much better in person than it did in photos that I wasn’t sure I’d received the right vehicle for testing. That was a crossover, a segment that doesn’t usually even do “normal” coupes. My second, and more recent, test vehicle was the 2020 BMW 840i xDrive Gran Coupe. As you’ve probably guessed by now, it’s not a coupe. It’s also not a car that most people know about. That said, it’s an interesting ride that deserves a closer look. Here are five things you should know about the BMW 840i Gran Coupe.

It’s Quick

Ok, by today’s standards the 840i Gran Coupe isn’t fast, but it’s quick enough to have a good time. The 335-horsepower 3.0-liter six-cylinder sounds the business and delivers the goods in the form of a 4.9-second 0-60 mph time. That’s a feat for a six-cylinder engine in such a large car, but the 840i pulls away as if there were a much hotter and larger powerplant under the hood.

You Don’t Need It

Unless you’re just itching to have an 8 Series badge on your BMW, you can get away with a better car for less money elsewhere in the company’s lineup. The M550i xDrive Sedan, for instance, comes with BMW’s rowdy 523-hp twin-turbo V8, just as many luxury goodies, and nearly every options box checked for just over $85,000. That’s still far from a bargain, but it’s a savings of $10,000 for a car that’s faster and just as capable of accommodating four or five adults.

It’s Big

The 840i Gran Coupe checks in at 200.2 inches overall with a wheelbase of 119 inches. That’s nearly a foot longer than the actual 8 Series coupe and convertible and three inches longer than the 6 Series Gran Coupe that came before it. The good news is that the extra length translates to extra interior space. Front leg room measures 42.1 inches and front head room at 39.1 inches, while back seat passengers can enjoy 36.6 inches of leg room and 37 inches of head room. Tall passengers will be better served in the front seat, but a trip in the back won’t be the end of the world. Large car seats fit with ease, even behind tall front-seat passengers, but the Gran Coupe’s sloping roof cuts into the door opening and makes loading/unloading kids more difficult than it should be.

It’s Expensive

My test car landed with an as-tested price of just over $95,000. That’s a lot, even by the ever-growing price standards BMW has set in recent years. Granted, there’s plenty of car to go with that price tag, but nearly $100,000 for a car without the magical “M” badge on the back may be a tough pill to swallow for some people. What do buyers get for their money? A sub-five-second 0-60 mph time, to start, along with dual moonroofs, four-wheel steering, navigation, a premium sound system, Apple CarPlay, dual-zone climate controls, leather upholstery, heated/cooled seats, and more.

It Has a Distant Feel

Pretend, for a moment, that you could drive a car by standing in your garage and shouting directions at it. That’s obviously not the case here, or anywhere else, but it’s a good way of illustrating the distance between driver and driving experience in the 840i. To be fair, it’s not just an 840i issue and not even just a BMW issue, though many of the automaker’s latest vehicles suffer from it. In a car the size of the 840i that has otherwise impressive performance, there needs to be more communication between car and driver through the steering wheel. Driving quickly involves a healthy amount of guesswork about what’s going on underneath the tires, though many drivers may cite the car’s agility and comfort as good reasons to look the other way.

I cover autos and technology for several outlets online and in print. My goal is to bring the complex and sometimes confusing automotive world into focus for everyone. The views and opinions expressed here are my own and may not align with the founders of Everyday Driver.