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These are the latest pictures of the 2019 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe as it was put through its paces in Finland.

The Gran Coupe will be based on the 8 Series coupe but has been stretched to accommodate聽rear doors and to offer more space for rear passengers than you get in the two-door model. It鈥檒l replace the old BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe and is an alternative to models such as the Mercedes CLS and Audi A7 Sportback.

The Gran Coupe shares all its mechanicals with the two-door 8 Series coupe so it鈥檒l come with four-wheel drive and your choice of 3.0-litre diesel (840d) or 4.4-litre V8 petrol (M850i), with an M8 model coming soon after the car is launched.

From the front at least, the Gran Coupe looks almost identical to the two-door, which explains why BMW hasn鈥檛 made much of an effort to camouflage it. You get the same huge kidney grilles and will be able to specify BMW鈥檚 laser headlights that are so powerful it鈥檚 as if you鈥檝e harnessed the power of two suns.

It鈥檚 much easier to spot the 8 Series Gran Coupe in profile where you can see the car鈥檚 stretched roof and sloping聽rear end, which incorporates BMW鈥檚 famous Hoffmeister kink and boot-mounted rear spoiler. Even from the back, the 8 Series Gran Coupe has plenty of presence courtesy of twin exhaust pipes and a diffuser-style聽rear bumper.

In terms of practicality, the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe聽should offer enough head, leg and knee room for tall adults, although the car鈥檚 small rear windows will also make it feel claustrophobic聽in the back.聽The boot meanwhile, isn鈥檛 likely to be much more practical than the two-door coupes. Unlike the Audi A7 Sportback that has a huge opening that makes it easy to load bulky luggage, the BMW has a saloon-car style boot that鈥檒l make the same job a pain.

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