BMW’s coupe range is smaller than it was and named differently than it used to be. The two-door 3 Series became the 4 Series in 2014, the 6 Series became the 8 Series in 2019, and a body style called Gran Coupe has four doors. This page sorts out what is currently sold, what each name means, and which coupes have gone.
The current coupe lineup
Model years below are from EPA filings for the US market.
| Model | US model years | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Series Coupe | 2017–present | The compact rear-drive coupe |
| 4 Series Coupe | 2014–present | The two-door 3 Series |
| 8 Series Coupe | 2019–present | The large grand tourer |
| M2 | 2020–present | M version of the 2 Series Coupe |
| M4 | 2015–present | M version of the 4 Series Coupe |
| M8 | 2020–2025 | M version of the 8 Series |
Why the 3 Series coupe became the 4 Series
Until 2013, the two-door 3 Series was a 3 Series. From the 2014 model year the body was given its own number, and the pattern was set: odd numbers are the four-doors, even numbers are the two-doors derived from them.
- 3 Series sedan → 4 Series coupe and convertible
- 5 Series sedan → 6 Series coupe, and later the 8 Series
- 2 Series is the two-door counterpart to the 1 Series, which is not sold as a sedan in America
EPA filings show the handover cleanly. The 3 Series coupe appears through 2013; the 4 Series appears from 2014. The M3 coupe runs 2008–2013 and the M4 starts in 2015 — same car, new badge, one year of gap.
The same logic runs through the whole naming system, which we take apart in BMW model names explained.
Gran Coupe has four doors
The most confusing name in the range. A Gran Coupe is a four-door with a coupe-like roofline — not a coupe.
BMW sells the 2 Series Gran Coupe, the 4 Series Gran Coupe and the 8 Series Gran Coupe in the US. The electric i4 uses the 4 Series Gran Coupe body, which is why an i4 has four doors despite the name of the body style it shares.
If you are shopping by body style rather than by badge, treat Gran Coupe as a sedan with a sloping roof and you will not be surprised at the dealership.
The coupes that have gone
Several nameplates have left the US price list, and the pattern is the same one that removed the wagons.
| Model | US model years | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Z3 Coupe | 1999–2002 | The hatchback-roofed Z3, known for its shape |
| Z4 Coupe | 2006–2008 | The same idea on the next generation |
| 3 Series Coupe | through 2013 | Renamed 4 Series |
| M3 Coupe | 2008–2013 | Renamed M4 |
| 6 Series Coupe | 2012–2017 | Replaced by the 8 Series |
| M6 Coupe | 2013–2017 | Replaced by the M8 |
| M8 Coupe | 2020–2025 | Last appears in the 2025 filings |
The Z3 and Z4 coupes are the interesting entries. Both were built in small numbers, both had a shooting-brake roofline over a roadster chassis, and both were on sale for three or four years. They are the closest BMW has come to a deliberately impractical body style in the modern era.
What the brochures recorded
EPA never collected horsepower or weight. Those figures survive only in the factory brochures, and the ones below come from US-market brochures held in our archive.
| Car | Power | Curb weight |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 328i Coupe | 230 hp | — |
| 2011 335i Coupe | 300 hp | — |
| 2010 M3 | 414 hp | — |
| 2018 M4 | 425 hp | — |
| 2007 650i | 360 hp | — |
Where a cell is blank the brochure for that year did not print the figure, and we have not filled it in from another source.
The M3 to M4 step is the one worth noting: 414 hp from the E92’s naturally aspirated V8 against 425 hp from the F82’s turbocharged six. Eleven more horsepower, two fewer cylinders, and a considerably different noise.
Coupe versus convertible
Most BMW coupes have a convertible twin sold alongside them, and the convertible is always heavier — roughly 300 to 400 pounds, depending on the generation and roof mechanism. That weight sits high and behind the front axle, which is why the coupe is the one to have if the way the car drives is the point.
The 4 Series and 8 Series are both offered in both bodies. The 2 Series Coupe currently is not.
Common questions
What is the difference between a 3 Series and a 4 Series?
The 4 Series is the two-door version. Until the 2014 model year both were called 3 Series; BMW then gave the coupe and convertible their own number.
Is a Gran Coupe a coupe?
No. A Gran Coupe has four doors. It is a sedan with a coupe-like roofline.
What replaced the BMW 6 Series?
The 8 Series, which appears in US filings from 2019. The 6 Series coupe last appears in 2017.
Which BMW coupes are still sold in the US?
The 2 Series, 4 Series and 8 Series coupes, plus the M2 and M4. The M8 last appears in the 2025 model year.
What was the BMW Z3 Coupe?
A hatchback-roofed version of the Z3 roadster, sold in the US from 1999 to 2002. The Z4 Coupe repeated the idea from 2006 to 2008.
Sources
- EPA fueleconomy.gov: US model years and trim names for every model listed.
- Original US-market BMW brochures held in this site’s archive, source of the horsepower figures.