BMW 4 Series Review

When we grow old and the BMW 4 Series will have already established its nameplate tradition, we’ll be able to brag in front of our grandchildren. We can tell them that we were there to witness the moment when the 3 Series Coupe became the 4 Series. Well, let’s hope we’ll still have enough memories left to describe how the thing drove. That’s the thing they’ll want to know, nobody will care too much about some silly game of names and numbers.

That’s the truth. Ever since BMW announced the 4 Series, people have been rumbling on about the rebranding decision being right or not. We really couldn’t be bothered, all we wanted was to grab that key fob and become intimate with the thing. The direction in which BMW steered its coupe was the most important thing to be discovered.

BMW coupes like the E30, E36 and E46 have left deep marks on anybody who cares about cars. Alas, the E92 that followed lost a bit of the spirit, trying to compensate through its rich performance - the profile of the 3er coupe changed with the 4 Series’ predecessor.

Our effort to find out whether the 4 Series goes down the aforementioned road started a bit odd. It had been pouring down with rain for quite a while, not exactly an invitation to head out into the wild.

Nevertheless, our 4 Series tester seemed to smile at us with a cheeky attitude. Of course, we would enjoy heavy rain too if we’d be a rear-wheel drive BMW coupe. As we entered the car, the memories from our 3 Series test drive raised another question.

We were eager to find out if the 4 Series had enough personality to justify its dedicated designation. Being ashamed of letting ourselves caught up in the name game after all, we decided to set off. And, with the assistance of the 8-speed automatic, we did.