BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe Review

BMW's niche fetish can be a little confusing these days. Aside from the usual suspects, the 3-Series Sedan and Sports Tourer (Wagon), we get the rebranded 4-Series Coupe and Cabriolet, as well as the comfort-seeking 3-Series GT. The 4-Series Grand Coupe lands on top of all that, introducing itself as a four-door incarnation of the 4 Coupe.

One could easily get lost in this labyrinth - the 4-Series Coupe dropped two of the 3-Series Sedan's doors, but the 4-Series Gran Coupe now comes to put them back in place. So does this make the car a sedan or a coupe? Well, the answer is... both.

The addition of the "Gran" moniker hasn't changed the dimensions of the vehicle, our tester was just as long and wide as the 4-Series Coupe we drove a while back. Compared to the 3-Series Sedan, this makes the car longer and wider by around 0.5 inches (12.7 mm).

The only exception is, of course, the roof, which is 0.5 inches higher and stretches 4.4 inches (112 mm) towards the muscular rear of the vehicle. Speaking of this, the 4-Series Gran Coupe displays a pair of tastefully restrained but visible hips. The only complaint our eyes had about the rear end is the rather goggled aspect of the taillights.

To help the roof flow towards the back, BMW has added a small side window aft of the rear door, which is also the point where the roofline starts its descent - the latter move was used in order to keep the beauty tricks from affecting the rear headroom. And yes, you fanboys, you can call this window a Hoffmeister Kink.

Fans or not, the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, with its hatchbackness, is definitely a looker. Our tester came dressed in Sapphire Black, which we literally see as The hue to choose for such a car. Call us conservative if you like.

Thank goodness, the 3 GT's... emulated active rear wing is not present here.

Moving inside the cabin, we find the familiar 3-Seriesque environment - not even the 4-Series Coupe makes too much of a difference compared to the Sedan, so we didn't expect too much novelty here.

Still, the side interior design, such as the trim lines, makes for a smooth transition from the front to the rear. But let's not get over the first-row seats too quickly, the atmosphere is pleasant here.

We get the 4-Series Coupe's lower seating position which, coupled with the angle of the windshield, makes things appear dynamic even before you set off. We'll skip through the usual nifty BMW ergonomics to the iDrive - after years of efforts from both BMW (updates) and the public (understanding), the interface is now truly friendly.

Alas, the standard audio system isn't OK, at least not if you like listening to music. Prepare to pay for an upgrade then.

There is one little troublemaker in here and that's the button for opening/closing the rear hatch. Instead of accompanying the window buttons on the door card, this one is buried down below, next to the hood-opening lever.

The rear seats have been carefully sculpted, so you get a feeling of individuality, as well as good visibility to the front. BMW claims that the central area can be used for a fifth passenger, but we wouldn't want to be that guy.

Reading between the lines, you feel a hint of Rolls-Royce in the manner the side of the rear seats are sculpted on the sides.

The real trick is that there's decent space in all areas. As a result, two adults of up to 6'2'' (185 cm) can travel back here on short and medium trips. Long trips in the back of the 4-Series Gran Coupe may be tricky. That's because the firm backrest issue of the 4-Series Coupe has only been partially solved. Guess it's up to your own back to decide, in the end.

Either way, you can get in or out of the car with ease. Yes, the rear doors are a bit narrow, but the roofline allows facile access.

Underneath the harmonious rear hatch, we find a boot that measures 17 cubic inches (480 liters). That's 1.05 cubic feet (30 liters) extra compared to the Coupe or the same capacity as the sedan. While the value itself is not mind-bending, the wide area makes loading and unloading easy.

Things couldn't be perfect, so the rear visibility is limited, even though it's still superior to that in the X4 or X6. Once again, if you turn to the list of optionals, preferably adding the surround-view cameras, you'll be just fine.

This is what we are experiencing right now, as we're gliding BMW's 4-Series Gran Coupe through the city. The car is doing well, but you can't ignore what we describe as a bit of a wide feel.

Behind urban borders, the non-M adaptive suspension is the best. As we've mentioned on other occasions, the implementation can vary in terms of feel, depending on the application. The 4 Series Gran Coupe is one of the finest.

While the 4-Series Cabriolet was dominated by its sure-footed feel through the corners, the Grand Coupe excels at high-speed stability. However, if you're planning on spending more time outside the city, it's best to go for the M Sport adaptive suspension.

With the non-M version of the hardware, you can feel the body roll more than you'd like to. The interesting part is that, despite the car's leaning, the vehicle follows your trajectory precisely.

As with just about every BMW on the market, we recommend going for xDrive. A brief but brutish throttle interaction in the middle of a deserted roundabout caused a little rear end protest even with all-wheel drive, so our conclusion is reinforced. Moreover, this is a car where elegance is all too important, not a RWD shenanigan machinery.

Don't worry though, like we said, you can easily convince the car to send the rear sliding. The thing won't jump straight to overpowering oversteer, but a bit of a wheel flick or some brake pedal action will result in joyful sideways action.

We're well into the triple-digit area at the moment and the car acts totally casual. Aside from what we've already mentioned, the wind noise is absent, which means you can have a civilized conversation while blasting down the Autobahn.

The engineers did such a great job with the soundproofing that not even the two-liter diesel, whose lack of refinement bothered us on the 4 Coupe, dares disturb the atmosphere.

As for the chassis work that led to the dependable and sporty feel, the 4 Gran Coupe gets dedicated spring and damper rates. Moreover, BMW introduced reinforcement elements at both ends to make sure the stiffness level matches that of the coupe, a goal that has been achieved. By the way, if you opt for that sublime panoramic sunroof, there will be some extra stiffening at the rear.

The added elements mean the Grand Coupe is about 200 lbs (90 kg) heavier than the Coupe. As with the 4-Series Cabriolet, the extra mass doesn't bring a negative effect on the feel of the car.

As for the works under the hood, US buyers will easily be able to go about their business with the turbocharged four on the 428. The 435 turbo-fed straight six is purely optional.

For those over in Europe, we have the same petrol recommendation. As for the diesel side of the range, the 420d is a decent choice, but barely. When it comes to the unit's fuel efficiency, a moderate driving style brings this to 29.4 mpg (8 l/100 km) inside the city, or 39.2 mpg (6l/100 km) at 80 mph (130) mph on the highway. The overall figure, which also includes moments of extra throttle, brings the value to 32.2 mpg (7.3l/100 km).

It's such a pity that the range-topping oil burner, the 435d can't be had in the US. That's because this is devilishly fast, feeling like an… oil-burning rocket. It's not the 4.8-second 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint that makes us say this, as we don't expect you to set off from the lights using Launch Control. Instead, the monstrous 465 lb-ft (630 Nm) are a joy to use at any time.

A six-speed manual comes standard, but you really should go for the optional ZF 8-speed auto. This is as brilliant as ever, whether we're talking smooth shifts or swift changes. We do have one gripe with the coasting function, which doesn't seem to have been implemented deep enough. This only works in the Eco Pro mode when it would've been perfectly suitable for Comfort, a setup we spent quite a lot of time in. Need we say more?

While the 3-Series GT felt like a niche-filling gimmick that doesn't resonate with the BMW badge and the X4 gave us the impression of a well-placed product for an absurdly odd niche, the 4-Series Gran Coupe is one of the best BMWs we've driven in recent years.

Since we're here, we'll mention that we wouldn't mind BMW simplifying its line-up a little bit. All they would have to is to scrap the 3 and 5 GT, but not entirely. Their high-impact designations should stay, since they would make brilliant names for the just as brilliant 4 and 6 Gran Coupes.

This Gran Coupe, ladies and gentleman, manages to replace both the godfather here, the 3-Series Sedan, as well as the actual 4 Coupe. And while some may argue that the latter's two-door layout is the only one that works for them, there aren't too many solid arguments to back the sedan anymore. The price difference between this and the 4 Grand Coupe is roughly US$ 3,000 /EUR3,000, about the same as a more expensive option.

The competition? We'd stretch things a little and say that, for the moment, there isn't any. Mercedes isn't active in the premium midsize niche segment and Audi's A5 Sportback is aging.

Speaking of which, the BMW 428i xDrive (our balanced pick) comes with a MSRP of US$ 40,300, while the 420d xDrive starts at EUR 41,700.

With BMW, changing the way its cars are conceived is the name of the game these days. This could very well be the most... transformation-savvy major carmaker at the moment. Some implementations are weird, but this is the exact opposite, namely perfectly fitting. The resonance with brand trend and the fact that the car perfectly fits the accelerated emancipation process of the overall market make this 4-Series Coupe truly Gran.

Oh and by the way, our tester was indeed Black.