And in every other area of NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) the 4 Series is as executive as it should be. It shifts through all eight of its ratios virtually imperceptibly, never bursting the refinement bubble by letting you know what it’s doing. The twin-clutch automatic gearbox too, standard across the range, does impressive work. Quiet, stronger at low revs than the 420i, and a real world 50mpg easily achievable. Same goes for the 420d diesel, which far from being recommendable only by virtue of being the most economical, is genuinely pleasant. You expect the six-cylinder 3.0-litre in the M440i to be fast and loud, but arguably more impressive is the dual nature of the 2.0-litre turbo petrol in the base 420i, which is whisper quiet at low revs, punchy in the mid-range and yet a joy to push hard. On which, the engine range is fantastic, largely because the base stuff is so good. It’s all at once a leisurely grand tourer and a quick-witted sportscar.įundamentally the 4 Series has that ‘pushed from the back’ feel that you can only achieve with rear-wheel drive, which leaves the front axle unencumbered to steer, giving the nose a sense of lightness that it shouldn’t really have given there’s a whopping great engine block hovering over it. But this 4 Series feels like it’s maximised its strengths at both ends of the scale. The 4 Series’ job is, and always has been, to balance day-to-day comfort and usability with rewarding dynamics – that’s the job of any coupe, really – and so we’re not talking about a razor sharp sportscar here. The 4 Series offers up just about the most engaging driving experience you could hope for this side of a two-door Porsche.
#4 series bmw pro#
You can, however, obtain adaptive damping by leasing your 4 Series in M Sport Pro Edition specification, whose Comfort setting emolliates things a little. BMW has made this a ‘driver’s car’, and while it’s not by any stretch uncomfortable, it’s a little less cushioned than it could be. We’d also suggest that if it’s pure long-distance comfort you’re after, then the Audi A5 Coupe and the two-door versions of the Mercedes C-Class or E-Class all ride with a little more primary softness than the 4 Series does. We’ll talk more about that a few paragraphs down. BMW’s decision to stick with tradition and make the 4 Series a two-door, rather than giving it a big hatchback (technically making it three), has significantly hindered practicality. We’ll bypass the obvious grille chat and go straight to the other side of the car. The two rear seats accommodate a couple of six-foot adults. Those buttons, alongside some very intuitive infotainment software, help make this a largely frustration-free environment to command, and one that’s more spacious than you might expect.
The interior feels bombproof, even down to slush moulded (soft touch) door pockets, and although the dashboard might look a little button-heavy in pictures, it feels every bit the modern cockpit in real life. The returns improve with power, of course, but a basic 420i or 420d will give you all the rear-wheel drive handling fun you could possibly want, while being a very comfortable and relaxing long-distance car during those times you need that instead.
It’s a car that, regardless of engine choice, is capable of making ordinary journeys feel extraordinary. But beyond the subjectivity of appearances, a 4 Series lease gives you a wonderfully well-rounded coupe. From the base 420i upwards the 4 Series is brilliant to drive, a joy to sit in and about as practical as a car of this style could possibly be. Look beyond it, though, and you’ll find it’s attached to a car that sets a new standard for mid-sized coupes. We’re talking, of course, about the 4 Series’ ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE GRILLE. As compared to the 3 Series, the 4 has a wider track, stiffer chassis, retuned suspension and steering and is, more so than ever before, engineered as the choice of the ‘driver’.īut we can’t begin to talk about this particular BMW coupe without first considering the big dollop of Marmite that BMW has chosen to smear across the front end. Formerly known as the 3 Series Coupe until BMW began using the number 4 in 2014, this latest version of the 4 Series is so much more than a saloon minus two doors. It’s the two-door BMW that you probably actually want instead of the 3 Series that your left brain (or your family, more likely) is making you choose.
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