The 4 Series Gran Coupe is a five-door sedan with a length of 4.78 m and a silhouette in which its third volume, that of the trunk, is almost completely blurred : in its place there is a gate that begins a gentle fall from ceiling. It is the third Series 4, after the launch of the Coupe and Cabrio in, respectively, last year and this year, and it is the second generation of this Gran Coupe: the first is from 2014.
Since a year before, in 2013, When the three-door 4 Series Coupe appeared, BMW used this name to distinguish “special” bodies with different characteristics than the 3 Series components: the traditional four-door sedan and the familiar Touring.
In the market there are other models of premium brands with characteristics and silhouettes similar to those of the Grand Coupe and, like this one, also with five doors. This is the case of the Audi A5 Sporback or the Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe.
Better rear access
Seen from the side, the 4 Series Grand Coupe looks like, as its name suggests, a coupe; although its five doors give rise to more comfortable access to the rear seats than is usual in cars of this type since, commonly, they have two or three accesses. Unlike other 4 Series, in the Gran Coupe the exterior door handles are integrated.
The gap left once the rear ones are open, which, like the front ones, lack a frame for the windows -the rear ones protrude a lot when they are completely lowered- is not as big as in a typical sedan, as its height is 90 cm and the width in its most favorable place of 67 cm. but, in any case, it is always more convenient to have these extra bays if we intend to make more or less frequent use of the rear seats. In addition, these yr respect to the coupe, are not two, but three: the Gran Coupe is approved for five occupants.
Of space, enough, but far from outstanding
The front seats are, even with a sunroof, as spacious as can be desired, with a lot of height and more than enough width, even though it is not very big for the size of the car -there is only 140 cm from door to door, which is very little and not very different from what we find in a Series 1-, to go comfortably.
The seats also help, as they also do for those who like to drive with their legs stretched out rather than bent as they can go down a lot. All this is the same as what can be found in the 4 Series Coupe, including the position of the steering wheel, but also in the 3 Series. The two families eventhey share the dashboard and the displays for the instrumentation or infotainment system they support. Also ergonomically or from the point of view of perceived quality, the contribution of the 4 Series Gran Coupe admits little or no criticism.
Three driving modes can be chosen: Sport, Comfort and Eco Pro, the two extremes configurable with the Individual function.Thus, the adjustment of the direction, change and motor in the unit that we drive can be defined in the first of them; while the third one can also define the maximum speed warning and the operation of the heating or air conditioning of the seats, mirrors or windshield.
In the instrumentation it can be seen, when driving aids such as intelligent speed control are used, the position of other vehicles, as well as the type in question: it discriminates between cars, trucks, etc.
In the instrumentation it can be seen, when driving aids such as intelligent speed control are used, the position of other vehicles, as well as the type in question: it discriminates between cars, trucks, etc.
As for the rear seats, the same occurs in terms of space than with the front seats: there are no problems in terms of height, although here its 89 cm between the bench and the roof are at the limit for a person 180 cm tall height can be comfortable, while the actual width more than for three occupants is for two-It has a dimension similar to that of a Series 1- and the longitudinal space is a fair bit -again, not greater than the compact one-.
It is a somewhat disappointing panorama in terms of habitability for such a large car , but there is no doubt that it meets enough if you look at it as a coupe: whoever needs more space can always look at the 3 Series, which makes better use of the longitudinal space .
Better access and abundantly spacious
The trunk, meanwhile, has 470 liters according to official data, 10 less than before. It is accessed through a motorized gate that leads to a large mouthof something more than a square meter; and in its widest area, the one next to the loading edge – on the other hand, very high with respect to the plane of the trunk – reaches 136 cm, while the bottom becomes one meter at ground level. Its total volume, according to our measurements, is 499 liters.
This space is equipped with a 12-volt outlet, four anchor points, a side bag holder and two side holes with nets to house small objects, such as a first-aid kit. It also has a lighting point on each side.
Five engines, three of them micro-hybrids
I have driven the 420i Gran Coupe, the lower power version with the gasoline engine as it uses a 2.0 with 184 hpand, like the rest, combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The other less powerful engine, in this case from the Diesel family, is the 190 hp 420d which, on the other hand, is the one that gives rise to the lowest price in this range: 50,550 euros, 1,050 less than the gasoline .
That it is more affordable is curious because there is even more technological load in the Diesel than the gasoline: it has the support of a light hybridization.It is a 48-volt system with a battery that collects the energy produced by the generator-starter motor when it is not accelerating and sends it to it so that with its 11 CV it supports the thermal when acceleration requires it.
The BMW M440i Gran Coupe has, like the Diesels, a light microhybridization system -with it, the Eco label compared to the C of the other gasoline-. At the moment, it is only sold with total traction, but there will be a version of propulsion.
The BMW M440i Gran Coupe has, like the Diesels, a light microhybridization system -with it, the Eco label compared to the C of the other gasoline-. At the moment, it is only sold with total traction, but there will be a version of propulsion.
This same system is also present in the M440i xDrive Gran Coupe, a Performance version.with the 374 hp 3.0 petrol -before it had 326 hp- and all-wheel drive, which is the top price for this model: 75,900 euros. Later, it will also be available only with propulsion. In the same way that a 286 hp 430d will arrive -in the first generation, 258 hp-, also xDrive and with 48-volt microhybridization.
The other launch version is the 430i, with the same 2.0 TwinPower Turbo as the 420i, but increased to 258 CV -6 CV more than before-, with a list price of 55,750 euros.
A basic more than enough for many
As the daytime contact developed, I have not had the opportunity to try the LED lights that are offered as an alternative to the lasers -these have a range of almost 600 m with road lighting-, both with the possibility of adapting their beam to the traffic. However, I have enjoyed the excellent dynamic behavior of this Gran Coupe.
It is a very stable car in all kinds of conditions , neutral in curves -propulsion does not add to the difficulty of driving- even before the electronics activate to control a possible deviation from the trajectory and with a direction that allows feel good the position of the wheels. For those who highly value the filtering capacity of the suspension, this BMW, and as usual in the brand’s products, can be somewhat disappointing because, in return, it provides excellent control of the body’s movements and impeccable tread.
To achieve this, it has some modifications compared to the Series 3 sedan, such as more elements designed to achieve greater chassis rigidity , which is lowered from the ground by almost 6 cm, with the center of gravity also reduced by 2 cm, and is lighter. : 55kg Other changes are the increased negative camber on the front axle.
The suspension of the Series 4 can be defined to suit the buyer,beyond the series, with an optional M Sport with harder shock absorbers and springs; and another adaptive, with adjustable shock absorbers. Also the address can have a variable ratio and the series brakes be replaced by ones that have a greater retention capacity on the front axle. As for the rims, which in our unit are 17” as standard, they can be replaced by larger ones: up to 21”. In our case, the mounted wheels were Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 255/40 R19.
As for the 420i engine, despite being the least powerful gasoline engine, I understand that it can be very satisfactory for many buyers as it has enough thrust to move very quickly at cruising speed.and even overtaking without difficulty on roads with one lane in each direction. Due to vibrations or noise, it goes unnoticed and its consumption is also reasonable, although not low: on the route covered, with very varied terrain -secondary roads, highways and city, usually at legal speeds-, according to the trip computer, I spend 8.0 l/100 km at the end of the trip.
In the standard equipment the front seats are sports,with fabric upholstery, but with electric regulations; the rain sensor and lights are also included as standard equipment, as well as the climate control, the aforementioned LED headlights, the alarm, the sound system with digital radio, the digital instrumentation of the Live Cockpit Plus – it is the intermediate level available in BMW- or navigation with real-time traffic or weather information that also includes updated maps.