What's the news?
It had to happen - to fill in the 'gaps' in its ever-widening range of vehicles, BMW has announced a Gran Coupé version of the 4 Series. It is now the third model in the new 4 Series line-up and prices start at £29,420 on-the-road.
Exterior
Given that the 4 Series Coupé is arguably the best looking BMW in the range, turning it back into a four-door is a risky move in term of aesthetics. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but we feel it looks more successful from front three-quarters than rear three-quarters. It shares the same face and the same rear end as the two-door, so it's only in the GC's midriff where things differ.
However, the designers are to be commended as the 4 Series GC shares many of its exterior dimensions with the two-door - it's the same length (4,638mm), width (1,825mm) and has the same wheelbase too (2,810mm). The roof is 12mm higher than the Coupé's and 112mm longer. This gives the interior more headroom, plus there's 35 litres more boot space as well, the total capacity now standing at 480 litres.
Interior
All the doors are frameless to accentuate the coupé bloodline and the GC is described as a '4+1' seater. So, four seats only, then, in reality. The interior is very similar to the 4 Series Coupé's, which is to say elegant and beautifully finished. BMW makes mention of lines that flow from the cockpit along the front doors and the B-pillar into the rear, creating a 'sense of unity' between front and back seats.
The boot has wider access than the Coupé's, given its roofline hinge, and comes with automatic opening and closing as standard, while the rear seats are split 40:20:40. The interior is said to be of the highest quality within, which we don't doubt for a second where BMW is concerned, but if you feel it's a bit dowdy in there, the Individual programme will be offered from launch so you can build your own bespoke Gran Coupé.
Finally, tech - the entire range of BMW's ConnectedDrive options will be on offer in the GC, which includes luxuries such as Professional satnav, the colour Head-Up Display and Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, among many other toys. It will of course also feature easy connectivity for smartphones.
Mechanicals
From launch, five engines and three transmissions are on offer, as well as the choice between classic BMW rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive capability. For motive power, all of the units feature TwinPower Turbo technology and are EU6 compliant, there's only one six-cylinder variant on offer and there are two diesels.
The petrol range starts with the 184hp 420i Gran Coupé, capable of 44.1mpg and CO2 emissions of 149g/km. Next up is the 428i (245hp, 42.8mpg, 154g/km) and top of the tree is the 306hp twin-turbo six-cylinder 435i, with combined economy of 34.9mpg and CO2 of 189g/km. The two diesels are the 418d and 420d. The former makes 143hp and achieves economy of 62.8mpg combined with 119g/km CO2, the 420d produces up to 184hp with 60.1mpg and 124g/km CO2. The 420d can also hit 62mph from rest in just 7.5 seconds, if equipped with the Sport auto transmission (see below).
A six-speed manual gearbox is the standard equipment for all cars, but there are two autos on offer - both eight-speed units with paddle shifts, yet one is a 'Sport' Steptronic. Picking this latter option can improve 0-62mph times on some models but it can also adversely affect fuel consumption, albeit in a very minor way.
All of the above parsimony is achieved through BMW's EfficientDynamics know-how, a wide-ranging raft of technology that goes to reduce emissions and save fuel, such as auto start-stop and brake energy regeneration. The autos also feature a coasting function for even more frugality.
We fully expect to see more diesel models following on, and more petrol too, if the 4 Series Gran Coupé proves to be a hit.
Anything else?
If you've ever wondered why, in the UK, there wasn't a four-door version of a two-door coupé based on a four-door saloon that could also be optioned up with all-wheel drive (and you've somehow missed the Audi A5 Sportback quattro), wonder no more. At launch, the 428i GC and 420d GC models will be offered with xDrive as an option. Fitting four-wheel drive drops the 428i's combined economy to 41.5- from 42.8mpg, while CO2 increases to 159- over 154g/km. The 420d GC xDrive sees combined economy down to 57.6- instead of 60.1mpg, with CO2 up to 129- from 124g/km.
Pricing
The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé starts at £29,420 on-the-road. That's for the 420i SE model. The 428i SE comes in at £32,815 and the final petrol option, the six-cylinder 435i, starts at £41,155 in Luxury specification. The 418d SE costs £30,995, while the rear-wheel drive 420d SE starts at £31,795. BMW UK has confirmed that the all-wheel drive 420d xDrive Gran Coupé will be sold here, starting at £34,795 for the SE trim level.
Matt Robinson - 3 Feb 2014
