Road Test: BMW 420i Gran Coupé M Sport sports-auto

 

By Justus Visagie

Four years after its launch in 2014, it was time for BMW to revitalise the 4 Series. We drove the coupé that’s not a two-door: the 4 Series Gran Coupé.

Out of the 4 Series convertible, two-door coupé and four-door Gran Coupé (GC), the latter accounts for 50 per cent of worldwide 4 Series sales. It seems buyers can’t be bothered that a four-door car is mistakenly called a coupé and easily choose it over the more dramatic two-door versions.

So what’s new? BMW wanted the GC to look broader, so they turned the two air intakes into a single, wide grin. Xenon lights are now standard and small design changes were made to the headlight clusters. Exclusive new paint colours and alloy wheel designs are available to 4 Series buyers. For the interior there’s a larger selection of leather upholstery colours than before and the infotainment system gained a higher resolution screen. The graphical interface is new, but it’s not an improvement on the excellent older operating system. A digital instrument cluster is now available as an option. Sadly, some of the interior plastics still look and feel cheap, and can’t match that of the Audi A5 or the new-generation Peugeots, like the 3008.

The go doesn’t match the show

To strengthen the sporty character of the 4 Series, BMW has lowered the car’s centre of gravity by 30mm and widened the track ever so slightly. They also stiffened the suspension for improved handling. But here’s the funny thing: the GC M Sport is still extremely comfortable on rough surfaces, even with its low-profile, run-flat tyres.

The 2.0-litre turbo engine in the 420i GC is the egg-beater of the range and develops a mere 135 kW and 290 Nm. It gets the car moving, but its sound and character do not match the GC M Sport’s stratospheric level of lateral grip, nor it’s excellent steering. Luckily there’s nothing wrong with the eight-speed Steptronic auto ’box and it helps the 420i to achieve a not-too-embarrassing 0-100 time of 7.7 seconds. Top speed is 236 km/h and you can expect consumption of about 7 litres/100km.

Four doors or four doors?

For many who are hunting for a luxury sedan in the R700k range, there’s the 50 Bitcoin question: buy the 4 Series GC or the 3 Series?

Consider this scenario: a wealthy individual falls in love with the sexy but leisurely 420i Gran Coupé M Sport sports-auto (R671k). A similar but sufficiently powerful 430i will cost a painful R77 000 more. But for almost the same price as this 420i he can buy a 330i, which makes more sense in many ways. Or he can buy the poverty-spec 420i for just over R600k — if the dealer will sell him one.

Other pros and cons? The 420i GC has plenty of legroom in the back, but not as much shoulder or head room as the 3 Series, and the middle perch is acceptable for very short distances only. The GC might look like a sedan, but it’s actually a hatchback, making it a little more versatile than the 3. Luggage volume is identical for the 3 Series and 4GC.

You were framed

The GC has frameless doors that add another dash of sportiness and make it impossible for clumsy individuals (like the writer) to walk into a sharp door frame. Speaking of doors — if you have a narrow garage or live in a windy city, the shorter doors of the four-door are easier to use when compared to to the two-door’s.

But regardless of how much reasoning and logic you apply to such a decision, the 4 Series is the more handsome car and you will see far fewer of them on the road. It’s just that little more special than the 3 Series. Now all they have to do is give it the same flush door handles seen on the Tesla Model S and the Range Rover Velar. Then it will truly look like a coupé.

Pricing: R670 698 without optional extras. A 2-year / unlimited km warranty and a 5-year /100 000 km maintenance plan.