Welcome to the BMW i4’s combustion-engined twin—the 4-Series Gran Coupe. With prices starting at around £40,000 (P2.7 million), it’s effectively a slightly stretched four-door version of the two-door 4-Series Coupe. Itself a two-door, coupe version of the four-door 3-Series sedan. Hmm.
Anyway—there are no real surprises here. After all...it’s a 4-Series with a couple extra doors and more spacious, easier-to-access rear seats. What exactly were you expecting?
At 4,783mm long, 1,852mm wide, and 1,442mm tall, the new 4 GC is bigger in every regard than the car it replaces. BMW claims there’s more head- and legroom for people sat in the back, and it’s got a bigger rear cargo area, up 39 liters to a respectable 470 liters.
From the outset, there are five versions from which to choose—not including the all-electric i4. No doubt more are on the way. BMW never did a proper M version of the old Gran Coupe. But hey, maybe things will be different this time around.
At the cheaper end of the scale, you’ve got the 2.0-liter gasoline 420i and 430i. Then there’s the 2.0-liter diesel 420d, which gets optional ‘xDrive’ all-wheel drive. Top of the tree for now is the six-cylinder gasoline M440i xDrive, which costs over £54,000 (P3.65 million) and does 0-100kph in sub-5sec.
This being a BMW, we’re promised the GC drives very well. It has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, and M-fettled suspension is fitted as standard. Beefier brakes and the M Sport electronically controlled differential are optional, as is adaptive suspension. Of course, the M440i gets it all standard.
Worth noting the 4-Series Gran Coupe does not get the latest version of iDrive from the i4 and the iX. It has to make do with the existing system from the 4-Series Coupe, the 3-Series, and so on.
But the big question remains: Have you forgiven BMW for that grille yet?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
