BMW 4 Series News

Let’s face it, when the sports-car bubble bursts, it bursts hard – real hard. You only need to look back to 2019 to get the latest example of that fact, with Australian sales down a massive 20.8 per cent

BMW has revealed the Concept 4, a preview of the new-generation 4 Series coupe that will also form the underpinnings of an all-electric version dubbed i4 due to hit production in 2021.

BMW Australia has released pricing for its updated 4 Series range, increasing prices on some of its petrol-powered variants, while the sole diesel option, the 420d, has been dropped from the range.

BMW has introduced a new 4 Series range – covering the Coupe, Gran Coupe and Convertible models

The cost of top-down motoring in a Mercedes-Benz is about to get $20,000 cheaper.

No plans for a smaller M6 Gran Coupe sibling on the BMW M GmbH horizon.

BMW has added yet another model to its range, this time a 4 Series Gran Coupe (without the 'd' on the end of grand to give a continental ring to the name).It's the latest competitor in one of the fastest growing market segments globally, that of 'premium midrange class'. These are five-door hatchbacks with stylish rear ends that add a real touch of sportiness. The terms 'four-door coupe' and 'five-door coupe' has been created to describe them.The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe joins the three-door 4 Series Coupe (without the Gran) and is a small brother to the 6 Series Gran Coupe. (If you've been out of the automotive scene for a while you may not have heard the news that what used to be called the BMW 3 Series sports models have been renamed the 4 Series.) BMW's new model competes head on with the Audi A5 Sportback, but surprisingly Mercedes-Benz has the CLA-Class and CLS-Class which are slightly smaller and a little larger respectively than the new Bimmer.STYLINGThe shape of the new Gran Coupe is exceptionally good to our eyes. The front is as expected, with the current BMW full-width theme created by the headlights being joined to the headlights. In profile the five-door retains the same theme of the three-door Gran Coupe, but the extra length of the roof makes it really stand out. We like the 'gills' on the front guards and the deep swage lines in the doors. The tailgate is large and gives good access to the rear luggage area, which is slightly larger than the volume in the three-door.No attempt has been made to hide the fact that the 4 Gran has back doors, as has been done in some similar vehicles.The interior styling theme is similar to that of others in the 3 and 4 Series models, with a concentration on the driver's area having a cockpit feel. There's an airy feel and the materials are of a high quality and crafted very well.ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONSA good range is on offer: four-cylinder turbo-petrol 2.0-litre units with power outputs of 135 or 180 kW depending on the state of tune; a straight-six 3.0-litre with 225 kW; and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four with 135 kW. It's interesting that the petrol and diesel engines have the same power outputs, but the latter's 380 Nm of torque greatly exceeds the 270 Nm from the petrol.All sit in front of eight-speed automatic transmissions with sports tuning. A six-speed manual gearbox is a no-charge option from the factory, though it doesn't seem likely we will see many (if any) in Australia.SAFETYAll models have a full range of crash prevention equipment. Better still the car can ring for help if it experiences a collision and even give the medical services an estimate of the severity of injuries to occupants in advance of them reaching the car.Naturally the 4 Series Gran Coupe easily qualified as a five-star car in tests carried out to European NCAP standards.INFOTAINMENTBMW continues to be one of the leaders in the fields of information and entertainment technology. Its second generation Connected Drive Service and Apps system has its own Sim card so the vehicle can communicate in some circumstances without the need to pair it to a smartphone. The convenience of being able plan a route for the satellite navigation on your home or office computer then send it to the car's sat-nav is much appreciated.As well as automatically calling for help in a crash involving the vehicle (see 'Safety' above) any occupant in the vehicle can be manually told to contact authorities, giving information of the location of an incident to a third party.DRIVINGInterior space is good in the front and the seats have good support built in. The extended roof of the five-door Gran Coupe over the three-door 4 Series Coupe makes for better headroom in the rear, but it may still prove marginal for taller travellers. Rear legroom is fine.A five-door family hatchback normally doesn't provide the sort of satisfaction the excellent handling dynamics the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe does. Road holding is assisted by a balanced body, feedback through the steering wheel and the driver's backside is excellent and safety is enhanced by the sheer ability of this car.Noise and vibration are generally well insulated from the interior, though some of the coarse-chip surfaces we encountered did challenge the BMW's suspension at times.Our initial road testing out of Melbourne was done in the two higher powered models, the 428i and 435i. Both have loads of torque from low revs, with the turbocharged four-door 428i coming close to matching the six-cylinder non turbo 435i. To be honest, unless we had plenty of money to spare the lower cost 428i would more than satisfy our driving needs.VERDICTThe addition of yet another model to the BMW 3 Series and 4 Series range gives buyers a staggering number of choices. Obviously it comes down to personal choice, but we feel the 4 Gran Coupe has just the right balance between sportiness and practicality, so it would be the one we would opt for.

The new convertible shares the same underpinnings as the coupe, with enhanced dynamics and driving pleasure over the 3 Series sedan on which it’s based.Exterior features have been designed to highlight the vehicle's sporty pedigree, starting with a large wide air-intake in the front apron which accentuates the convertible’s increased width. The air-intake is capped at both ends by apertures for air-curtains to smooth aerodynamics which are complimented by air-breathers located just behind the front wheels. It’s a sleek looker with the convertible top up or down.DYNAMICSThere have also been some significant changes made by the engineers at BMW to enhance the steering accuracy and agility over the out-going model. The chassis has been significantly extended with 50 mm added to the wheel base and substantial increases to the track width with 45 mm extra at the front and a full 81 mm extra width at the rear.Refinements have also been made to the suspension of the vehicle, including fine-tuning of the springs and damping, axle kinematics, as well as providing additional strengthening elements in the front section and undercarriage of the car.FOLDING HARDTOPThe three-piece retractable hardtop in the BMW 4 Series Convertible is based on the tried and tested mechanical design from the predecessor, albeit with numerous enhancements that reduce noise level to improve the interior ambience. The new, more noise absorbent headliner also includes interior lighting features to bring it more in line with the fixed top Coupe variants.With the push of a button the three-piece retractable hardtop opens in 20 seconds, even when driving at speeds of up to 18km/h and includes an easy-loading function for convenient access to the boot.For added comfort the new BMW 4 Series Convertible is also available with the optional Air Collar feature (standard on 435i) that warms the neck with a variable stream of air and includes three-position adjustment via a control cleverly integrated into the switch for the convertible roof.ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONSPower comes from a variety of the latest BMW TwinPower turbo engines with strong performance and impressive fuel economy. Entry point is the 420d Convertible equipped with a turbo four-cylinder diesel engine producing 135kW/380Nm. It accelerates to 100kmh in 8.2 seconds and boasts a low fuel consumption figure of 4.8 l/100km.The 428i Convertible features a turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, developing 180kW/350Nm. The 0-100kmh sprint is 6.4 seconds while fuel consumption is 6.7 l/100km. At the top of the range the 435i Convertible runs a turbo in-line six-cylinder petrol engine which produces 225kW/400Nm. The numbers are 5.5 seconds 0-10 and 7.7 l/100km. All models have an eight-speed sport automatic transmission and all three combine a suite of BMW EfficientDynamics technologies to achieve low consumption and emissions figures.EQUIPMENTFeatures include auto Stop/Start, Brake Energy Regeneration, ECO PRO mode and on-demand ancillaries such as electric power steering. The equipment levels in all three models is generous Safety is five star and a range of driver assist features are included - front and rear Park Distance Control (PDC), rear view camera, bi-xenon headlights with auto headlight control and rain sensor, as well as an anti-dazzle interior rear view mirror.Prices start at $88,800 for the 420d Convertible.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

BMW will unveil the new 4 Series Gran Coupe at Geneva motor show in March, but until then we've already got full details, images and this video of the 'four-door coupe'.The 4 Series Gran Coupe is based on the same platform as the 4 Series coupe and convertible and will join them later this year adding some extra sports flair to the line-up with a lower-slung stance and sleeker profile.The engine line-up echoes the coupe, with the petrol entry point a 420i with a 135kW/270Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder, followed by a 428i with a 180kW/350Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a 435i with a 225kW/400Nm turbocharged six-cylinder petrol.Turbodiesel versions are a 420d with a 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a 418d (not available here in the coupe) with 105kW four-cylinder. Watch the desktop version of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott