SECOND GENERATION BMW 4 SERIES GRAN COUPÉ

BMW Australia will introduce the second generation 4 Series Gran Coupé to the Australian market at a date yet to be announced, other than it’s towards the end of the year.

Though it has four doors BMW tells us it can be classed as a coupé due to its sleek shape.

This is quite a large vehicle with a length of 4,783 millimetres, 1,852mm in width and 1,442mm in height. It’s said it can carry five adults in comfort. We will have to verify, or otherwise, when we get to sit inside one.

It certainly has style: the very large and vertically prominent BMW kidney grille sits inside slim full-LED headlights. Frameless windows, flush-fitting door handles and powerful shoulders and a long roofline that culminates in a pronounced spoiler on the tailgate certainly draw attention.

The M Sport package, which will be standard on both the 420i and 430i. The BMW M Performance model is sure to make a bold impression.

Sport seats and a sport leather steering wheel meanwhile are fitted as standard.

The BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupé is powered by a six-cylinder in-line petrol engine TwinPower Turbo that develops 285kW and 500Nm.

The TwinPower four-cylinder engine of the BMW 430i Gran Coupé develops 190kW and 400Nm, while the 420i produces 135kW and 300Nm.

All engines for the Australian imports will have an eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission behind them. It can be controlled via shift paddles on the steering wheel or by a selector in the centre console.

New BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé has a low centre of gravity and almost 50:50 weight distribution.

Adaptive M suspension is standard on the 430i and M440i xDrive. Variable sport steering is standard equipment on all Australian models.

BMW M Sport brakes are fitted as standard on the 430i and M440i xDrive and can be optioned on the 420i.

Standard safety assist equipment systems include lane departure warning, lane change warning, front collision warning with brake intervention, rear crossing traffic warning and rear collision prevention.

The standard-fitment BMW Live Cockpit Professional features a fully digital screen grouping including a high-resolution instrument cluster with a screen diagonal of 12.3 inches behind the steering wheel and a 10.25-inch control display.

Smartphone integration is standard, so owners can use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via the car’s operating system. The Remote Software Upgrades function also allows improved vehicle functions and additional digital services to be imported into the car over the air.

For the first time BMW will offer the M440i xDrive at the same time as the rest to the range, rather than holding it off for up for quite some time.

About Ewan Kennedy

Ewan Kennedy, a long-time car enthusiast, was Technical Research Librarian with the NRMA from 1970 until 1985. He worked part-time as a freelance motoring journalist from 1977 until 1985, when he took a full-time position as Technical Editor with Modern Motor magazine. Late in 1987 he left to set up a full-time business as a freelance motoring journalist. Ewan is an associate member of the Society of Automotive Engineers - International. An economy driving expert, he set the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance travelled in a standard road vehicle on a single fuel fill. He lists his hobbies as stage acting, travelling, boating and reading.
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