2014 BMW 4 Series Coupe Review: 420d, 428i And 435i
BMW 4 SERIES REVIEW
What’s hot: Beautiful long wide styling; fabulous chassis and handling
What’s not: Vague ‘Comfort’ mode, kickdown a tad slow
X-FACTOR: Performance, glamour looks and beautifully trimmed – BMW’s new style leader.
Vehicle style: Premium sports coupe
Price: 420d: $71,800 | 428i: $80,500 | 435i: $108,500
Engine/transmission:
420d - 2.0 litre turbo diesel; 135kW/380Nm; 8spd sport automatic
428i - 2.0 litre turbo petrol; 180kW/350Nm; 8spd sport automatic
435i - 3.0 litre turbo petrol straight-6; 225kW/400Nm; 8spd sport automatic
Fuel consumption
420d - 4.6 l/100km | tested: 6.3 l/100km
428i - 6.4 l/100km | tested: 10.1 l/100km
435i - 7.4 l/100km | tested: 10.7 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Is this – BMW’s new 4 Series Coupe – the best looking coupe to come from Bavaria since the venerable 3.0 CSi?
Long and wide, a spearing bonnet and beautifully sculpted coachwork sitting squat over fat rubber, the 4 Series Coupe is a very arresting car. Even if it drove like a dog, you’d want one in your garage.
Fortunately, it doesn’t.
We drove the 420d, 428i and 435i at the new 4 Series Coupe’s Australian launch. This put us across some of the best driving roads you’ll find in this country: a reaching run over Victoria’s high country and down to The Ninety Mile Beach.
The entry 420i petrol variant, not available at launch but arriving January 2014, rounds out the new 4 Series range.
And what is it about that number ‘4’ on the boot - a 3 Series with a newer hat and two less doors? Well, yes, but no. What might once have been the 3 Series Coupe is now the 4 Series.
While it shares a lot of what you don’t see with the 3 Series: it’s been busted-out into its own range and sits wider, lower and flatter, with shorter overhangs and more heavily-sculpted front and rear quarters.
Whatever (and who cares), these cars will sell on good looks alone. But that’s to sell it short. The 4 Series Coupe is to its core a driver’s car.
Each of the engine variants is immensely enjoyable on-road: swift, responsive, and beautifully balanced.
The 435i is quickest by a good margin, but put any on a mountain pass and you’ll revel in the rigid chassis, low centre of gravity and precise handling. Even the least powerful 420d is surprisingly fleet-footed.
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