DRIVEN: F36 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe in Spain

BMW 428i GC Bilbao 40

They say life is all about choices, and some bright sparks at BMW have definitely been paying close attention, as attempts to fulfil that adage have shown. The 2000s saw an unfettered expansion from a simple trio of product lines (3, 5 and 7) and the occasional oddity to a lineup that now spans seven numerical model ranges and an ever-growing host of variants and sub-variants within that deck.

Diversity is of course the operating word, all very cleverly done. The previous 3 Series ran sedan, convertible and coupe (as well as Touring) in the same family, but the coupe and convertible forms of the new 3 have spun off into the 4 Series, the F32 and F33 respectively. Still simplistic enough, even in the delineation and doors, the 3 having four and the 4 having two.

You’d think it would all end there, or with something like the F34 3 Series Gran Turismo. But when you’ve got the platform, why not spread the cheer even further? So do we come to a four-door (or five-door, if you will) version of a two-door version of a four-door car. Loopy as that descriptor sounds, it’s all measured, really.

The advent of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, dictated by the success of its larger 6 Series Gran Coupe sibling, comes very much as a response to something like the Audi A5 Sportback, late as it may be. The game never ends, naturally, and while undeniably practical, the five-door 3 GT is hardly the sort of car to make the Ingolstadt kid sweat, looks-wise. This one finally does the trick, and rather neatly at that.

BMW 428i GC Bilbao 11

The F36 Gran Coupe shares much in common with the 4 Series Coupe – it borrows the front and rear ends of the two-door, and aside from having a 12 mm taller (height is 1,389 mm) and 112 mm longer roof line to provide additional headroom for the rear occupants, shares the same overall dimensions, being 4,638 mm long, 1,825 mm wide and with a 2,810 mm wheelbase.

Comparatively, the F30 3 Series measures in at 4,624 mm long (-14 mm), 1,811 mm wide (-14 mm) and 1,429 mm tall (+40 mm), sitting on the same 2,810 mm wheelbase. That 40 mm difference in overall height that the 3 Series sedan has translates into more headroom, but it’s not radical. More on that later.

Some figures for the 3 GT too, since we’re at it – that one stretches the tape at 4,824 mm long (+200 mm), 1,828 mm wide (+3 mm) and 1,508 mm tall (+119 mm), with a 2,920 mm wheelbase (+110 mm), making it a larger offering than the Gran Coupe in every respect.

To sight, the reinterpretation from the two-door suffers very little translation loss as far as sleekness goes. The line flow remains well integrated and overall resolution remains high, and there’s none of the slight blockiness evident on the 3 GT, which now looks a bit dowdy in comparison. It certainly has more flair and external substance than the regular 3 Series, all this without sacrificing boot space.

Cargo carrying volume is 480 litres, 35 up from the 4 Coupe and identical to the F30 3er, but ditching the bootlid and opting for a hatch-styled automated tailgate route like its Gran Turismo cousin means acreage can be expanded to 1,300 litres with the 40:20:40 splitting rear bench folded down.

Not quite 3 GT territory (520 litres, 1,600 with rear seats folded down), but losing a 40/300 litre capacity for inherently sharper and sexier looks is a worthwhile tradeoff, it can definitely be argued. Like its Coupe sister, the 4 GC is likewise unmissable, a visually arresting form despite the extra doors.

Some other numbers and differences between the Gran Coupe and Coupe – the 4 GC is marginally heavier than the two-door. In its 428i form, the car tips the scales at 1,605 kg, 60 kg more than the 428i Coupe. The weight gain translates into a marginally slower 0-100 km/h sprint time, the GC doing it in 6.1 seconds to the two-door’s 5.9. And, aside from featuring specific car body reinforcement measures, the Gran Coupe also has a different suspension tune and damping rates to the coupe version.

Munich’s official designation for the car – which features frameless doors, like the 6 GC and 4 Coupe – is as a “4+1 seater,” because the centre seat of the rear bench has been raised to allow a more sculpted shape for the other two seating positions. Having had a short sample of it, the centre seat didn’t turn out to be uncomfortable, and feels adequate enough for short haul runs.

Internally, the 4 GC’s height from seat base to roof line is 1,011 mm for the front seats and 944 mm at the rear. The 3 Series sedan’s corresponding numbers are 1,023 mm (+12 mm) in front and 957 mm (+13 mm), making for better headroom in both positions.

Nonetheless, rear roominess is crucially decent – all the evaluation mules on the international media drive in Bilbao, Spain, featured a light beige interior, which undoubtedly helped increase spatial perception, but the space levels are well workable. I measured a two-finger height clearance from head to the roof line, sitting straight up, and knee room offered sizeable clearance.

Ingress and egress levels are satisfactory, though not quite the level as that offered by the 3 GT, which has a higher crossover-level hip point height that makes it easier to get in and out of.

Elsewhere, the cabin features the same 3 Series-derived interior as the rest of the 4 range, so no surprises here or any feeling of bespoke, unfortunately, even if you do sit lower than in a 3. Which is a shame, as the 6 GC at least demarcated itself with a differently appointed interior – as it is, there’s really nothing to tell you that it’s special or different; for all intents and purposes, you could well be in a 3 Series or 4 Coupe, such is how generic it looks.

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In terms of trim lines, the Gran Coupe can be had as a base model, moving upwards to the usual Luxury, Modern and Sport lines. There’s an M Sport package as well, which was the chosen configuration on call for all the drive evaluators. Finished in Estoril Blue, the cars were shod with an Adaptive M Suspension as well as upsized optional Style 442 five-spoke 19-inch alloys wrapped with 225/40 front and 255/35 rear Bridgestone Potenza S001 tyres.

Available engine options for the Gran Coupe at point of launch consist of three petrol and two diesel units. The gasoline powertrains are led by the 3.0 litre turbo six in the 435i, with 306 hp at 5,800-6,400 rpm and 400 Nm of torque from 1,200-5,000 rpm, followed by the 2.0 litre turbo in two states of output tune – for the 428i, 245 hp at 5,000-6,500 rpm and 350 Nm at 1,250-4,800 rpm, and on the 420i, 184 hp at 5,000-6,250 rpm and 270 Nm at 1,250-4,500 rpm.

As for the oil burners, there’s the 2.0 litre turbodiesel, offering 184 hp at 4,000 rpm and 380 Nm at 1,750-2,750 rpm in the 420d GC and 143 hp at 4,000 rpm and 320 Nm at 1,750-2,500 rpm in the 418d version. New diesel engine variants are due to join the lineup very soon, these being a 313 hp/630 Nm 435d xDrive and a 258 hp/560 Nm 430d. In terms of xDrive, the 420d and 428i can be specified with the all-wheel drive option, and the 435i and 420i are also due to get the xDrive alternative in the near future.

Rather interestingly, the uniform specification model used in Spain was the 428i in its rear-wheel drive guise. Normally, there’s a mix of powertrains to pick from, but the choice of going a single unit route was decided on for this one, which also involved sampling the new X4 (review soon enough, hopefully) in a double run.

BMW 428i GC Bilbao 51

I asked about this peculiarity, and was told that while there was definitely a preference to showcase the oil burners, the move to only use the 428i was to ensure a suitable sampling for every market was catered for, and eliminating the chance of ending up with an irrelevant model for one’s market meant that the chosen lump was a uniform example, common to all.

Likewise the transmission, which as far as I could tell was the ZF eight-speed Sport automatic; no manuals on tap. A Sport Line 420d in Melbourne Red on display at the BMW lounge in Bilbao airport as well as a 435i Individual variant at the midpoint stop was all there was to be seen of the other variants.

No complaints about the eminently workable twin-scroll N20B20 as the knife of choice – the mill didn’t feel inadequate for the job at hand, which was tackling a 188 km-long first leg route from Bilbao to Elciego on the second day of the drive. The route provided enough mixed terrain conditions to sample the Gran Coupe quite comprehensively – it had rained on the single-leg run on the first day, but that time was spent ambling along in the X4.

Like the Coupe, the GC is thoroughly civilised puttering about town and cruising on the motorway, aided by the neat low-mid pull of the mill and the exemplary smoothness of the eight-speeder. The Servotronic electric power steering feels light – and a bit over-assisted – in Comfort mode, but is quick and places well going into Sport, even if lacking in outright feel.

Likewise the engine, which has plenty of scale and workable range, even if it never sounds the business, something that was already evident from the F30’s international drive. The absence of engine note coming your way otherwise, it responds ably when shoved, and its tractability continues to be winsome.

Handling-wise, what’s on the Gran Coupe is about on par with what the two-door serves up, and somewhat tauter than the 3 Series. On a windy stretch not far out from the city, a couple of local drivers decided that the sight of all those blue cars was too good an opportunity to resist the chase down bit. One in particular, an E90 330i, offered the chance to drive the GC hard, providing an informative four kilometres of hustle.

In Sport mode and with manual shifting, the Gran Coupe tracked into corners neatly, with good follow-through. Kept tidy, the car displayed a keen sense of balance and poise. Traction levels are actually quite high, and it wasn’t until Sport + was engaged and towards higher limits of approach speeds that untidy lateral behaviour began to surface. All good enough to keep the trailing E90 far off for the duration of the run, though the brave soul finally managed to get past when we caught up with a train of other GCs and X4s.

Admittedly, the overall presentation is much like that presented by the two-door. Dynamically, it’s all a bit clinical, efficient more than emotional, but most will find the clean, accomplished nature very workable and, more importantly, likeable.

BMW 428i GC Bilbao 53

What’s on is still sharper and more engaging than the 3 Series sedan equivalent, as demonstrated by the local 428i Coupe (read Hafriz’s review of the 428i) – as it stands, the Adaptive M Suspension and Variable Damper Control continues to play a significant role in lending an edge, but it’d be interesting to pitch baseline versions (420i GC and 320i) in a head-to-head and see how that turns out. Will weight (at 1,495 kg, the 320i Sport is 85 kg lighter than the 420i GC) help tip the scales?

Lastly, some quick points about wind and road noise. The wind noise levels weren’t intrusive at motorway speeds, at least to me or my co-driver, but the GC suffers from the same aural malady of tyre noise as the Coupe. The roar coming off those 19-inchers in Spain was certainly pronounced.

The somewhat similar traits to the 4 Series Coupe isn’t surprising, because both are cut from the same cloth, only angled differently. The point is of course about choice, and that’s what BMW has done, put another on the table to pick from. The 4 Series Gran Coupe is a fine-looking car, prettier than its 3 Series ilk and definitely a sight more stylish than its closest relative, the 3 GT. It also drives better than both, at least in the configuration that was on call in Spain.

But pretty comes at a price, and you can expect that the 4 GC will go for around that asked for the Coupe, if not more, which means a premium of RM50-60k (likely, more) over a 3 Series equivalent, be it a 420i or 428i. There’s the sharp looks, the versatility of the cargo carrying space and, of course, that sense of uniqueness. Will that be enough? Ah, choices, indeed.

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • khairulx19a on May 31, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    I need to work hard n smart to afford this

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 2
  • so….. 3 series or this ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • seancorr on May 31, 2014 at 6:33 pm

    I prefer this over all the other 3 Series brothers but BMW really needs to differentiate the interior of the 3 and 4 Series cars. Buying the more expensive 4 Series which shares parts with the cheaper 3 Series is a no-no in my case.

    So with this review out I reckon we will be seeing this baby pretty soon followed by the X4?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 4
  • clerk on May 31, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    So whats the point of having 3 series then ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 7
    • seancorr on Jun 01, 2014 at 2:19 am

      Coz the 3 Series is THE pioneer of the sports sedan?

      This baby here is the sleeker version with frameless window frames.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • Aaron on May 31, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    400Nm of torque from 1,200rpm to 1,500rpm? There must have been some typo right here.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
    • Anthony Lim (Member) on Jun 01, 2014 at 12:49 am

      Haha, thanks for the spot, Aaron. It’s 5,000 rpm on the higher count. Numbers, blunders. Thanks again!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • Omega on May 31, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    The Ultimate Driving Machine!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1
  • So many iterations but front and back still look similar, haih.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 10
  • make it simple on Jun 01, 2014 at 12:17 am

    nice piece of review, simple & straight forward.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • Why all ppl loves BMW so much?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
    • AudiFanBoyz on Jun 01, 2014 at 1:33 am

      Because you cannot afford it huehue just kidding pis no h8

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
    • seancorr on Jun 01, 2014 at 2:17 am

      Coz it looks ganas and its awesome to drive?

      But I seriously hope those ppl living here in Bolehland can put pressure for BMW Malaysia to up the warranty to at least 3 years.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
    • Omega on Jun 01, 2014 at 7:50 am

      Because it is an Ultimate Driving Machine!!.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
    • This is from my experience, In my life I had driven Saga (own), Campry (own), City , Passat,accord, E class(own),new mazda 6, civic,ct200h(own) and 2014 528i(own)…
      The BMW can corner as good as u cannot expected.. The responsive of the 8 speed is impressive, much faster than some of the dual clutch (mercedes)..
      Thats why BMW always as the benchmark in many car review.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 2
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Jun 01, 2014 at 5:20 am

    i guess car come malaysia soon

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Annoynimouse on Jun 01, 2014 at 7:06 am

    Seems like the Germans are are churning out more and more of these so called grand coupes…
    Reminds me of Wira Aeroback… :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 6
  • Annoynimouse on Jun 01, 2014 at 7:14 am

    Reminds me of Wira Aeroback… :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 4
  • I hope that BMW might as well take this model as the facelift of 3 series. It is so sexy compared to a 3 series.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Ray (Member) on Jun 01, 2014 at 11:29 am

    So let’s put this straight.
    3 – Wira sedan
    3 Gran Turismo – Wira extended wheelbase
    4 – Putra
    4 Gran Coupe – Wira aeroback (???)

    LOL

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 7
  • Biker_mice_ from_Mars on Jun 01, 2014 at 11:54 am

    Any price estimation for this car?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • seancorr on Jun 01, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      Its gonna be priced around the same as the CBU 3GT so expect the 428i GC to be around the RM350k mark and the 320i GC maybe around the RM290k-RM300k price point.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Enthu on Jun 01, 2014 at 4:57 pm

    So many copy paste from BMW lately. If i wanted to know how the 428i drives, i should have just read the 328i review. Engine/transmission/platform all the same. The same will go for 320i/420i, 320d/420d.

    And let’s not start with the interior. Put a man in the F30 3 series and the new 4 series inside, and he’d forget which car he was in without coming out to see the exterior difference. (which again he will take some time to differentiate!)

    The interior of BMW needs an overhaul big time. Its looking dated and cheap comparing to its competitors which is so far ahead now. (Audi/MB)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 7
    • guest on Jun 02, 2014 at 4:12 pm

      So many copy paste from Audi lately. If i wanted to know how the A5 drives, i should have just read the A4 review. Engine/transmission/platform all the same. The same will go for A4 TSI/A5 TSI, A4 TDI/A5 TDI.

      And let’s not start with the interior. Put a man in the Audi A4 and the new A5 inside, and he’d forget which car he was in without coming out to see the exterior difference. (which again he will take some time to differentiate!)

      The interior of Audi needs an overhaul big time. Its looking dated and cheap comparing to its competitors which is so far ahead now. (BMW/MB)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • nabill (Member) on Jun 01, 2014 at 10:03 pm

    Needs a bespoke interior badly,thrs nothing wrong with curent dashboards which is found everywer in bmw lineup…thy should folow Mercedes n how thy did a new interior for da GLA…. N talking about bmw interiors,from experience, thrs ALOT of difference btween imported once and ckd models,,,ckd models have aloft of hollow plastics,imported once its all paded much nicer to the touch…
    For me a 4 series should always be a 2 door(wasnt this the original idea?)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Obviously (Member) on Jun 02, 2014 at 7:30 am

    …BMW has so many variants and models…and to the untrained/non-enthusiast eye, all the sedans look too much like the same car to one another.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
    • Not only bmw, audi cars also look very similar across the range

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • Josh Ling on Jun 02, 2014 at 8:50 pm

      on BMW defence, Audi cars are actually worse than BMW’s. At least BMW cars have more obvious differences visually than Audi cars. i think even the die-hard Audi fans will have hard time telling A3 sedan, A4, A5 Sportsback and A6 apart.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 6
  • A330-300 on Jun 02, 2014 at 11:22 am

    Most manufacturers are going into the direction nowadays. Just look at the newly launched Merc Benz models. Same corporate grill across the line,similar shilloute,headlamp and all that. Not to be mentioned, Audi. They want their design to be distinctive and easy to recognize. But some people will see it bland and boring to have similar design language for the entire range.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
  • mmaker on Jun 02, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    This superb car should comes with digital speedometer already

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Junaidi Ismail on Aug 26, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    I’m one of ’em who’s fallen completely head over heels for this baby. Went in to the showroom 3 weeks ago to test drive the 328i M Sport. Drove it, wide grin on my face when suddenly, my eye caught this gleaming,sleek,gorgeous and sexy looking piece of metal called the 428i Gran Coupe M Sport… Had no doubts then, paid the booking fees, and now I’m 2 days away from delivery..

    I’ve read many reviews and comments berating BMW, and asking why the heck the need for this beast… Well folks, look no further, cos here’s the answer…

    Are you a red-blooded, 40-something, married with 2 kids kinda guy? The kind who’s been yearning to get back to his coupe-driving days, but yet able to switch to responsible hubby-daddy for the weekend family outing? Well then, there’s your reason… ‘Nuff said. Not happy?? No one’s stopping you from buying another car… To each his own people…to each, his own….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
 

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