G22 BMW 4 Series Coupé debuts – five variants at launch; 48V mild-hybrid tech for M440i, three diesels

After much teasing and many development car sightings, the latest BMW 4 Series Coupé has now made its official debut. The successor to the F32 4 Series Coupé arrives at launch with five variants – the four-cylinder petrol 420i and 430i, the six-cylinder petrol M440i xDrive, and the four-pot diesel 420d in RWD and xDrive forms. The six-cylinder diesels, the 430d xDrive and the M440d xDrive are estimated to debut in March 2021.

Relative to its G20 3 Series four-door sibling, the G22 4 Series Coupé measures 57 mm lower in vehicle height for a resulting 23 mm lower centre of gravity, says BMW. The coupé body gains additional structural bracing to add further rigidity and form a better base for handling, it said. Bodywork developments over the outgoing F32 include the use of aluminium for the bonnet, front side panels and doors.

Compared to the F32 4 Series Coupé, the G22 gains 128 mm in length to 4,768 mm, 27 mm in width to 1,852 mm, and 6 mm in height to 1,383 mm. Meanwhile, wheelbase has increased by 41 mm to 2,851 mm, or identical to that of the G20 3 Series sedan. On those measures, the new 4 Series Coupé is 59 mm longer, 25 mm wider and 39 mm lower than the current-generation 3 Series.

The new kidney grille – is it any less shocking by now? – with its upright central elements is a reprisal of past BMW designs such as on the 3.0 CSi, says the manufacturer, and this is flanked by headlights which are LED units as standard, or optional BMW Laserlight units with selective beam functionality. As before, the Laserlight headlamps are identifiable by blue inlays situated within the signature DRLs.

At the back, the 4 Series features full-LED tail lamp units with darkened lenses, wearing the marque’s current L-shaped light bar styling cue. Vertical vents along the outer edges of the rear bumper follow the cue of the air curtains on the front bumper, while the dual exhaust outlets are either circular or trapezoidal, depending on model variant.

As identified previously, the M Sport duo of the M440i xDrive and M440d xDrive variants are distinguished by Cerium Grey metallic-look trim for the kidney grille surround, air intake trim, side mirror covers and exhaust pipe finishers.

Inside, the 4 Series dashboard architecture is predictably similar to that in the G20 3 Series, and the two-door here features a similar digital instrument cluster and infotainment display layout. Here, high-gloss black trim with pearl-effect chrome accents strips are standard, while alternative specifications include open-pore wood trim and aluminium mesh effect options, plus a further three BMW Individual trim variants.

BMW claims significantly improved acoustic and thermal comfort in the G22 4 Series compared to the F32 predecessor. The optional tilting and sliding glass roof now has a 24 mm-longer transparent surface, and the cabin also gets ambient lighting with the Welcome Light Carpet. The Harmon Kardon surround sound system and auxiliary heating can be optionally controlled via smartphone or the BMW Display Key.

Infotainment for the 4 Series is powered by the BMW Operating System 7, which supports individual and personalised screens on the 10.25-inch control display and 12.3-inch instrument cluster as well as the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. This also includes cloud-based BMW Maps navigation as standard, with real-time updating of traffic data as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.

Optional M Sport equipment for the new 4 Series includes M Sport suspension comprising firmer dampers, mounts and anti-roll bars, as well as additional body struts and variable sport steering. Also optional are adaptive M electronically controlled dampers, M Sport brakes with calipers in red or blue and an M Sport fully variable locking rear differential.

Active safety kit on the 4 Series now includes front collision warning with city braking function, and which can detect vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. This is joined by Speed Limit Info which includes a no-overtaking indicator, as well as lane departure warning which operates from 70 – 210 km/h and includes steering assistance that guides that car back into its lane should it have deviated.

The new coupé can be specified with the Driving Assistant Professional, which takes the elements of the Driving Assistant and adds active cruise control which is operational up to 210 km/h. Part of this setup are the steering and lane control assistants, which observes road markings and vehicles ahead through a trifocal camera and front range in order to centre the car in its lane with corrective steering inputs.

The powertrain line-up for the G22 4 Series range is topped by the 3.0 litre turbocharged inline-six petrol in the M440i xDrive, here producing 374 hp between 5,500 rpm and 6,500 rpm and 500 Nm of torque from 1,900 rpm to 5,000 rpm. This yields a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds and a limited top speed of 250 km/h.

Joining this at launch are two 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrols and a 2.0 litre diesel. The former is comprised of the 420i and the 430i with 1,998 cc of capacity, the first with 184 hp from 5,000 – 6,500 rpm and 300 Nm of torque from 1,350 – 4,000 rpm. The 0-100 km/h is elapsed in 7.5 seconds, and top speed is 240 km/h.

As for the more powerful 430i, this yields 258 hp from 5,000 – 6,500 rpm and 400 Nm of torque from 1,550 – 4,400 rpm. This yields a 0-100 km/h time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 250 km/h. All engine variants for the G22 4 Series are paired with an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission.

Joining the petrol line-up is a trio of diesels, all packing 48-volt mild-hybrid technology which contributes 11 hp to their respective total outputs. The 420d Coupé with its 1,995 cc turbodiesel four produces 190 hp at 4,000 rpm an 400 Nm of torque from 1,750 – 2,500 rpm, yielding a 0-100 km/h time of 7.1 seconds and a top speed of 240 km/h. The xDrive AWD version is 0.3 second and 2 km/h slower than the RWD on those measures.

A further two diesels joining the range in March 2021 are the 430d xDrive and the M440d xDrive, both displacing 2,993 cc from their six cylinders. the 430d makes 286 hp at 4,000 rpm and 650 Nm from 1,500 – 2,500 rpm for a 0-100 km/h time of 5.2 seconds, and a top speed of 250 km/h. The M440d xDrive has 340 hp at 4,400 rpm and 700 Nm from 1,750 – 2,250 rpm, for 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and a 250 km/h top speed.

The G22 4 Series Coupé range is due to make its sales launch in October this year, and has added Arctic Race Blue metallic to its palette which is also comprised of Black, Alpine White, Sapphire Black metallic, Mineral White metallic, Portimao Blue metallic as well as BMW Individual Dravite Grey metallic and Tanzanite Blue paint finishes.

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