BMW Malaysia teases G22 4 Series, opens online booking for 430i Coupe M Sport – from RM405,680

BMW Malaysia has teased the latest 4 Series on its social media. How do we know it’s the G22? Well, that controversial nose is unmistakable, and too low to belong to the iX SUV. Seen it before? It’s not always that an M car is launched here before the standard model, but the G82 BMW M4 Competition made its local debut in December 2020.

Along with the public teaser, the company issued a press release that announced the opening of online pre-booking for the G22, which will be available here as the 430i Coupe M Sport, priced at RM418,800 on the road, without insurance. Opt for the Innovation package and it’s RM454,800. But it can be had for cheaper – find out how below.

The 430i is powered by the B48 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 258 hp and 400 Nm of torque from 1,550 to 4,400 rpm. Paired to an eight-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission, the coupe does the 0-100 km/h sprint in 5.8 seconds, and top speed is 250 km/h.

As we’re getting the M Sport, the sporty front bumper gets prominent air curtains, large side intakes and a bowl-shaped lower intake cradling the nose. Those tall kidneys are chrome-framed, while the nuggets in the mesh have a matte aluminium look. At the back, you’ll find a pair of round chrome exhausts integrated into the rear bumper, which has a diffuser-like element, black trim, and side vents that mimic those in front.

Our 430i gets LED headlamps, LED fog lights and BMW Individual high-gloss Shadow Line trim. The wheels are 19-inch M light alloys (Style 797 M Bicolour) with a staggered set-up – the fronts are 8J with 225/40 runflat rubber, while the 8.5J rears are matched with fatter 255/35 tyres. M Sport suspension and M Sport brakes too; the latter comes with blue calipers with an M logo.

Inside the dark-themed cabin (Anthracite headliner, of course), standard kit includes Aluminium Tetragon trim with Pearl Chrome accents, cloth and Sensatec (synthetic leather) combination upholstery (yup, cloth seats), M leather steering wheel, M-specific pedals and front electric sport seats (memory for driver). There are also M-specific stripes on the safety belts.

Other goodies include ambient lighting with 11 pre-defined themes, anti-dazzle driver’s side wing mirror, anti-dazzle rear-view mirror, rain sensor and welcome light carpet. Also on are three-zone auto air-con, Comfort Access with contactless opening of the boot, and the BMW Live Cockpit Professional fully digital 12.3-inch instrument display.

In the infotainment department, the 430i M Sport comes with BMW Navigation system Professional with a 10.25-inch touch sensitive display and hard drive supported system, including storage for audio files. There’s BMW ConnectedDrive services, Bluetooth and wireless charging, and it’s all hooked up to BMW’s “HiFi” speaker system.

As for driver assist kit, the coupe comes with Driving Assistant with Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Warning and front collision warning with brake intervention, rear cross traffic warning and rear collision prevention. You’ll also get cruise control with braking function, a reverse camera and Parking Assistant with Reversing Assist.

That’s all for equipment, and it’s decent, but if you want a step up for the full premium car experience, tick the Innovation Package for RM36,000 extra. For that sum, you’ll get Vernasca leather upholstery to replace the fabric combo, the IP covered in Sensatec, BMW Laserlights, high beam assistant and a Harman Kardon Surround Sound System.

BMW Malaysia has of late started to provide options for their new models, which is a good thing – for some, things like a branded sound system and leather dash are important in a premium car, while for others it’s a non-issue. You want it, you pay more, that’s the premise. But they’re now taking this approach one step further – warranty.

The RRP for the 430i Coupe M Sport, on the road without insurance, is actually RM405,680 and not RM418,800, but the car comes with just a two-year warranty (unlimited mileage, no free service) as standard.

If that’s not good enough for you, BMW is offering five-year warranty and service packages, at a cost. It’s RM5,900 for five years of warranty (unlimited mileage), RM8,800 for a five-year/100,000 km service package, or RM14,700 for both warranty + service for five years. The warranty + service combo has a special price of RM13,120, which is an 11% discount. This is a new development and BMW Malaysia has also rolled out “two-tier” pricing for the rest of its range.

So, to recap, the RM418,800 headline price is inclusive of the five-year warranty and service package, which is now optional. The Innovation Package takes the RRP to RM454,800. The car can be had for as low as RM405,680, but you’ll have to make do with two years of warranty.

You can pre-book the 430i Coupe M Sport online for RM1,000 at BMW’s official site, from now till March 18. Note that deliveries are targeted to start in mid 2021, and all prices quoted here include sales tax. The 2020 SST exemption by the government has been extended, and will be in place until June 30.

You might have noticed that we did not include our nine cents on the G22 4 Series’s most prominent feature – it’s snout. It’s a polarising thing, the new grille, and it’s certainly hard to ignore, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to its credit, Munich is standing its ground despite the groundswell among car guys.

“The design direction taken for the new BMW 4 Series Coupe stands to differentiate it from the rest, and to give the ‘4’ identity a leading edge, while at the same time representing the BMW brand’s long-standing reputation for being at the forefront of modernistic design and innovation,” is what BMW Malaysia has to say. Your say?

GALLERY: G22 BMW 4 Series Coupe

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