BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe review
The comfortably cruising 4 Series Gran Coupe tries to combine sporty design with a practical layout. It isn’t quite the best in either respect.
- Cash
- £39,640
- Monthly
- £491*
- Used
- £44,480
What's good
What's not so good
Find out more about the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe
Is the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe a good car?
If you’re after a sporty-looking car that offers some extra practicality, the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is worth checking out. If you were in the market for something practical and sporty, your options used to be limited to a shooting brake-style estate, like a Volkswagen Arteon, a super expensive sport saloon (BMW M5 anyone?) or the Audi A5 Sportback. But this updated version of the BMW could be for you.
Much like the A5 Sportback is just an extended version of the regular A5, the Gran Coupe takes the sleek, coupe styling of the standard 4 Series and adds two extra doors at the rear and a hatchback boot lid. Viewed side-on it looks properly smart, it’s just a shame it’s massive twin kidney grilles make it look a bit like an angry beaver up front.
Compared to the previous 4 Series Gran Coupe, this version is taller, longer and wider, which helps to improve interior space. The cabin is as well-built and generously kitted out as any BMW, with soft-touch materials fitted alongside a high level of standard equipment.
Inside, your eyes are drawn to the 12-inch digital instrument display with BMW’s latest hexagonal-like dial graphics, but it’s a pity that you might find the screen a bit hard to read. You also get a crisp 10-inch infotainment touchscreen that can be used with the familiar iDrive control dial in the centre console, and this works very well indeed.
You’ll have no trouble getting comfortable in the 4 Series Gran Coupe, as you can get optional electric seat controls with lumbar and bolster adjustment. The sport seats that you can have fitted are a little firm on a longer drive, but they keep you very well supported. Particularly lofty adults might have a harder time getting settled in the back seats, though, thanks to the car’s dramatically sloping roofline and limited headroom. That swooping silhouette comes at a price, it seems. The boot is a good size, but it’s still smaller than in the 3 Series.
You have the choice of three petrol engines and one diesel, all of which are paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Seeing as this is a sporty-looking model, the six-cylinder M440i may be tempting as it’s very fast and refined. Saying that, the sole 420d diesel option will be the most efficient.
As there are only three trims to choose from, pairing the M Sport Pro with the 420d xDrive unit combines the best in efficiency and year-round practicality.
With its accurate steering, it feels pretty entertaining through the corners, and although some bumps are felt at slower speeds due to the firm M Sport suspension that’s fitted as standard, it’s not unlivable by any means.
On longer drives, it settles down superbly and cruising is an absolute breeze – especially with the optional adaptive cruise control system with steering assist to help keep you in the right lane. It can feel quite large on narrower roads and between tight gaps in town, but its steering is set up so it’s nice and light at low speed – making it easier to manoeuvre.
Although there are places where the 4 Series Gran Coupe may be very appealing, you can’t help but think that it isn’t quite as practical as the 3 Series, nor as sleek as the regular 4 Series Coupe. Even though it treads the line between the two well, you may feel that you’re better off with one or the other – and not a combination of the two.
It’s also not the cheapest. When you tick the box for one of the multiple option packs – which you probably will – prices start to get a bit silly. A lot of desirable kit – such as the top driving assistance kit and a wireless charge pad – is only available this way too, which is a bit of a pain.
But if the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe sounds like it could be the car for you, then head to our deals page to see how much you could save through carwow.
How practical is it?
The Gran Coupe has a hatchback boot with a large opening, but it’s 10 litres smaller than a 3 Series. Form over function, perhaps?
With the optional electric adjustable seats, the front passenger can stretch out a lot and has decent headroom. There’s a good amount of bolstering at the sides to keep you snug, while you can adjust the lumbar support to help keep a stiff back at bay.
With the sloping roofline however, rear headroom is a bit compromised. It’s better than the regular 4 Series, which isn’t as long and has a steeper roofline, but next to the 3 Series saloon, you’ll find this car feels much more cramped in the back.
The rear bench is set quite low too, and that means your knees are a little higher. With the front sport seats fitted, you won’t be able to stretch out by sliding your feet beneath them, either, all of which makes the back seats a bit less comfy than you might like.
Another advantage over the standard 4 Series is that you get a middle seat in the Gran Coupe. That being said, the high transmission tunnel and low roofline mean it’s only really suitable for particularly short passengers. You also get Isofix fixture points with covers, making them easy to access.
The 470-litre boot space is pretty decent for a car of this size and shape – after all, coupes aren’t normally known for their practicality. It’s bigger than an Audi A5 Sportback – this gets 465 litres – while the Kia Stinger is well down at 406 litres.
Add the £1,950 Comfort Plus pack and that load space becomes even more versatile, as it adds extra storage areas to the boot.
It’s worth pointing out that the 3 Series saloon’s boot has 10 litres more storage capacity than that of the Gran Coupe, however.
Folding the rear seats down increases the load capacity to 1,290 litres, which can help out a lot when you need it. That being said, there’s no way to fold the seats down from inside the boot, and there’s no place to store the load covers if you decide to remove them.
Ready to buy your next car?
What's it like to drive?
In terms of driving fun, few can match BMW consistently, and the 4 Series Gran Coupe continues that trend. The petrol engines aren’t that efficient though.
Under the bonnet, you have the choice of three petrol engines and a sole diesel unit. The entry 420i and more powerful 430i are both based on a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, developing 184hp and 245hp respectively.
You can also go for the diesel 420d, also based on a four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine and that develops 190hp. It’s the only one of these three to be available with xDrive all-wheel drive – which you might find handy in those colder winter months.
All the engines available are capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in less than eight seconds, with the slowest model – the 420i – still able to do that sprint in 7.9 seconds.
But if those engines sound a bit unexciting, then the six-cylinder M440i might float your boat – as it’s the closest this car comes to a hot-blooded M version. Under the bonnet of that model is a turbocharged, straight-six 3.0-litre petrol engine that develops 374hp and 500Nm. That means 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds and a limited top speed of 155mph.
Both the diesel and M440i options get a 48V mild-hybrid setup to improve fuel economy and run parts of the electrical system when the engine is switched off when you’re sat still. With the 420d, you can expect upwards of 50mpg and plenty of miles between trips to the pump. Even though it’s the most characterful and exciting engine option, sadly the M440i doesn’t get much more than 33mpg on a commute, or 40mpg on a longer motorway run.
Even though there are some vibrations through the pedal and some noise comes into the cabin under hard acceleration, the 420d is arguably the engine that suits this car the best. It can easily cover huge distances on a single tank, is punchy enough for overtakes on the motorway, and is more than smooth enough. Get the xDrive all-wheel-drive system, and you’ll find it suits almost all weather conditions perfectly.
The 4 Series Gran Coupe feels really well balanced in most conditions and it offers more feel from its electronic steering setup than most alternatives.
Having driven both the M440i and 420d, there are some similarities across the range. Even though the M440i’s sharper character, all Gran Coupe models have M Sport steering as standard, so they all feel very direct and have well-weighted controls.
You will feel it becoming lighter at slower speeds and that helps when navigating around town. The Gran Coupe can feel a bit wide through narrower streets and in traffic, but with good visibility and the optional fleet of all-round cameras available, you shouldn’t have much trouble.
Where this car is at its best is on the motorway. With the sleek coupe design and excellent sound deadening, the cabin is super refined. And when you’ve got your music playing, you won’t notice the minor tyre and wind noise so much at all. Add to that the option of the assisted driving system as part of the £3,650 Technology Plus Pack, and this car will take you from one end of the country to the other without much hassle at all.
BMW fits lowered, firmer M Sport suspension to the 4 Series Gran Coupe as standard. That may sound like it’ll make the Gran Coupe uncomfortable, but it really doesn’t. The only time you’ll notice bumps really making an impact is at slower speeds, as elsewhere the 4 Series feels very composed and sure-footed.
When you want to open the taps a bit and enjoy a back road, the 4 Series feels very comfortable here too. It doesn’t lean too much round the corners, and the adaptive suspension that comes as standard in the M440i does an excellent job of keeping it stable. Add in the M Sport differential and xDrive system, and it’s properly quick in most conditions.
What's it like inside?
The interior quality is only rivalled by similarly-sized Mercedes, but the BMW feels even more solid. It’s not the most exciting to look at, but everything you would want is available.
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe colours
-
BMW Individual metallic paint - Aventurine red III
- Free
-
BMW Individual metallic paint - Dravit grey
- Free
-
BMW Individual metallic paint - Tanzanite blue
- Free
-
Metallic - Black sapphire
- Free
-
Metallic - Brooklyn grey
- Free
-
Metallic - Mineral white
- Free
-
Metallic - Portimao blue
- Free
-
Metallic - Sanremo green
- Free
-
Metallic - Sunset orange
- Free
-
Solid - Alpine white
- Free
-
BMW Individual frozen paint - Pure grey
- From £2,985
- Cash
- £39,640
- Monthly
- £491*
- Used
- £44,480
Build your own 4 Series Gran Coupe on carwow
Save on average £2,044 off RRP
*Please contact the dealer for a personalised quote, including terms and conditions. Quote is subject to dealer requirements, including status and availability. Illustrations are based on personal contract hire, 9 month upfront fee, 48 month term and 8000 miles annually, VAT included.