BMW has shown off the first photos this week of its new 4 Series Gran Coupe, a car that will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Based on the two-door 4 Series coupe, the Gran Coupe, like its bigger 6 Series brother, gains an extra set of doors, a longer roofline and a larger 480-litre boot with a fastback hatch instead of a separate lid. That puts the 4 Series Gran Coupe into more or less direct competition with the similarly themed Audi A5 Sportback.
That larger boot also makes the Gran Coupe as practical as a standard 3 Series saloon, a car with which it shares all of its mechanical package and engines. It will be interesting to see how the 4 Gran Coupe slots into the range alongside the regular 3 Series saloon and Touring, the 4 Series 2-door Coupe and the oddball 3 Series GT. Like the 3 GT, all of the 4 Gran Coupe’s doors are frameless, but while the 3 GT has an extended wheelbase to make more room for rear seat passengers, in the 4 Gran Coupe, those in the back are still pretty much in steerage, in spite of the extended roofline and the addition of a middle rear seatbelt.
On the practicality front, those rear seats do fold flat, creating an estate-like 1,300-litre load space and the standard electric tailgate can be fitted with a sensor under the rear bumper that triggers the mechanism when you waggle your foot underneath. The extra metalwork and the boot mechanism does make the Gran Coupe about 50kg heaver than a two-door 4 Series, and about 80kg heaver than an equivalent 3 Series. You’ll have the option to increase that weight even further as most 4 Gran Coupes can be fitted with xDrive four-wheel drive.
The range will kick off at €46,030 for a petrol-engined 420i SE, while €46,170 gets you a 121g/km 418d diesel. The range-topping 435i will set you back €74,020 in M-Sport spec. Standard equipment across the range includes front and rear parking sensors, heated front seats, Servotronic steering, a multi-function leather steering wheel and Xenon headlights. This is in addition to Dakota leather upholstery, two-zone air conditioning and cruise control. Bluetooth, USB, Comfort Go, drive performance control, iDrive Controller, 6.5-inch free-standing colour screen, DAB radio and automatic lights, wipers and boot opening.