BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe breaks cover

-         Four-door version of the 4 Series Coupe

-         Built at the same plant as the recently-revealed i4

BMW is on a roll lately. After the all-electric i4 and iX and the X3, X4 and their M derivatives – the X3 M and X4 M, the Bavarian carmaker has added another model in its growing line-up in a span of eight days. This time it’s the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

For the uninitiated, the Gran Coupe in BMW nomenclature is the four-door version of a two-door coupe. In the case of this 4 Series Gran Coupe – it is the four-door version of the 4 Series Coupe which is the two-door version of the 3 Series sedan.  

This is the second generation of the 4 Series Gran Coupe (codenamed G24) and joins the 4 Series Convertible (G23) and the 4 Coupe (G22) in the 4’s line-up. There’s an M Version of it on the cards as well.

Since the current 4 Coupe stands out significantly from the G20 3 Series sedan on which it is based upon, the 4 GC is also considerably different from the 3 – which wasn’t the case with the previous generation model. 

With a measurement of 4783x1852x1442mm, it is 142mm longer, 25mm wider and 53mm taller than the F36-gen 4 GC. The wheelbase is 46mm longer than the predecessor’s and 5mm more than the 3 sedan. This translates to 470 litres of boot space under its liftback tailgate and expandable up to 1290 litres.

In terms of styling – both inside and out – there’s not much separating the 4 GC from the standard 4 Coupe. It gets the sharper and distinct-looking headlamps flanking the infamous vertical grille. The sloping roofline of the 4 Coupe is redesigned for accommodating the rear door but it still slants down sharply and looks attractive from the rear three quarters.

The cabin has the familiar BMW air to it. Sportier elements like the leather-wrapped steering and seats are joined by a large sunroof, ambient lighting, Harman Kardon sound system and even the choice of leather varies from Vernasca to Sensatec and BMW Individual trim options. There’s a choice of 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels with various other chassis tweaks under the skin. BMW claims a 50:50 weight distribution for the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Engine-wise, the range-topper is the M440i with its 370bhp 3.0-litre straight-six. It’s joined by 430i with the new four-pot making 243bhp along with 420i which is good for 182bhp. The diesel lineup includes a 187bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel in the 420d and 420d xDrive variants. The M440i gets a mild hybrid as standard helped by the 8kW boost along with brake energy storage. An eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission is standard across the range. 

Built at the same Munich plant as the i4, 3 Series sedan and Touring, the 4 Series Gran Coupe is slated for a market launch in November this year. If BMW India decides to introduce the 4 Series family in the country, we could surely see the 4 GC as a part of that line-up.