BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe (2014-present)
Is it a saloon? Is it a coupe? It’s both – but does that make it the best 4 Series for you?
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
BMW 4 Series Diesel Coupe (2013-2020) 418d se 2dr [business media]
Finance price £212 per month
Cash price £14,298
BMW 4 Series Grand Coupe prices from £16,000 Finance from £229 per month
The point of the 4 Series Gran Coupe, in BMW’s view, is to give drivers some of the style of a two-door coupe with some of the practicality of a four-door saloon. This is packaged up in a five-door body, which means you get the added versatility that a hatchback brings over a saloon.
Prices start from less than £35,000 and stretch to more than £50,000 for a range encompassing a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines and throwing in the option of BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive system. BMW has tried to simplify things by offering just two trim levels – Sport or M Sport.
Other options within that price range include the Audi A5 Sportback and the Volkswagen Arteon. You could also consider the slightly larger, and more expensive Mercedes-Benz CLS, or there’s any number of saloons and coupes to weigh up, from the more compact Jaguar XE to the stylish Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe.
Because 4 Series Gran Coupe is based on the previous generation 3 Series, the design of the interior is starting to show its age, the build quality can’t be faulted though.
The majority of the car’s features are controlled through BMW’s iDrive system. It’s one of the more intuitive on the market, operated through a combination of a 6.5-inch touchscreen display jutting from the top of the dashboard and a rotary wheel that’s behind the gearstick. A head-up display is optional as part of a technology pack, and M Sport models get a larger touchscreen.
You get comfortable front seats, while the driving position and level of space on offer are also good, making it a prime candidate for cruising, especially when you consider that it’s quiet too.
It's a different story for those sat in the back, though. The low, sloping roof coupled with a severe lack of space between the front seats and the back seats makes it a bit of a squeeze, but there is a pair of Isofix mounts for securing child seats.
Because the boot opens like a hatchback, the Gran Coupe is surprisingly practical. It offers 480-litres of luggage space, which is the same as an Audi A5 Sportback but some way behind the 563-litres of the VW Arteon. The back seats divide 60:40 and fold down to expand the car’s carrying capacity.
Of these three, the 4 Series Gran Coupe feels more responsive on the road. The steering is accurate and precise while the suspension feels well-measured, giving the whole experience of driving satisfyingly composed feel.
Four-wheel drive (xDrive) is available as an option with the 420i petrol model and the 420d and 430d diesel variants, and is fitted as standard to the 435d. It’s one of the best four-wheel drive systems going, as it retains the car’s sporty feel while providing sure-footed behaviour on slippery surfaces.
All the engines on offer are powerful but the diesels are especially impressive because they feel fast, while remaining economical at the same time - even the high-powered models. Every engine has complied with current Euro 6 emissions regulations since the car was launched, so you won’t be subject to low emission zone charges either.
Last Updated
Key facts
Warranty: 3 years/unlimited mileage | Boot size: 480/1300 litres |
Width: 2017mm | Length: 4638mm |
Height: 1389mm | Tax (min to max): From £170 in first year and £140 or £465 thereafter, to £530 in first year and £140 or £465 thereafter |
Best BMW 4 Series for...
- June 2014 4 Series Gran Coupe goes on sale
- May 2017 Facelift brings new look, improved levels of equipment and revised suspension
Understanding BMW 4 Series car names
- 4 Series
- Engine
- 420d
- Trim level
- Sport
- Driven wheels
- xDrive
- Engine
- Most 4 Series model names begin with a 4. The following two numbers show you how powerful the engine is: the bigger the number, the more powerful the engine. The letter ‘i’ shows it’s petrol-powered and 'd' indicates a diesel.
- Trim level
- Each trim level comes with different amounts of standard equipment. Sport is the Sport is the new entry-level trim, followed by M Sport.
- Driven wheels
- Four-wheel drive versions of the 4 Series are badged xDrive. Otherwise, all models have rear-wheel drive.
BMW 4 Series Engines
Petrol: 420i, 430i, 440i. Diesel: 420d, 430d & 435d
The 420i petrol engine is the cheapest option, and accelerates briskly. Fuel economy is about average for a car and engine of this size, with an official figure of up to 37.7mpg, depending on the options that you choose.
If you value fuel economy, then consider the 420d instead. The entry-level diesel engine offers virtually the same performance as its petrol-burning counterpart, but in a different way. All of its get-up-and-go is low in the rev range, which makes it remarkably flexible and relaxing. It is capable of achieving up to 49.6mpg, and CO2 emissions are low.
Mid-range 430i and 430d cars bring more power and slightly faster acceleration, but the big change comes with the BMW 440i, which is a large, six-cylinder petrol engine, with power to spare, allowing it to accelerate rapidly, but smoothly from 0-62mph in just 5.1 seconds. The drawback with this model (for some drivers at least) is that xDrive four-wheel drive is not available. On wet roads, the car struggles to put its power down on the surface.
That’s why we’d say pick the 435d if you want a powerful 4 Series Gran Coupe. It’s faster still and has all-weather traction, thanks to xDrive.
With the exception of the 420i, which has a manual gearbox as standard an auto as an option, every model in the range comes with an automatic transmission.
Fuel | Fuel economy | Power | Acceleration (0-62mph) | Top speed | |
420i | Petrol | 37.2mpg | 184hp | 7.5 secs | 147mph |
420i xDrive | Petrol | 35.3mpg | 184hp | 8.1 secs | 145mph |
430i | Petrol | 37.2mpg | 252hp | 5.9 secs | 155mph |
440i | Petrol | 34.0mpg | 326hp | 5.1 secs | 155mph |
420d | Diesel | 49.6mpg | 190hp | 7.4 secs | 149mph |
420d xDrive | Diesel | 46.3mpg | 190hp | 7.5secs | 143mph |
430d | Diesel | 41.5mpg | 258hp | 5.6 secs | 155mph |
430d xDrive | Diesel | 39.2mpg | 258hp | 5.3 secs | 155mph |
435d xDrive | Diesel | 39.8mpg | 313hp | 4.8 secs | 155mph |
BMW 4 Series Trims
Sport, M Sport
With the 2017 update BMW reduced the trim selection to Sport and M Sport, which keeps things simple for buyers.
The price difference between Sport and M Sport varies, from £1,350 for entry-level 420i petrol models to £1,030 for mid-range xDrive petrols, or £1,290 for the mid-range diesels.
There is nothing especially lacking with the Sport version. It comes with leather sports seats, alloy wheels, sat nav, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors and heated seats. Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and heated mirrors are also included.
Step up to M Sport and you get a more assertive look for the car, with sporty add-ons inside and outside. There’s also electric adjustment for the front seats, an improved media package and larger, 10.3-inch touchscreen.
BMW 4 Series Reliability and warranty
With all new BMW models, the German car maker provides a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, which is fairly typical amongst its competitors.
However, there is some evidence to suggest you may have to rely on the car’s warranty. The 4 Series finished in 54th place (out of the 75 cars ranked) in the 2018 Auto Express Driver Power satisfaction survey. At the same time, BMW finished 21st out of the 26 manufacturers that were ranked, which is far from impressive for a brand that prides itself on engineering pedigree.
Used BMW 4 Series
The 4 Series Gran Coupe has been on sale in the UK since the middle of 2014, and has proved a particularly popular model with Britain’s drivers, which means there is a wide selection of second hand models available.
On BuyaCar, there are more than 84 to choose from, with prices starting from £16,000. That sort of budget affords either a 418d or 420d, but just a few hundred pounds more will see high-mileage examples of the 430d fall within reach.
For £16,699, or £229 a month with PCP finance, 2017 and 2018 versions of the 4 Series Gran Coupe are available. That’s a big saving on a car that is potentially only a year old. Push that price up to £26,090 and you’ll find nearly new 2019 models with that are available for immediate delivery.
BMW 4 Series Prices
BMW 4 Series M Sport
420d [190] m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 58.9mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £36,404
You could save up to: £7426
420d [190] m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 65.7mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £34,644
You could save up to: £7186
420d [190] xdrive m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 54.3mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £37,750
You could save up to: £7610
420d [190] xdrive m sport 5dr auto [prof media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 58.9mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £35,990
You could save up to: £7370
420i m sport 5dr [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 42.8mpg
- Gears manual
Starting at: £33,536
You could save up to: £5899
420i m sport 5dr [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 42.8mpg
- Gears manual
Starting at: £31,776
You could save up to: £5659
420i m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 46.3mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £35,023
You could save up to: £6102
420i m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 44.8mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £33,263
You could save up to: £5862
420i xdrive m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 42.8mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £36,396
You could save up to: £6289
420i xdrive m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 43.5mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £34,636
You could save up to: £6049
430d m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 51.4mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £39,376
You could save up to: £8909
430d m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 53.3mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £37,616
You could save up to: £8669
430d xdrive m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 47.9mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £40,722
You could save up to: £9093
430d xdrive m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 51.4mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £38,962
You could save up to: £8853
430i m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 46.3mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £38,200
You could save up to: £6535
430i m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 48.7mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £36,440
You could save up to: £6295
435d xdrive m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 45.6mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £42,386
You could save up to: £11024
435d xdrive m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 49.6mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £40,626
You could save up to: £10784
440i m sport 5dr auto [plus pack]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 37.7mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £40,989
You could save up to: £9756
440i m sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 41.5mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £39,229
You could save up to: £9516
BMW 4 Series Sport
420d [190] sport 5dr auto [business media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 65.7mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £33,456
You could save up to: £7024
420d [190] sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 65.7mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £35,128
You could save up to: £7252
420d [190] xdrive sport 5dr auto [business media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 58.9mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £34,855
You could save up to: £7215
420d [190] xdrive sport 5dr auto [prof media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel diesel
- Economy 58.9mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £36,527
You could save up to: £7443
420i sport 5dr [business media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 44.1mpg
- Gears manual
Starting at: £30,588
You could save up to: £5497
420i sport 5dr [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 44.1mpg
- Gears manual
Starting at: £32,260
You could save up to: £5725
420i sport 5dr auto [business media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 46.3mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £32,075
You could save up to: £5700
420i sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 46.3mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £33,747
You could save up to: £5928
420i xdrive sport 5dr auto [business media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 44.1mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £33,448
You could save up to: £5887
420i xdrive sport 5dr auto [professional media]
- Doors 5
- Fuel petrol
- Economy 44.1mpg
- Gears automatic
Starting at: £35,120
You could save up to: £6115
Other Editions
- BMW 4 Series (2013-present)The BMW 4 Series is a stylish two-door coupe that's great to drive