BMW 420d News

BMW Australia has released pricing for its updated 4 Series range, increasing prices on some of its petrol-powered variants, while the sole diesel option, the 420d, has been dropped from the range.

BMW has introduced a new 4 Series range – covering the Coupe, Gran Coupe and Convertible models

The cost of top-down motoring in a Mercedes-Benz is about to get $20,000 cheaper.

No plans for a smaller M6 Gran Coupe sibling on the BMW M GmbH horizon.

BMW has added yet another model to its range, this time a 4 Series Gran Coupe (without the 'd' on the end of grand to give a continental ring to the name).It's the latest competitor in one of the fastest growing market segments globally, that of 'premium midrange class'. These are five-door hatchbacks with stylish rear ends that add a real touch of sportiness. The terms 'four-door coupe' and 'five-door coupe' has been created to describe them.The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe joins the three-door 4 Series Coupe (without the Gran) and is a small brother to the 6 Series Gran Coupe. (If you've been out of the automotive scene for a while you may not have heard the news that what used to be called the BMW 3 Series sports models have been renamed the 4 Series.) BMW's new model competes head on with the Audi A5 Sportback, but surprisingly Mercedes-Benz has the CLA-Class and CLS-Class which are slightly smaller and a little larger respectively than the new Bimmer.STYLINGThe shape of the new Gran Coupe is exceptionally good to our eyes. The front is as expected, with the current BMW full-width theme created by the headlights being joined to the headlights. In profile the five-door retains the same theme of the three-door Gran Coupe, but the extra length of the roof makes it really stand out. We like the 'gills' on the front guards and the deep swage lines in the doors. The tailgate is large and gives good access to the rear luggage area, which is slightly larger than the volume in the three-door.No attempt has been made to hide the fact that the 4 Gran has back doors, as has been done in some similar vehicles.The interior styling theme is similar to that of others in the 3 and 4 Series models, with a concentration on the driver's area having a cockpit feel. There's an airy feel and the materials are of a high quality and crafted very well.ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONSA good range is on offer: four-cylinder turbo-petrol 2.0-litre units with power outputs of 135 or 180 kW depending on the state of tune; a straight-six 3.0-litre with 225 kW; and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four with 135 kW. It's interesting that the petrol and diesel engines have the same power outputs, but the latter's 380 Nm of torque greatly exceeds the 270 Nm from the petrol.All sit in front of eight-speed automatic transmissions with sports tuning. A six-speed manual gearbox is a no-charge option from the factory, though it doesn't seem likely we will see many (if any) in Australia.SAFETYAll models have a full range of crash prevention equipment. Better still the car can ring for help if it experiences a collision and even give the medical services an estimate of the severity of injuries to occupants in advance of them reaching the car.Naturally the 4 Series Gran Coupe easily qualified as a five-star car in tests carried out to European NCAP standards.INFOTAINMENTBMW continues to be one of the leaders in the fields of information and entertainment technology. Its second generation Connected Drive Service and Apps system has its own Sim card so the vehicle can communicate in some circumstances without the need to pair it to a smartphone. The convenience of being able plan a route for the satellite navigation on your home or office computer then send it to the car's sat-nav is much appreciated.As well as automatically calling for help in a crash involving the vehicle (see 'Safety' above) any occupant in the vehicle can be manually told to contact authorities, giving information of the location of an incident to a third party.DRIVINGInterior space is good in the front and the seats have good support built in. The extended roof of the five-door Gran Coupe over the three-door 4 Series Coupe makes for better headroom in the rear, but it may still prove marginal for taller travellers. Rear legroom is fine.A five-door family hatchback normally doesn't provide the sort of satisfaction the excellent handling dynamics the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe does. Road holding is assisted by a balanced body, feedback through the steering wheel and the driver's backside is excellent and safety is enhanced by the sheer ability of this car.Noise and vibration are generally well insulated from the interior, though some of the coarse-chip surfaces we encountered did challenge the BMW's suspension at times.Our initial road testing out of Melbourne was done in the two higher powered models, the 428i and 435i. Both have loads of torque from low revs, with the turbocharged four-door 428i coming close to matching the six-cylinder non turbo 435i. To be honest, unless we had plenty of money to spare the lower cost 428i would more than satisfy our driving needs.VERDICTThe addition of yet another model to the BMW 3 Series and 4 Series range gives buyers a staggering number of choices. Obviously it comes down to personal choice, but we feel the 4 Gran Coupe has just the right balance between sportiness and practicality, so it would be the one we would opt for.

The new convertible shares the same underpinnings as the coupe, with enhanced dynamics and driving pleasure over the 3 Series sedan on which it’s based.Exterior features have been designed to highlight the vehicle's sporty pedigree, starting with a large wide air-intake in the front apron which accentuates the convertible’s increased width. The air-intake is capped at both ends by apertures for air-curtains to smooth aerodynamics which are complimented by air-breathers located just behind the front wheels. It’s a sleek looker with the convertible top up or down.DYNAMICSThere have also been some significant changes made by the engineers at BMW to enhance the steering accuracy and agility over the out-going model. The chassis has been significantly extended with 50 mm added to the wheel base and substantial increases to the track width with 45 mm extra at the front and a full 81 mm extra width at the rear.Refinements have also been made to the suspension of the vehicle, including fine-tuning of the springs and damping, axle kinematics, as well as providing additional strengthening elements in the front section and undercarriage of the car.FOLDING HARDTOPThe three-piece retractable hardtop in the BMW 4 Series Convertible is based on the tried and tested mechanical design from the predecessor, albeit with numerous enhancements that reduce noise level to improve the interior ambience. The new, more noise absorbent headliner also includes interior lighting features to bring it more in line with the fixed top Coupe variants.With the push of a button the three-piece retractable hardtop opens in 20 seconds, even when driving at speeds of up to 18km/h and includes an easy-loading function for convenient access to the boot.For added comfort the new BMW 4 Series Convertible is also available with the optional Air Collar feature (standard on 435i) that warms the neck with a variable stream of air and includes three-position adjustment via a control cleverly integrated into the switch for the convertible roof.ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONSPower comes from a variety of the latest BMW TwinPower turbo engines with strong performance and impressive fuel economy. Entry point is the 420d Convertible equipped with a turbo four-cylinder diesel engine producing 135kW/380Nm. It accelerates to 100kmh in 8.2 seconds and boasts a low fuel consumption figure of 4.8 l/100km.The 428i Convertible features a turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, developing 180kW/350Nm. The 0-100kmh sprint is 6.4 seconds while fuel consumption is 6.7 l/100km. At the top of the range the 435i Convertible runs a turbo in-line six-cylinder petrol engine which produces 225kW/400Nm. The numbers are 5.5 seconds 0-10 and 7.7 l/100km. All models have an eight-speed sport automatic transmission and all three combine a suite of BMW EfficientDynamics technologies to achieve low consumption and emissions figures.EQUIPMENTFeatures include auto Stop/Start, Brake Energy Regeneration, ECO PRO mode and on-demand ancillaries such as electric power steering. The equipment levels in all three models is generous Safety is five star and a range of driver assist features are included - front and rear Park Distance Control (PDC), rear view camera, bi-xenon headlights with auto headlight control and rain sensor, as well as an anti-dazzle interior rear view mirror.Prices start at $88,800 for the 420d Convertible.

BMW will unveil the new 4 Series Gran Coupe at Geneva motor show in March, but until then we've already got full details, images and this video of the 'four-door coupe'.The 4 Series Gran Coupe is based on the same platform as the 4 Series coupe and convertible and will join them later this year adding some extra sports flair to the line-up with a lower-slung stance and sleeker profile.The engine line-up echoes the coupe, with the petrol entry point a 420i with a 135kW/270Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder, followed by a 428i with a 180kW/350Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a 435i with a 225kW/400Nm turbocharged six-cylinder petrol.Turbodiesel versions are a 420d with a 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a 418d (not available here in the coupe) with 105kW four-cylinder. Watch the desktop version of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

BMW was just getting set to unveil their new 4 Series Gran Coupe over the weekend, but were beaten to the reveal by images of the new car leaking online. However the full set of images and some details of the new 'four-door coupe' followed pretty swiftly.The 4 Series Gran Coupe is based on the same platform as the 4 Series coupe and convertible and will join them later this year adding some extra sports flair to the line-up.The images show a lower-slung stance and sleeker profile, with the extended and steeply raked rear roofline echoing coupe styling while still offering a semblance of four-door practicality -- although the side views suggest that tall people will have to duck if sentenced to the rear seat. BMW says the boot space is 480 litres -- 35 litres more than the coupe.The drivetrain line-up largely follows the coupe, meaning the entry point for us is likely to be a 420i with a 135kW/270Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder. Also in the petrol line-up are a 428i with a 180kW/350Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a 435i with a 225kW/400Nm turbocharged six-cylinder petrol.Turbodiesel versions are a 420d with a 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a 418d (not available here in the coupe) with 105kW four-cylinder.Echoing the price positioning of its bigger sibling, the 6 Series Gran Coupe, expect prices for each variant to slot in between that of related coupe and convertible, meaning a start price of somewhere around $75,000 if the range kicks off with a 420i (which doesn't get a convertible version here) or around $80,000 if the Australian entry level follows the 4 Series convertible in opening with the 420d.BMW has also released details of optional all-wheel drive versions for the 428i and 420d, both of which will be offered with the brand's xDrive system -- although there is no confirmation yet they will arrive here with the rest of the Gran Coupes, expected to hit later this year.“We’re looking at the 4 Series Gran Coupe arriving just after mid-year, early in the third quarter,” BMW Australia spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher says, confirming that we’re unlikely to see the 418d lower level diesel here.“We think we’ll see a similar drivetrain line-up to the coupe, opening with the 420i. What we do look at is that we like to offer quite a lot of variety, but also need to be conscious of the complexity of product range. So it will certainly closely shadow the 4 coupe, which has been received extraordinarily well by the media and public.“What we’re doing at the moment is finalising pricing and specification -- which we’ll be announcing later this month – and we think people will be pleasantly surprised by the prices and the amount of spec for the Gran Coupe.”Watch the desktop version of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe video here. 

The design drops any attempt to link to the regular four-door model.

...new naming game to the former 3 Series coupe, is obvious from this near-production car.It's likely to be larger than the 3 Series sedan and pitched primarily against the successful Audi A5.This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover