Price and Review New BMW 4 Series

The new BMW 4 Series goes on sale at the end of 2013 with a starting price of £31,575

BMW has officially unveiled the new 4 Series coupe and will cost a little over £3,000 more than the equivalent 3 Series, and around £500 more than the 3 Series Coupe that it replaces.

The dimensions of the 4 Series coupe are also slightly larger than the 3 Series coupe. According to BMW, the wheelbase on the new 4 Series is longer by 50mm with the total length of the car increasing by 26mm. The track has also been widened by 45mm at the front and 81mm at the rear.

The roofline is also 16mm lower than before, and when you combine that with lowered suspension, the 4 Series Coupe has the lowest centre of gravity of any BMW currently on sale. That fact should help make the newcomer even sharper to drive than the current 3 Series saloon.

To ensure this is the case, and give the 4 Series a more responsive feel, BMW has tuned the springs, dampers and camber angles, while the rear axle is tweaked slightly, too. Go for an M Sport model and you get stiffer suspension, plus an Adaptive M Sport set-up featuring adjustable dampers is an option on all versions.

The production car’s design is nowhere near as dramatic as that of the 4 Series concept seen at January’s Detroit Motor Show, but it does get the same lower grille, which wraps around each of the foglights. The Air Breather mounted on each front wing was something else seen first on the concept before appearing on the 3 GT and new X5.

The most obvious indication of where your extra £3,000 goes over a standard 3 Series saloon is in the amount of kit included as standard on the 4 Series. The range kicks off with SE models, which feature leather upholstery, cruise control, an electric bootlid and heated front seats – all extras on the 3 Series SE.

Front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone air-con, Bluetooth and DAB radio are all also included, while all six-cylinder 4 Series get electric front seats and metallic paint thrown in.

• BMW 3 Series review

• BMW 5 Series review

BMW offers potential buyers a list of hi-tech options, too, such as active cruise control, a self-parking system and a touch- sensitive iDrive controller. There’s also a lighting system that can keep main beam on all the time, only masking out the parts that would blind other drivers.

Inside, much is the same as the 3 Series saloon’s, but the rear only has seating for two, and front passengers get an automatic seatbelt feeder. The 4 Series offers 15mm more rear legroom than the old 3 Series Coupé, while the boot offers five litres more space, at 445 litres – although this is 35 litres less than in the saloon.

The new car is available with three petrol engines and three diesels. Kicking off the diesel range is the 420d, with the same 181bhp 2.0-litre engine as the 320d saloon. This gives 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds and promises 60.1mpg fuel economy. The 420i is the entry-level petrol model, with the same 181bhp output.

Further up the range are the 3.0-litre six-cylinder 430d, with 254bhp, and the petrol-powered 428i and 435i, with 242bhp and 302bhp respectively. A 309bhp 435d model is the flagship, but is only available with the xDrive four-wheel-drive system. The 420i and 420d can also be fitted with four-wheel drive.

BMW 4 Series: engines and price

The 4 Series goes on sale from 5 October, initially only in 428i, 435i and 420d options, with the other engines due in November. All are offered with an eight-speed automatic box, including launch control. Buyers can also choose from SE, Sport, Modern, Luxury and M Sport specs. Not all prices have been revealed, but the range will start from £31,575 for the 420d SE, with the 428i SE costing £32,595 and the 435i Luxury priced at £40,795.

Every model bar the SE has 18-inch alloys and sports seats, while Luxury and M Sport add the BMW Business Media package. This includes sat-nav and an Emergency Call system that alerts the emergency services if you’ve had an accident, telling them what type of crash it was, how many people are involved and where you are.