BMW 4-series Gran Coupe (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

01 February 2014 23:01

BMW has either just created the next big thing, or officially run out of ideas. This is the 4-series Gran Coupe. Of course, it’s not actually a coupe at all – it has four doors – but being part of the 4-series family, it’s sleeker than the 3-series saloon.

It’s the third and final 4-series model (following the two-door coupe and folding hard-top convertible). Best of all, a 424bhp M4 Gran Coupe is waiting in the wings for 2015…

The 4-series GC follows a trail blazed by the Audi A5 Sportback, which looks like (and is priced as) an A5, but offers four doors and similar cabin space to a cooking A4. Sales have been too strong for BMW to ignore – even if it means risking the wrath of angry enthusiasts fed up of niche-within-niche car-making. Before you start frothing at the mouth, be aware the more practical 4-series Gran Coupe costs exactly the same, spec-for-spec, as its two-door counterpart.

Damn sure – the unique 4-series front and rear ends are present, and the Gran Coupe is exactly the same length, width, and wheelbase-size as the 4-series coupe. The roof, however, is 12mm higher. Although it swoops more severely than a 3-series, we’re seeing hints of the 3-series Gran Turismo’s silhouette here – and that’s no good thing. Do you agree? Comment below…

Yes, says BMW: ‘The functionality of a saloon car with the silhouette of a coupé’ is the official party line. BMW says the boot is now 435-litres: 35 litres bigger than the two-door and, you guessed it, the same size as the boot of a 3-series saloon. That hatchback tailgate allows easier cargo access than any 4-series or the 3-series saloon, and it boasts an automatic close function as standard.
The rear bench has a ‘2+1’ configuration, with improved headroom versus the 4-series coupe.

ll very well, but a 3-series a pinch across the rear seats too. BMW is so busy justifying the 4-series Gran Coupe next to its two-door sister, it may have overlooked the fact it appears to be rendering the poor old Three obsolete.

By Ollie Kew