BMW 4 Gran Coupe 2014 review

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is the latest competitor in the premium midrange class; these five-door hatchbacks with stylish rear ends are mainly from the big name German marques, though the Brits and Japanese are in there fighting as well.

While these cars do sometimes lose a little in practicality, they gain a lot in sporting appearance. BMW's Gran Coupe is an exception as it provides good interior space and makes an excellent long distance cruiser. In the Bavarian marque's range the all-new 4 Series Gran Coupe joins the three-door 4 Series Coupe (without the Gran) to further extend the choice of midsize BMW models 

STYLING

The 4 Series Gran Coupe uses the current BMW full-width theme of joining the headlights to the grille to visually maximise the width. In profile the five-door has similar lines to the three-door Coupe. We like the grilles on the front guards and the deep swage lines that highlight the doors. The tailgate is large and gives good access to the rear luggage area.

No attempt has been made to hide the fact that the 4 Gran Coupe has rear doors, designers of some similar vehicles like to pretend theirs are three-door models, but BMW isn't shy about it.

The interior styling design is similar to that of others in the latest BMW 3 and 4 Series models, with a concentration on the driver's area to give that cockpit feel. There's an airy ambience throughout and the materials are of a high quality and crafted very well.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

Our test car was the Gran Coupe 428i that has a four-cylinder turbo-petrol 2.0-litre engine with a power output of 180 kW. The same engine in a different state of tune is called the 220i and puts out 135 kW. There's also a straight-six 3.0-litre non-turbo with 225 kW. Finally those chasing big torque and lower fuel consumption can go for a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

All engines drive the rear wheels (of course!) through an eight-speed automatic transmission that is tuned to give a sportier drive than in the standard models in the BMW range. A six-speed manual gearbox is a no-charge option, but generally requires a special import.

SAFETY

Naturally the 4 Series Gran Coupe easily qualified as a five-star car in tests carried out to European NCAP standards.

The Gran Coupe has a full range of crash prevention and injury minimisation features. The BMW 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.

INFOTAINMENT

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe uses the second generation Connected Drive Service and Apps system. This has its own sim card so the vehicle can communicate, in some circumstances, even if it's not paired 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 - and far safer than trying to key in details while stopped momentarily at traffic lights.

DRIVING

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 so four adults of average size can cruise long distances in comfort. 

The 428i engine has plenty of torque from low revs and is silky smooth all the way through the range. Though turbo lag is minimised by clever engineering a turbo engine is never going to feel as good as the brilliant naturally-aspirated 3.0-litre BMW straight-six.

A five-door family hatchback seldom provides the sort of driving satisfaction the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe gives you. Road holding is assisted by a balanced body thanks to it having a near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Feedback through the steering wheel and the driver's backside is excellent.

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.