BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe Review 2024

Based on the stylish BMW 4 Series (which itself is based on the popular 3 Series), the 4 Series Gran Coupe is a desirable five-door coupe that's set to rival the Audi A5 Sportback and Volkswagen Arteon.

If you're looking for a logical reason to buy the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, you're not going to find one here. It's more expensive and less practical than a 3 Series, but – just like competitors – it's a niche offering with a serious amount of showroom appeal.

In fairness, it's hardly impractical. You get a 470-litre boot (which is 30 litres more than a standard 4 Series and just 10 litres less than a 3 Series), while the rear seats are easily accessed and spacious enough for a pair of adults.

In the front, you'll find seats that are positioned low down in the cabin creating a sporty vibe, while there's the usual mix of soft-touch materials and high-quality fabrics. BMW's excellent 10.25-inch Live Cockpit Professional infotainment system is standard, while all BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe models get a slick digital instrument cluster, too.

Buyers get the choice of the usual mix of petrol and diesel engines, ranging from the entry-level BMW 420i Gran Coupe with its 2.0-litre petrol engine, to the range-topping BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe. This uses a twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine with enough power to cover 0-62mph in just 4.7 seconds. It's essentially a BMW M4 for the more discerning customer.

Don't dismiss the BMW 420i Gran Coupe, though. It's surprisingly good to drive, with a feisty enough engine, sharp rear-wheel-drive handling and a standard-fit eight-speed automatic gearbox. There's loads of technology on hand to keep you safe, too, with no fewer than 40 automated driver-assistance features available.

You can't really buy a basic BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe – there are basically two core trim levels available: M Sport and M Sport Pro. Standard equipment across all models includes sport seats, an electric tailgate and a reversing camera, while the M Sport Pro adds 19-inch alloy wheels, adapative suspension and beefier M Sport brakes.

Prices start from nearly £42,000 for a BMW 420i M Sport Gran Coupe, while the BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe is more than £55,000.

The whole idea of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is that it's more practical than the standard 4 Series, and it certainly succeeds in that regard. The 470-litre boot is 30 litres bigger than the Coupe's (and only 10 litres short of the 3 Series Saloon), while the rear seats drop individually to provide up to 1290 litres of space if necessary.

Space is reasonably good for rear-seat passengers, too. Access is easy, while there's enough head and legroom for adults, although anyone more than six-foot tall might be complaining on a longer journey.

There's loads of room in the front, with the seats mounted low down meaning even taller drivers have plenty of headroom. You'll find plenty of little storage areas, too, including a pair of cup holders, a big glovebox and a useful storage area under the centre armrest.

Interior quality is just as impressive as inside the Audi A5 Sportback, with plush materials aplenty. Sure, it's a relatively expensive car, but it's easy to see where your money goes – a Volkswagen Arteon or Genesis G70 Shooting Brake can't compete inside. Everything feels nice to touch, with knurled finishes and a soft-touch buttons.

Going by other BMW models (including the latest 3 Series), we have no doubt that the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe will stand the test of time in this regard, either. There are some hard plastics, for example, low down in the cabin where you're more likely to bash your feet than touch with your hands.

No matter which BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe you buy, you'll get the brand's excellent Live Cockpit Professional navigation system. This uses a 10.25-inch central infotainment screen, operated via touchscreen or a rotary controller located within easy reach of the driver's left hand. We rate this setup highly – it's much safer (and more comfortable) than trying to lean forward and touch the touchscreen display.

The system comes with a build-in SIM card for 4G connectivity, although we'd suggest just connecting your phone and using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead.

There's a configurable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in place of traditional dials. This looks smart but, if we're being picky, we prefer the graphics of Audi's Virtual Cockpit.

At the time of writing, a BMW 420i M Sport Gran Coupe starts from £41,650, while a Pro Edition model is £46,450. The BMW 430i M Sport Gran Coupe is priced from £45,645, while the Pro Edition is £50,145.

A diesel BMW 420d M Sport Gran Coupe is £44,000, while you'll pay £48,840 for an M Sport Pro Edition. You can also buy the diesel with four-wheel drive, with the 420d xDrive M Sport Gran Coupe priced from £45,590 and the BMW 420d xDrive M Sport Pro Edition Gran Coupe costing £50,390.

Topping the range is the BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe, which is priced from £55,695.

The BMW 420d Gran Coupe won't sell in the same numbers it might have done in the past – diesel is decidedly out of fashion – but it's still the ideal choice for anyone who regularly drives long distances out of town. Its mild-hybrid assistance doesn't mean it'll run around town in silence, but it does contribute towards an impressive 58.9mpg WLTP fuel economy figure. This drops to 55.4mpg for the xDrive four-wheel-drive model.

If you cover less than 12,000 miles or so a year, we'd recommend sticking to the BMW 420i Gran Coupe petrol. This officially returns up to 42.8mpg, while the more powerful 430i Gran Coupe should be good for up to 41.5mpg.

Like the diesel, the flagship BMW M440i Gran Coupe features mild-hybrid assistance, but that can't work miracles in terms of fuel economy. Officially, it'll return up to 35.3mpg.

The latest BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is too new for us to have any significant Real MPG data, but keep an eye out to see how efficient owners are finding their cars.

Fuel costs aside, you'll pay a considerable amount in VED (car tax). As all BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe models have a list price of more than £40,000, you'll be hit by the £335-a-year premium car tax. That's for years one to six, on top of the usual £155 bill. The only way to avoid this is by considering the electric BMW i4 instead.

Like a lot of BMW models, the 4 Series Gran Coupe is the top of the class in terms of how it handles. It's available with rear- or all-wheel-drive (depending on engine), but all remain composed during cornering with little in the way of body roll. Don't be put off by the xDrive four-wheel-drive system fitted as standard to the BMW M440i – it's there to provide a little reassurance but, when you're in the mood, the sportier drive modes will direct the majority of the power to the rear wheels.

Adaptive suspension is available, allowing you to tweak the ride comfort depending on your mood. We found that it's always well-judged, even doing a good job of soaking up broken road surfaces in the sportier drive modes.

The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is easy to drive around town. The coupe roofline doesn't hinder visibility too much, while there's tech on hand (including a standard-fit reversing camera) to help you tackle tight parking spaces.

We suspect a lot of BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe buyers will opt for the entry-level 420i. That's no hardship as it uses a superb 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which produces 184PS and 300Nm of torque. Paired with the standard eight-speed automatic gearbox, it'll accelerate to 62mph in 7.9 seconds – swift enough for relatively easy overtakes.

After a bit more power? The BMW 430i Gran Coupe uses the same engine with power turned up to 245PS and 400Nm of torque. We're yet to sample this engine, but it'll accelerate to 62mph in 6.2 seconds.

There's also a diesel model, badged the BMW 420d Gran Coupe, which uses a 2.0-litre diesel engine and is available with or without xDrive all-wheel drive. We've tried this engine in other BMW models and it's surprisingly refined for a diesel engine, while 400Nm of torque means it's effortless to drive.

For the ultimate junior BMW M4, the BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe uses a twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech to produce 374PS and 500Nm of torque. This is, unsurprisingly, rather quick – covering 0-62mph in a rapid 4.7 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph.

Euro NCAP is yet to crash-test the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe but, with no fewer than 40 automated driver-assistance features available, it ought to be a very safe car.

These include the optional Driving Assistant with Rear Collision Prevention and rear crossing traffic warning that reduces the danger of a collision when reversing towards roads with poor visibility. Lane Change Warning increases safety in overtaking manoeuvres on multi-lane roads.

The standard-fitted Cruise Control with brake function helps make driving over longer distances more relaxing. The optional Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function offers even more extensive assistance by using sensor data from cameras and radar to not only maintain the preferred speed, but also automatically to keep a safe distance from vehicles travelling ahead.

The BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe is, perhaps surprisingly, the most capable tow car of the bunch. This is officially rated to tow a braked trailer weighing 1800kg.

The rest of the range can officially tow a trailer weighing up to 1600kg.

Standard equipment on all BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe models includes sport seats, a sport leather steering wheel, automatic air con, LED headlights and rear lights and an automatic tailgate. There's also a reversing camera as standard, as well as cruise control with brake function.

The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe M Sport adds M Sport suspension, M Sport exterior styling (incluyding the Aerodynamics package and M Sport spoiler), Parking Assistant and BMW Live Cockpit Professional.

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe M Sport Pro Edition models comes with exclsuive BMW Individual paintwork (Tanzanite Blue, Dravit Grey or Aventurin Red), 19-inch bicolour Midnight Grey alloy wheels, Aluminium Fabric or Piano Black interior trim, M Adaptive Suspension, M Sport brakes with red calipers and sun protection glass.

As well as its M Performance TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder petrol engine, the BMW M440i Gran Coupe features adaptive M Suspension and an M Sport differential.