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THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020
European jobless
rate up modestly,
Germany mulls
stimulus
Page 12
BMW 4 Series Coupe revealed with sportier look
The new BMW 4 Series Coupe has
arrived, and is more distinctive and
sportier than ever with the overall ve-
hicle concept behind the two-door
car that displays a rigorous commit-
ment to a richly engaging driving
experience from its proportions and
bespoke design features to the mod-
el-speciic chassis tuning.
The spotlight on dynamic driv-
ing pleasure puts clear water be-
tween the new BMW4 Series Coupe
and the latest BMW 3 Series Sedan,
giving it a signiicantly sharper
character than its predecessor.
Developed with the aim of rede-
ining the essence of driving plea-
sure in the premium midsize seg-
ment, the new BMW 4 Series Coupe
envelopes an aura of athleticism
and exclusivity that sees it follow-
ing in the BMW brand’s coupe tradi-
tion that is shaped by a succession
of legendary sporting machines
stretching back almost 90 years.
The makeup of the new BMW4
Series Coupe range relects the
emphasis placed on dynamic po-
tency in the car’s conception, as
at market launch in October 2020,
the BMW M440i xDrive Coupe that
is powered by a 275 kW/374 hp six-
cylinder in-line petrol engine with a
fuel consumption combined at 7.1
to 6.8/100km or 39.8 to 41.5 mpg
imp, and CO2 emissions combined
at 163 to 155 g/km that will take its
place at the top of the range.
The vehicle will be joined ini-
tially by a pair of four-cylinder
petrol engines and a four-cylinder
diesel. The plan is then for two six-
cylinder in-line diesel engines to
be added to the line-up in March
2021, and the more powerful of
these two units will be itted in
another BMW M model. The new
BMW 4 Series Coupe will be built
at BMW Plant Dingoling.
As the exterior design sees an
exclusive blend of elegance and
dynamism, the appearance of the
new BMW 4 Series Coupé brings
both the familiar styling of BMW’s
Izah Azahari
The new BMW 4 Series Coupé. PHOTOS: BMW GROUP
sporty two-door models and the
brand’s new design language to the
fore. A small number of crisp lines
and the use of clear, generously
sized surfaces come together into
a body design which exudes un-
adulterated driving pleasure from
every angle.
The dynamically stretched pro-
portions of the new BMW 4 Series
Coupé are the result of greater
exterior dimensions than its pre-
decessor. Length has increased
by 128 millimetres to 4,768 mm,
width by 27 mm to 1,852 mm and
the wheelbase by 41 mm to 2,851
millimetres. Vehicle height is up
by just 6 mm, to 1,383 millimetres,
making the car 57 millimetres
lower than the new BMW 3 Series
Sedan. Its tracks have increased
in width over the previous-gener-
ation model’s – by 28 millimetres
at the front and 18 millimetres at
the rear – and are also 23 millime-
tres wider than those of the latest
BMW 3 Series Sedan.
The striking front end of the
new BMW 4 Series Coupé shines
the spotlight on its standalone
character. The large, vertically
emphasised BMW kidney grille an-
gles forwards and extends down
almost to the lower edge of the
front apron, and a mesh structure
have of the sort only previously
seen on M models on its standard
air intakes. As a deining element
of the front end, the grille stands
conidently at its centre. With its
upright kidneys connected in the
centre, it reprises a design feature
from the company’s past – one
shared with legendary brand clas-
sics, such as the BMW 328 and
BMW 3.0 CSi – and adds its own
modern twist.
The slim headlights of the new
BMW 4 Series Coupé reach well
into the front wheel arches with
full-LED headlights itted as stan-
dard, while Adaptive LED Head-
lights with BMW Laserlight are
available as an option. This equip-
ment item also comes with the
cornering light and adaptive cor-
nering functions with variable road
illumination optimised for urban
and motorway driving. At speeds
above 60 km/h (37 mph), BMW
Laserlight increases high-beam
range to a maximum 550 me-
tres and follows the course of the
road dynamically.
The lanks of the new BMW 4
Series Coupé are shaped by precise
and tautly carved surfaces. Short
overhangs, slender pillars, long
doors with frameless windows, the
slim window graphic and a lowing
rooline accentuate its elegant ap-
pearance. The glasshouse – heav-
ily tapered in its rear section – and
muscular shoulders accentuate its
powerful stature.
At the rear, too, large and dis-
tinct surfaces are the dominant
inluences. Slim and stylishly dark-
ened full-LED rear lights with con-
sistently illuminating light bars un-
derscore the car’s powerful looks.
Meanwhile, its interior sees a
driver-focussed cockpit and two
individual-style rear seats as it in-
cludes cleanly designed surfaces,
high-quality materials and the driv-
er-focussed layout of the cockpit
deine the premium ambience and
singularly performance-centric in-
terior design of the new BMW 4 Se-
ries Coupé. Sports seats and a new-
ly designed sports leather steering
wheel come as standard.
Together with the coordinated
design of the instrument panel and
door panel trim, the high-set centre
console generates an enveloping
environment for the front seat occu-
pants. The standard acoustic glass
for the windscreen further improves
comfort over long distances.
The instrument cluster and Con-
trol Display in the new BMW4 Series
Coupé form a large-surface display
grouping. The start/stop button for
the engine is now positioned in a
classy control panel in the centre
console. And the model-speciic
rear seats with integral head re-
straints and pronounced individual-
seat character have been designed
to accommodate two passengers.
Engines of the new BMW 4 Se-
ries Coupe have also been upgrad-
ed to BMW TwinPower Turbo tech-
nology and mild hybrid technology
for greater dynamism and eficien-
cy, with the new BMWM440i xDrive
Coupé is equipped with mild hybrid
technology, as are the diesel mod-
els. Fitting a powerful 48V starter-
generator and a second battery
allows far more brake energy to be
regenerated and stored. This en-
ergy is used not just for supplying
the electrical system, but also for
lightening the combustion engine’s
workload and boosting its power.
The starter-generator produces
an electric boost effect that instant-
ly puts an additional 8 kW/11 hp on
tap for more dynamic overtaking
or acceleration off the line. What
is more, the powerful starter-gen-
erator also increases eficiency by
assisting the engine while driving
at a constant speed and improves
comfort when the Auto Start Stop
and coasting functions are in use.
As well as the 275 kW/374 hp
straight-six engine under the bon-
net of the lagship model, there is
also a choice of two four-cylinder
petrol units, generating output of
135 kW/184 hp in the new BMW
420i Coupé (fuel consumption
combined: 5.8 – 5.3 l/100 km [48.7
– 53.3 mpg imp]; CO2 emissions
combined: 132 – 122 g/km) and
190 kW/258 hp in the new BMW
430i Coupé (fuel consumption
combined: 6.1 – 5.7 l/100 km [46.3
– 49.6 mpg imp]; CO2 emissions
combined: 141 – 131 g/km). A 140
kW/190 hp four-cylinder diesel en-
gine powers the BMW 420d Coupé
(fuel consumption combined: 4.2 –
3.9 l/100 km [67.3 – 72.4 mpg imp];
CO2 emissions combined: 112 – 103
g/km) and BMW 420d xDrive Cou-
pé (fuel consumption combined:
4.6 – 4.3 l/100 km [61.4 – 65.7 mpg
imp]; CO2 emissions combined: 121
– 112 g/km). This particular unit, like
the straight-six engine in the BMW
430d xDrive Coupé (fuel consump-
tion combined: 6.2 l/100 km [45.6
mpg imp]; CO2 emissions com-
bined: 146 g/km*), is equipped with
a two-stage turbocharging system.
The BMW M440d xDrive Coupé
(fuel consumption combined: 6.7
l/100 km [42.2 mpg imp]; CO2
emissions combined: 158 g/km*)
also combines two turbocharg-
ers of different sizes to produce
superbly eager power delivery. All
models comply with the Euro 6d
emissions standard.
Also included in the new BMW
4 Series Coupe are eight-speed
Steptronic transmission as stan-
dard for all model variants, with
the option of shift paddles and new
Sprint function; improved body ri-
gidity and bespoke chassis tuning
result in eye-catching dynamism;
premiere: M Sport package Pro
for the ultimate in intense driving
pleasure; top-class customisation
options; far wider choice of driver
assistance systems; as well as new
digital services such as BMW Maps,
BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant,
smartphone integration, Remote
Software Upgrade.
The interioir of the new BMW 4 Series Coupé