The last day of September 2013 saw the Irish press launch of the BMW 4 Series range to Ireland and we had a brief encounter with it in Lutrellstown Castle in Castleknock, Dublin.
Laura Doherty, Product Manager of BMW brought us through some of the facts and figures of the 4 Series. Laura explained that the four series is not a rehash of the 3 Series Coupé (E92) and that the 4 Series is a “complete new model”.
The design of the 4 Series is sportier looking than the 3 Series Coupé and it offers an “enhanced driving performance” and has an “increased level of standard equipment”.
The 4 Series is lower, longer and wider than the 3 Series with more structured headlights. It offers a better fuel economy while at the same time it has a “powerful and muscular” stance. The widest point of the 4 Series comes at the rear wheel arches.
As with regards to the interior; it has a high gloss centre console, a pocket on the door “big enough for a 1 litre bottle” and a two tone interior effect on the door. The back seats also offer more in terms of space in comparison with the 3 Series Coupé offering 12mm more leg room.
Launching on 5 October 2013 the 4 Series is an impressive car with a large price tag. The good news however is the price difference between variants is not massive. I drove the 428i today and I have to say that this is an impressive car and its turbocharged engine offers better fuel economy and burns 27g less CO2 than the 3 Series Coupé. BMW reckon they will sell “well over the hundred” of these cars in 2014.
The engines available from next month will be the 428i, 435i and the 420d. All engines are turbocharged, have “Drive Performance Control with ECO PRO” as standard. All 4 series also come with start-stop technology. A nice available option is their eight-speed automatic transmission. By BMWs own admission they foresee the majority of these being sold as automatic cars. Customers can expect to see x-drive models from November and into early 2014. There will be 5 trims available; M Sport, Luxury, Sport, Modern and SE.
The Look
As with regards to the look of the car it has the look of a 3 Series to the front and the rear is like a smaller version of a 6 Series. I think it looks great and will be a head turner for those who opt to buy this car.
Price
There are plenty of items as standard with this car and plenty of extras too, but the pricing between the models is actually quiet good. The difference between the SE model and the M-Sport is only €4,500, which if it was me buying it would make me think that it would be rude not to spend the extra money. I won’t however be in the market for this car any time soon because the entry level 4 Series will set you back at least €46,000.
The CBG.ie verdict
To be honest, this car is stunning but sadly this hack isn’t in the market to spend that much money on the car.
Daragh Ó Tuama
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