BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe Review 2024

If you want a premium car that's a bit more interesting than the BMW 3 Series yet more practical than a BMW 4 Series Coupe, the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is an excellent choice. It's great to drive, looks the business and the interior is just as high quality as you'd expect. For lower running costs, look at the all-electric BMW i4, but otherwise the 4 Series Gran Coupe is a thoroughly desirable five-door coupe.

We rate the entry-level BMW 420i Gran Coupe highly. It's got a characterful engine with plenty of performance, meaning few buyers will feel the need to step up to a 430i. Petrolheads should consider the BMW M440i Gran Coupe, though. It's brilliant to drive with an addictive six-cylinder soundtrack. It won't be particularly cheap to run, but it's less in-your-face than the new BMW M4.

While the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is a niche model, it still has direct competition in the form of the Audi A5 Sportback. Mercedes doesn't do a four-door coupe version of the C-Class, but you might also want to consider the smaller Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe. The Volkswagen Arteon is another strong alternative, as is the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake.

The bar's pretty high for interior finishes in the premium car market, and the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn't disappoint. You might pay a premium for a car like this, but you'll be able to see where your money's gone every time you sit in the cabin. All the buttons feel satisfyingly tactile; even the indicators operate with a satisfying clunk.

Leather seats (that's genuine leather – none of this artificial nonsense) are standard across the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe range, while standard LED interior lighting adds to the upmarket ambience.

Most versions of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe models come with the brand's 10.25-inch Live Cockpit Professional infotainment system. As well as navigation with a built-in SIM card providing 4G connectivity, this also provides access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: perfect for using Google Maps to navigate, for example, or accessing Spotify on the move.

The screen is bright, the graphics are sharp and the menus are easy to navigate, but the best thing about the infotainment setup in the 4 Series Gran Coupe is that it can be controlled via a rotary controller positioned conveniently on the centre console. That feels a lot safer than trying to reach forward and navigate a touchscreen system when you're also involved with the important task of driving a car.

As well as the central infotainment screen, the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe also features a smart 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. These are easily configurable and provide all the information you could possibly need, but the graphics are a little more complicated than is perhaps ideal.

A facelift in 2024 saw the 4 Series range given the a new infotainment system, the same one as in more recent BMW models. This houses the two digital screens together in one combined unit that curves around the driver. The amount of buttons on the dash is severely reduced, but this does mean you have to use the central screen to perform pretty much every function, which is more distracting on the move. Happily, though, BMW has retained the iDrive rotary controller in the 4 Series (that's not the case in all models with this system), which is much less distracting to use than relying on the touchscreen functionality. And, as such systems go, though, it's one of the easiest to navigate and use.

The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe measures 4,783mm long, 1,852mm wide and 1,442mm in height, meaning it's longer, wider and even (very slightly) taller than the BMW 3 Series Saloon. That means it's spacious inside, although its coupe shape does limit practicality to an extent.

Still, access to both the front and rear seats is pretty easy (you very much climb down into the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, though, unlike SUV alternatives like the BMW X4). Headroom in the back will be fine for children, although you might want to look elsewhere if you regularly carry adults in the rear seats. Grooves in the rear of the front seats help with legroom, although there is a lump in the floor, which might get in the way if you want to squeeze three people into the rear seats.

The boot can accommodate 470 litres of luggage, which is up 30 litres compared to the regular BMW 4 Series and down just 10 litres compared to the BMW 3 Series. There's a bit of a lip that you'll have to lift things over but, as hatchback, access is pretty good. If you need more room, the rear seats drop individually to provide up to 1,290 litres of space.

The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe range kicks off with an impressive 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine badged the 420i. We like this engine a lot: it's got more than enough performance (thanks to 184PS and 300Nm of torque), while it won't cost a fortune to run, either. Like all of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe range, it's paired as standard with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, which is superb, providing fast responses and timely gear changes.

Topping the range is the BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe. This uses a 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol engine with mild-hybrid assistance to produce 374PS and 500Nm of torque. It's by far the fastest BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe you can buy, covering 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, only a second and a bit slower than the hot BMW M4 Competition Coupe. 

Those are the only two engines you can buy if you're shopping for a brand new 4 Series Gran Coupe (not including the all-electric i4, that is), but your choice is greater if you buy used, due to the availability of some now-discontinued engines.

The BMW 430i Gran Coupe uses the same four-cylinder petrol engine as the 420i, but with a power boost to 245PS, while 400Nm of torque makes for effortless acceleration. We never got to sample the BMW 430i Gran Coupe, but expect it to be much like the 420i, albeit with a bit more power.

Diesel fans are catered for by the BMW 420d Gran Coupe, which is available with or without the brand's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe of choice for those who cover a lot of miles, the 420d packs 190PS and 400Nm of torque.

While the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is a little sportier than rivals like the Audi A5 Sportback, it still impresses in terms of refinement. You'll find that very little noise makes its way into the cabin, while the engines can be pleasantly hushed when you want them to be.

That said, we were surprised by how rorty the 2.0-litre petrol engine used in the 420i can be under acceleration. That's not a bad thing: it adds to the character of the car, and it only comes to light if you're heavy with the throttle. Sit back, relax and avoid the sportier drive modes if you don't want the hear the engine.

The BMW M440i Gran Coupe is noisier still but, again, only when you really want it to be. And it's a satisfying six-cylinder burble that makes its way into the cabin, almost like a watered-down BMW M4.

BMW says there are around 40 automated driver-assistance features available on the 4 Series Gran Coupe, designed to increase safety and comfort by supporting the driver in monotonous driving situations.

The functions included in the optional Driving Assistant include 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 4 Series Gran Coupe is yet to be crash-tested by Euro NCAP, but the 4 Series Coupe received a full five-star rating when it was tested in 2019. Mind you, the i4 all-electric version of the Gran Coupe only scored four stars when it was tested in 2022.

The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe shares mechanicals with a wide range of BMW models, one of the being the 3 Series. And, in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, the 3 Series was named on the list of the 10 least reliable cars in the entire study, according to ratings from owners.

That'll be of concern to some, but you can take encouragement from BMW's performance in the manufacturer rankings for overall satisfaction. The brand came 12th out of 29 carmakers, slightly ahead of the industry average, and streets ahead of bitter rivals Audi and Mercedes. So, there can't be too many BMW owners wandering around, complaining about the reliability of their car.

The standard BMW warranty is a three-year, unlimited-mileage affair, which is better than bog-standard, but only marginally.

The cheapest BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe to insure is likely to be a 420i M Sport, which is in insurance group 30. The BMW 420d Gran Coupe is group 32 or 33, depending on model. A BMW 430i Gran Coupe is in insurance group 34, while the BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe is insurance group 40.

Of course, these numbers will mean different things to different people. If you're a young or inexperienced driver living in an area with lots of crime, you might want to shop around for an insurance quote before buying a BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. More senior drivers living in the suburbs of a quiet town should find insurance to be relatively affordable, meanwhile.

All versions of the 4 Series Gran Coupe cost more than £40,000 when brand new, which means that all are liable for the government's 'luxury car' surcharge on VED road tax. So, on top of the flat rate of tax you pay on all petrol and diesel cars - a rate that currently stands at £190 per year - you also pay an additional amount on top for a five-year period between years two and six of the car's life, after which it reverts back to just the flat rate. This surcharge currently stands at £410, taking your total outlay for that period up to £600 per year. You can't swerve it by buying used, either, as the liability is passed on to subsequent owners. Versions with mild hybrid tech do qualify for a discount, but at just £10 per year, it won't do much to ease the sting.

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 (including 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 exclusive 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.