2021 BMW 4-Series dives nose-first into shrinking coupe segment

When the latest BMW 7-Series and X7 came around, people strained their eyes, frowning at the humongous kidney grill plastered up their front. But the designers at Bavaria seem to have no plans to stop there. Here’s the new 2021 BMW 4 Series with an even taller iteration of the kidney grill, as if to spite detractors.

The grill, borrowed from the Concept 4, is said to hark back to BMW roadsters from the time of your great-grandfather. And it is not just show as the upright orientation of the grill is chosen to feed air into a six-cylinder engine as effectively as possible.

Keeping that gaping grill aside, the 2021 BMW 4 Series looks sharp from some angles, although it is trundling close to generic territory, diluting the C-pillar’s “Hoffmeister kink” to almost nothing.

The driver-focused cockpit of the new 3 Series sedan has been pasted into the 4 Series Coupe. There is a multitude of leather options to choose from. It also gets the latest BMW iDrive 7.0 system, shining through a standard 8.8-inch touchscreen system or an optional 10.3-inch screen. There is a small 5.1-inch digital display nestled between the analogue dials, all of which can be swapped for an optional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The tech list also includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the next-gen heads-up display, a cloud-based navigation system and more.

To keep its occupants safe, the 2021 BMW 4 Series employs features like front collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure braking with steering assist as standard. The optional safety feature list includes a Driving Assistance Professional Package, which adds adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-keep assist with side collision avoidance and rear automatic emergency braking.

The lower models, 430i and 430i xDrive, get an uprated 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, good for 255 hp and 399 Nm. The bigger M440i xDrive model is powered by a new 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine which comes with a 48V mild-hybrid system. This combination produces 382 hp and 500 Nm, powering the coupe from 0-100 kph in under 4.5 seconds. All the engines are hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive is offered with xDrive-badged models.

To chime with its sporty vibe, 2021 4 Series gets bespoke suspension. It is also longer, wider and shorter than the sedan, yet it retains the perfect 50:50 weight distribution. An optional “M Adaptive” suspension setup takes all a notch above, tweaking the steering, damping and throttle response for a sportier driving experience.

The new 2021 BMW 4-Series has already gone on sale in the U.S. while the global launch of the coupe will happen in October. Expect it to be in UAE and GCC showrooms by the end of the year. Sales of the 3-Series-based coupe has been sharply dropping ever since it was rebadged as a 4-Series, coinciding with the onslaught of crossovers, many from BMW’s own confusing stable. It is interesting that the car exists at all in the current environment.