Following an online leak of images of the car, BMW decided to release full details of the 4 Series Gran Coupe ahead of its 2014 Geneva Motor Show debut.
Unfortunately for BMW, the styling really is the most important part of the story. That’s because the 4 Series Gran Coupe follows the same hair-splitting model pattern as the larger 6 Series Gran Coupe, which is actually a 5 Series with swoopier sheet metal.
However, while the 6 Series Gran Coupe turned out to be a fairly handsome car, its little cousin just looks like a 3 Series that’s been chopped.
It’s not that the 4 Series Gran Coupe is a bad looking car, it’s just that it doesn’t move the bar past the 3 Series sedan or two-door 4 Series coupe. For a car that exists for no other reason than to woo buyers with its styling, that’s a problem.
Under the skin, nearly everything is the same as in the rest of the 3 Series and 4 Series lineup. Like its 4 Series siblings, the Gran Coupe will be offered in the United States as a 428i with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 240 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque, or as a 435i with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, good for 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque.
An eight-speed automatic will be the only transmission option in the U.S. Both models will be available with rear- and xDrive all-wheel drive. The 428i will get it at launch, while the 435i will get it later this year.
BMW says the 428i Gran Coupe will do 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, while the 435i Gran Coupe will do the deed in 4.9 seconds. An automatic-equipped 428i coupe will hit 60 mph in the same 5.7 seconds as its Gran Coupe counterpart, while a 435i is slightly slower at 5.0 seconds.
Interestingly, while it does have four doors, the Gran Coupe is actually about the same size as a two-door 4 Series; it really is a stretched coupe rather than a squashed sedan. Interior design and equipment are similar to that of a 3 Series sedan, albeit with a little less rear legroom.
Like the 4 Series and most 3 Series models, the Gran Coupe will offered in Sport Line, Luxury Line, and M Sport trim levels.
Pricing starts at $41,225 (including destination) for a base 428i Gran Coupe. The 428i xDrive Gran Coupe will start at $43,225, and the 435i Gran Coupe will top the range at $46,725.
The car will go on sale this summer, after its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month and a North American debut scheduled for the 2014 New York Auto Show in April.
