The new BMW 4-Series Coupé was developed with the aim of redefining the essence of driving pleasure in the premium midsize segment. The two-door model is based on the technical underpinnings of the latest BMW 3-Series Sedan. But the design and blueprint for this latest generation adds another layer to the autonomous identity encapsulated in its standalone model name. A rigorous commitment to optimising the car's proportions, aerodynamics, body stiffness and chassis mounting has resulted in extraordinarily sporty handling.
Model-specific chassis technology plays a particularly important role in putting clear water between the new BMW 4-Series Coupé and the latest BMW 3-Series Sedan, and in giving it a significantly sharper character than its predecessor. In this way, the latest model generation latches onto the advances made with the dynamic skillset of the latest 3-Series and extends that fresh potency even further into an intoxicating experience of performance at work.
The new BMW 4-Series Coupé will be built at BMW Plant Dingolfing. The BMW Group's largest German production facility is also the birthplace for the BMW 8-Series Coupé and siblings. Other models rolling off the production line at Dingolfing include the BMW 5-Series, BMW 6-Series Gran Turismo and BMW 7-Series luxury sedan. The worldwide launch of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé will get underway in October 2020.
Model-specific design, low centre of gravity, optimised aerodynamics
The standalone design of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé is clearly visible from every angle. The distinctive proportions and model-specific front-end design create an authentic showcase for the two-door car's sporty character profile.
The 4-Series Coupé's wheelbase is particularly long when measured against its competitors and its rear track is 23 millimetres wider than the 3-Series Sedan's. That is the perfect recipe for balancing supreme ride comfort with excellent cornering dynamics. Added to which, enhanced aerodynamics, a 57-millimetre reduction in vehicle height compared with the 3-Series Sedan and a resultant 21-millimetre lower centre of gravity all benefit sports performance. A specially tailored package of bracing elements to add further rigidity of the body structure also provides the building blocks for smile-inducing agility and precision handling.
Intelligent lightweight design minimises weight and maximises rigidity and passive safety
The weight-minimising design of the BMW 4-Series Coupé's body and chassis components has a beneficial effect on both agility and efficiency. An intelligent mix of materials helps to minimise vehicle weight and combines with optimised load paths to enhance the body's rigidity and crash safety. The hot-stamped steels and aluminium alloys used for the safety passenger cell are supplemented by multi-phase steels for extra reinforcement.
The front end of the car uses an engine side member (made from extruded aluminium profiles) and die-cast aluminium spring struts. Other advances over the outgoing model have been achieved through the aluminium construction of the bonnet, front side panels and doors of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé. A material made out of natural fibres is used for the boot lid lining, which helps reduce weight and preserve resources.
A comprehensive passive safety concept maximises occupant protection in an extremely wide range of collisions and factors in the requirements of crash testing procedures in car markets around the world. Alongside the super-stiff passenger cell and highly resilient supporting structures, it also includes integrated safety electronics which deploy the restraint systems in the right sequence, at the optimum moment and with the required effect for the type and severity of the collision at hand. The new BMW 4-Series Coupé is also equipped as standard with an active bonnet system to optimise pedestrian protection. Pyrotechnic actuators raise the bonnet if the vehicle collides with a pedestrian, creating more deformation space between the bonnet and the hard underlying structures.
Design
Over the course of what is now five model generations, BMW Design has developed an inimitable style for the brand's midsize coupés. The styling of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé provides an expressive showcase for the individual character of the sporty two-door car. Out of BMW's new styling language has come a body design - based around a small number of precise lines and large, clear surfaces - which radiates pure driving pleasure from every angle.
The vehicle concept behind the new BMW 4-Series Coupé focuses more resolutely than ever on delivering a driving experience of compelling dynamism. This mission statement is faithfully reflected in the car's design. The new 4-Series Coupé exudes an unwavering sense of sportiness beyond that of earlier model generations. At the same time, its styling distinguishes it clearly from the latest 3-Series Sedan. The proportions and lines of the two-door model are replete with the sporting elegance characteristic of BMW coupés. This distinctive appearance instils the new 4-Series Coupé with a degree of exclusivity and prestige beyond anything else in its class.
The dynamically stretched proportions of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé are the result of its larger exterior dimensions. At 4,768 millimetres, the new car is 128 millimetres longer than its predecessor and 27 mm wider (now 1,852 mm), and its wheelbase has grown by 41 mm to 2,851 mm. Just 6 mm has been added to the vehicle height, which is now 1,383 mm. Increased track widths (+ 28 mm at the front and + 18 mm at the rear) are a major factor in the muscular stature of the new 4-Series Coupé. Short overhangs, slender pillars, long doors with frameless windows and a flowing roofline accentuate its elegant appearance from the side.
An expressive and distinctive front end with a nose for tradition
The unusually striking front end of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé shines the spotlight on its standalone character. The large, vertically emphasised BMW kidney grille reflects the significant cooling air requirement of the powerful engine behind the scenes. The grille angles forward and extends down almost to the lower edge of the front apron, and its standard air intakes have a mesh structure. As a defining element of the front end, the kidney grille stands confidently at its centre. With its upright elements connected in the centre, it reprises a design feature from the company's past - one shared with legendary brand classics, such as the BMW 328 Coupé and BMW 3.0 CSi - and adds its own modern twist.
The kidney grille is framed by surfaces with a three-dimensional structure. Like the contours of the headlights, the bonnet's arrow-shaped lines zero in on the kidney grille. At the outer edges of the front apron, the likewise vertically designed intakes for the Air Curtains accentuate the width of the car.
LED headlights as standard, BMW Laserlight optional
The headlights of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé also reach well into the powerfully flared front wheel arches. Their slim contours, tapering towards the kidney grille, and the four-eyed front end formed by the side-by-side arrangement of the light sources create the focused expression which has become a BMW brand signature. Full-LED headlights are fitted as standard, and the advanced technology at work here is visible in detail. Two U-shaped fibre-optic light guides in the lower section of the headlights serve as the daytime driving lights. And the turn indicators come in the form of three high-quality glass blades at the outer reaches of the headlight units.
Among the items on the options list for the new BMW 4-Series Coupé are Adaptive LED Headlights with BMW Laserlight including BMW Selective Beam non-dazzling high beam assistant. Here, low and high beam are generated from both the headlights' outer and inner light sources. This equipment item also comes with the cornering light and adaptive cornering 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 metres and follows the course of the road dynamically. Hexagonal fibre-optic light guides supply the daytime driving lights. Each of the outer daytime driving light elements is now also employed as a turn indicator.
BMW Laserlight can be easily identified by the blue inlays at the upper edge of the headlight units. Both LED light variants are available in BMW Individual lights Shadowline form, with darkened inlays adorning their upper edges. Slim LED fog lights embedded horizontally into the front apron can also be specified as an option.
Elegant and dynamic side view, powerful rear
The flanks of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé are shaped by precise and tautly carved surfaces, a slim window graphic with surrounds in matt black as standard and a stretched roofline flowing smoothly into the tail. Their contours, crisply defined by a small number of lines, collectively form an athletic overall sculpture. Reduced surfacing above the front wheel arches provides a visual signifier of the car's agility, while the glasshouse - heavily tapered in its rear section - and the muscular shoulders above the rear wheels accentuate its wide track and powerful stature. The dynamic impression created by the vehicle body combines with an elegantly extended side window graphic, which culminates in a particularly tight interpretation of the Hofmeister kink counter-swing at its trailing edge.
At the rear, too, large and distinct surfaces are the dominant influences, underscoring the new BMW 4-Series Coupé's muscular shoulders, width and low centre of gravity. It is an effect reinforced by slim and stylishly darkened full-LED rear lights which extend well into the flanks. Consistently illuminating rear light bars reproduce the L shape familiar from other BMW models. Vertically arranged apertures at the outer edges of the rear apron mimic the appearance of the Air Curtains at the front. The dual-branch tailpipes - circular or trapezoidal, depending on the model variant - frame the lower section of the rear apron.
M Sport model with characteristic design; model-specific accents for the flagship variants of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé
The new BMW 4-Series Coupé can be ordered in M Sport model form as an alternative to standard specification. Extremely large outer air intakes in the front apron and a strikingly sculpted rear apron with an inlay in Dark Shadow and a diffuser element in High-gloss Black showcase the two-door model's dynamic character even more expressively. Other design features added by the M Sport model are air intake trim elements, side window surrounds and exterior mirror bases in High-gloss Black. In cars featuring optional BMW Individual High-gloss Shadowline trim with extended features, the kidney grille surround and exhaust tailpipe finishers also sport a classy dark colour scheme.
As well as the body features in the M Sport model designed to optimise the supply of cooling air and aerodynamics, the BMW M440i xDrive Coupé and BMW M440d xDrive Coupé also come with a kidney grille surround, air intake trim, exterior mirror caps and trapezoidal exhaust tailpipe finishers in Cerium Grey metallic. A rear apron inlay in High-gloss Black provides an additional flourish. Added to which, BMW M cars can be specified with an M Carbon exterior package, which comprises front-wing air intake finishers, exterior mirror caps, a diffuser element in the rear apron and a specially moulded rear spoiler made from this ultra-lightweight high-tech material.
New exterior colours and BMW Individual paint finishes
The two non-metallic paint shades Black and Alpine White, plus the Sapphire Black metallic, Mineral White metallic, Bluestone metallic, Sunset Orange metallic, Portimao Blue metallic and new Arctic Race Blue metallic options are available from launch for the new BMW 4-Series Coupé. Customers can also choose from the BMW Individual paint finishes Dravite Grey metallic and Tanzanite Blue metallic.
Four-seat interior with driver-focused cockpit design and modern premium ambience
Cleanly designed surfaces, high-quality materials and the driver-focused layout of the cockpit define the premium ambience and singularly performance-centric interior design of the new BMW 4-Series Coupé. Standard equipment includes sports seats for the driver and front passenger, for example. The structure of the elegantly designed instrument panel is based around horizontal lines. Its width is further emphasised by the contours and high-quality electroplated strips extending into the door areas. 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 occupants. In the BMW M440i xDrive Coupé, BMW M440d xDrive Coupé and M Sport model option, the outer edges of the centre console have knee pads to cater for a sporty driving style.
The instrument cluster and Control Display in the new BMW 4-Series Coupé form a large-surface display grouping, while the controls not included in these units are clustered into clearly structured function panels. The displays and buttons for the air conditioning and the central air vents are arranged in a sharply designed unit in the centre of the instrument panel. The light functions are operated from a panel of buttons next to the steering wheel. The start/ stop button for the engine is now positioned in a classy control panel in the centre console, where the newly designed selector lever is joined by the iDrive Controller and the buttons for the Driving Experience Control switch and electromechanical parking brake.
The model-specific rear seats designed for two passengers have a clear individual-seat character. Integral head restraints and domes on the parcel shelf, in which speakers can also be integrated as an option alongside the child seat attachment points, underline the sporting feel in the rear section of the cabin.
Fast, accurate, informative: BMW Maps - the new-generation navigation system
When it comes to digital services, one of the standout new features for the new BMW 4-Series Coupé is BMW Maps. This cloud-based system boasts significantly enhanced performance and excellent accuracy along with a simplified method of destination entry. The new-generation navigation system offers extremely fast route calculation carried out dynamically and based on precise real-time traffic data transmitted at short intervals. The arrival time is calculated using an anticipatory method which factors in the usual traffic levels along the entire route. Full traffic data is now available for more minor roads, too.
Drivers can now enter any word when searching for their chosen destination. The search results are sorted by relevance with a high level of precision. Alternatively, the destination can be entered simply by saying it. Points of interest (POIs) along the route are described in greater detail, with reviews, opening times and photos all included.
BMW Maps also provides even more effective assistance by using Connected Parking to search for a parking space close to the destination. When the driver selects their destination in the navigation system, they receive an indication of the parking situation at the destination for their estimated time of arrival. Shortly before arriving, the driver is given information on the nearest multi-storey car park as well as proposed routes offering a particularly good chance of finding a parking spot close to the destination. The familiar On-Street Parking Information and ParkNow services have been intelligently incorporated into the functionality of BMW Maps.
Smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay - and now also Android Auto
BMW Live Cockpit Plus and BMW Live Cockpit Professional also come with an optimised Smartphone integration feature. In addition to Apple CarPlay, the operating system for the new BMW 4-Series Coupé will also host Android Auto. This opens up the benefits already enjoyed by Apple iPhone owners to Android users as well, making it easier to access a large number of digital services from the car in the same way as on a smartphone. These include Google Assistant, Google Maps, music streaming services like Spotify and Amazon Music, and the WhatsApp messaging service.
The wireless WiFi connection between the smartphone and vehicle enables the operating system in question to be integrated directly into the car's display and operating system. All the key information from the apps made available there can be viewed both in the Control Display and - in a cleverly presented way - in the instrument cluster or optional Head-Up Display.
BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant: more natural voice commands and additional functions
The latest version of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant takes the connection between driver and car to a new level in the new BMW 4-Series Coupé. Activated by a spoken prompt (for example "Hey BMW") or at the touch of a button, this digital companion acquires new capabilities all the time. Naturally formulated spoken instructions can now also be used to adjust the air conditioning. In addition, the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant is also capable of learning routines that increase both convenience and driving pleasure in specific situations. For instance, the driver's window can be opened automatically when the vehicle reaches a chosen location entered using GPS coordinates, such as the entrance to a garage or multi-storey car park.
When the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant is in use, new graphics appear in the Control Display to emphasise the system's interactive character. The graphic now "turns" towards the speaker, thereby visualising how the system is listening attentively to what is being said. The system recognises whether the driver or front passenger is speaking to it and reacts accordingly by, for example, altering the climate control settings on one side of the interior.
Always up to the minute: new Remote Software Upgrade function for over-the-air updates
The switch to BMW Operating System 7 also brings the Remote Software Upgrade function to the new BMW 4-Series Coupé, keeping the vehicle up to date with the latest software. The content of the upgrades ranges from new services to improved vehicle functions. All updates can be imported over the air, either on a smartphone via BMW Connected or directly into the car using its built-in SIM card.
The intelligent connectivity technology also makes it possible to incorporate additional vehicle functions at a later date. The optional features that owners can retrofit via this digital channel include the High Beam Assistant, the Drive Recorder and Active Sound Design.
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