The 2014 BMW 4 Series: A more modern version of itself

BMW’s famous two-door, formerly known as the 3 Series Coupe, receives a new name: the 4 Series. Why? For the simple reason that “it’s plus one of everything,” as BMW puts it.

BMW is extremely correct in its remark, as trite as it may sound in today’s age of Gmail high fives.

The brand-new 4 Series is an improvement over its predecessor in every conceivable way. There’s more space inside, and the trunk’s bigger, too.

A cabriolet, a four-door coupe, and an M4 will all eventually branch off from this platform, making it a “plus-one” model line for BMW. The 2014 BMW 435i will be the more powerful and faster of the two 4 Series cars coming to the US until the M4 arrives.

BMW awkwardly explains that although the Luxury and Sport lines are self-explanatory, the Modern line makes the brand-new 4 Series seem more, well, contemporary, and these options will be available for all 2014 BMW 4 Series cars.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series models

Both a coupe and a convertible version of the 2014 BMW 4 Series are on the market. The 428i and the 435i are the two available trim levels.

The BMW 428i comes equipped with a number of features as standard, including: 17-inch wheels, xenon headlights, foglights, auto-dimming mirrors, a sunroof, leatherette (premium vinyl) upholstery, eight-way power front seats, driver memory settings, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, fold-down rear seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 6.5-inch display screen, and BMW’s motorized retractable hardtop and wind deflector, which are standard on the 428i.

The 435i is similarly equipped, except it has a more powerful engine and larger 18-inch wheels.

There are a wide variety of available packages and add-ons to let you personalize your 4 Series. Several wheel styles (up to 19 inches), paint jobs, and trim and upholstery options are available across three distinct optional equipment lines (Luxury, Sport, and M Sport).

Both the Sport and M Sport come standard with summer performance tires and sport front seats, while the M Sport additionally has an adjustable suspension damping system and a sport steering wheel.

The 4 Series Premium option includes satellite radio, leather upholstery, keyless ignition and entry, and four-way power lumbar for the front seats. BMW Apps (a suite of connectivity apps for iPhones and select Android devices, including Pandora, Stitcher, and Facebook), BMW Remote Services, and a higher-resolution 8.8-inch display screen are all included in the Technology package.

LED headlights and adaptive high beam control are also included in the lighting package. The convertible gets additional neck-warming air vents in the front seats and heated front seats with the Cold Weather kit. The rearview camera and parking sensors in the front and back are part of the Driving Assistance package.

The Driver Assistance Plus package adds blind-spot monitoring, a top- and side-view camera system, and speed limit information to the previous capabilities. Lastly, the Dynamic Handling option adds adaptive suspension dampers and variable-ratio sport steering to improve the vehicle’s handling and performance.

Brake upgrades, a motorized rear sunshade, adaptive cruise control, a Harman Kardon audio system with 16 speakers, and automatic parallel parking assistance are all available as add-ons.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series Overview

I mean, what’s in a name, anyway? The new 2014 BMW 4 Series may appear to be nothing more than a cunning BMW marketing scheme to empty your pocketbook a bit farther. On the BMW equivalent of the Richter scale, you now have a plus-one. Nevertheless, the 3 Series coupe costs over $4,000 more than the sedan does when new, and although it has many of the same features, it has two fewer doors and is therefore less practical.

What gives, huh? Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that the 4 Series is worth the higher price tag and further cements BMW’s status as the maker of incredibly desirable luxury convertibles and coupes.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series is the new coupe and convertible successor for the 3 Series, and it is based on the same generation platform as the 2012 BMW 5 Series sedan. The new 4 Series, however, stands out from the sedan in a more subtle way.

It has a low, athletic silhouette that is accentuated by its flared fenders and a character line that runs from the front fender to the back, just over the taillights. This is supported by the car’s technical specifications, which reveal that the 4 Series is really 2 inches lower to the ground than the sedan and features wider wheels for enhanced stability and grip.

Vents located behind the front wheels help set the 4 Series apart visually and, according to BMW, increase the vehicle’s aerodynamic efficiency. The 4 Series is powered by two versions of the same fuel-efficient and powerful engines used in BMW’s 3 Series sedan. The BMW 428i comes standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine.

While the power output remains the same at 241 hp and 258 lb-ft, the sound has been significantly improved by BMW’s engineers, making for a more exciting and motivating driving experience and recalling the sound of a classic BMW straight-6.

The top-tier 435i variant boasts a 300-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine for those who insist on having the real deal. You probably know what other options you have if you want to buy a luxury convertible or coupe at the entry level.

The 2014 Infiniti Q60 (formerly known as the G37) continues to provide excellent performance and value, the 2014 Audi A5 and S5 continue to wow with their good looks, and the 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe is as polished and elegant as one would expect from a Mercedes.

The 4 Series, however, impresses us as the year’s most complete and appealing premium sport coupe and convertible thanks to its great handling and performance, striking appearance, and best-in-class interior spaciousness.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series: Expert Review

The two-door variant of the BMW 3 Series has been reimagined as the new, more streamlined, and technologically advanced BMW 4 Series for 2014. It is an excellent option for a luxury sport coupe or convertible vehicle.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series: Performance

BMW offers both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive for the 4 Series in 2014. The two body types share a basic eight-speed automatic gearbox. Rear-wheel-drive coupes can have a manual gearbox installed at no extra cost. As the vehicle comes to a halt, the engine will shut off automatically thanks to the stop-start feature standard on both gearboxes.

The 428i is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The automatic-gearbox version of the sturdy little coupe accelerated to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds in Edmunds’ tests.

EPA estimates 27 mpg combined (23 mpg city and 35 mpg highway) for a 428i coupe with an automatic transmission. Our fuel economy on the Edmunds test loop was 32 mpg. These stats are excellent for this class, and they dip only marginally if you choose the convertible, manual transmission, or all-wheel drive.

The 435i is powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. A 435i coupe with the six-speed manual accelerated from zero to sixty miles per hour in 5.6 seconds on our test track, which is respectable for a vehicle of its class.

The EPA calculates combined fuel economy of 25 mpg for the coupe with the automatic transmission (22 city/32 highway). The combined rating for the manual version is 23, but we achieved 28 mpg on our 120-mile test loop. The combined MPG for the 435i xDrive is 24 with the automatic and 23 with the manual transmission.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series: Safety

Standard safety features on the 2014 BMW 4 Series include antilock brakes, traction and stability control, side airbags, curtain airbags, front knee airbags, and rollover protection (for the convertible). On our test track, the coupe stopped between 110 and 113 feet after a simulated 60 mph panic stop when equipped with summer tires.

Some aspects of the stability control system are geared toward better braking performance, such as occasionally wiping the brake rotors dry while the windshield wipers are on and automatically snuggling the pads to the rotors when the driver suddenly takes off the accelerator.

BMW Assist is BMW’s basic emergency communication system, and it features stolen-vehicle recovery, on-demand roadside assistance, and automated collision reporting. Front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and automatic parking are all available as add-ons.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series: Interior

Although the 4 Series is all new, it retains the timeless elegance and superior materials of the 3 Series in its cabin. The Luxury, Sport, and M Sport trims allow you plenty of latitude to configure the cabin to your preference, while the company’s famous analog gauges establish a historical link with BMWs of earlier decades.

The standard 6.5-inch display screen is sufficient for most technological tasks, but the bigger screen is necessary for a truly luxurious electronic interface. The iDrive system has been tweaked significantly for this year, with the most obvious modification being the addition of a touchpad to the top of the controller for handwritten inputs.

Simple navigation options, clear visuals, and swift operation combine to make iDrive a breeze to use. Yet, it usually takes more twists and clicks than competing systems to do the same task.

The driver’s position in the BMW 4 Series is lower than in the sedan, contributing to the car’s sportier image. The driver’s and front passenger’s chairs provide plenty of support and comfort for long trips and sporty driving alike.

Even more striking is the amount of legroom and headroom available in the backseat, both of which are significant improvements over the previous-generation 2-door 3 Series. There’s a lot of space in the trunk of a 4. Even with the top down, the convertible still provides a decent amount of cargo capacity.

The 2014 BMW 4 Series: Comfort and Driving

BMW’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan promises a lot, and the new 2014 BMW 4 Series mostly lives up to that promise with its elegant external design.

The 428i is a fine choice; it isn’t a “base” model in any sense of the word. In fact, you may save tens of thousands of dollars while enjoying performance virtually on par with that of the 435i. Its four-cylinder engine offers impressive performance and a fun driving experience thanks to its responsive handling and throaty exhaust sound.

The same holds true to an even greater degree for the 2014 BMW 435i. While manual transmissions will always have their fans, the eight-speed automatic performs superbly in both normal driving mode and under the driver’s control via the paddle shifters, making it a good compromise.

In fact, the 428i with the lightning-fast automatic gearbox was faster than the more powerful 435i with the six-speed manual transmission from 0 to 60 mph in our tests. Not by a huge margin, but nonetheless indicative of the new eight-superior speed’s performance. The automated engine stop-start feature can be annoying due to the abrupt nature of its restarts, but it is turned off if necessary.

BMW has modified the 4 Series to be more sporty than the sedan in turns. The car sits lower, has wider front and rear tracks, a stiffer suspension, and heavier, more responsive steering. These are, to be fair, minor adjustments, but they seem to be doing the trick.

The 4 Series is remarkably well-balanced for a premium sport coupe, making it easy to take curves with confidence while driving in Sport mode. Some passengers may feel the ride is too stiff, but the driver-selectable adaptive suspension effectively smooths out bumps in the road and adds to the vehicle’s already impressive stability.

Conclusion

This automobile is quite simple to enjoy. It’s stylish, quick, responsive, and comfy. Of course, the same could be said of the classic 3 Series coupe, but the 2014 BMW 435i refines every aspect without sacrificing anything.

Perhaps the 4 Series will have a somewhat revised tune to close the difference we saw when it arrives in the United States in a few months. Even without this modification, the 4 Series will likely not be disliked by many. Everything else is simply too nice-looking, speedy, and organized for me to be grumpy about it.

Which is better, leasing or buying a 2014 BMW 4 Series?

Should I purchase a car or sign a lease? If you ask around, you’ll hear that purchasing a car is highly recommended. Financially, this is true, but only if you’re prepared to spend more per month, pay off the loan faster, and retain the car for longer.

On the other hand, leasing often results in lower regular payments than buying. If you want to get a new automobile every three years or so, this is a fantastic option for you as well.