THE 2021 BMW 4 SERIES COUPE
October 20 2020,
BMW Canada is please to introduce the latest iteration of its Sports Coupé, the third generation of BMW 4 Series since it became a stand-alone model line in 2014.
The design and engineering teams for the new BMW 4 Series Coupé wanted to deliver the ultimate driving experience in a beautiful and low-slung package that will insure the 4 Series’ position at the top of its segment.
Exterior Design and Improved Aerodynamics
Compared to the 3 Series Sedan, the new 4 Series Coupé (using 330i and 430i for comparison) is 66 mm longer, 25 mm wider, 25 mm lower and with a 25 mm wider rear track while sharing the same wheelbase.
Compared to the previous generation 4 Series Coupé , the new 4 Series is 132 mm longer, 25 mm wider, 10 mm taller and features a 40 mm longer wheelbase and 35 mm ider front and 30 mm wider rear tracks.
The striking front end of the 4 Series features a new BMW kidney grille design which accommodates the greater cooling requirements of the more powerful engines. The grille is angled forward and extends to the bottom of the front bumper cover. The kidney grille is framed by surfaces with a three-dimensional mesh structure. The arrow-shaped lines of the hood come together at the grille while the Air Curtain intakes at the edges of the front bumper highlight the 4 Series’ width.
Standard LED headlights with Cornering lights are slimmer in design and taper towards the kidney grille. Two U-shaped fiber optic daytime running light elements in each headlight are the most pronounced feature. The turn signals consist of three glass blade units in the corners of each front light assembly.
The profile of the new 4 Series Coupé shows the new model’s very clean, minimalist lines. The long hood, the tapering greenhouse ending in the familiar Hofmeister-kink and the muscular fenders are reminiscent of sports Coupé s from decades past. The frameless windows give a lighter look and feel to the doors.
The width of the new 4 Series Coupé is reinforced in the rear by slim, darkened L-shaped LED tail lights which extend into the quarter panels. Vertical apertures at the corners of the rear bumper mimic the front Air Breather openings. Trapezoidal exhaust finishers are integrated into the lower rear bumper cover.
The standard M Sport Package includes a uniquely styled front bumper with larger air intake openings and a restyled rear bumper with Shadowline inlays. The rear diffuser panel, front air intake trim, side window moldings and lower exterior mirror housings are all finished in high-gloss black. Selecting the optional Shadowline Package provides a high-gloss black finish to the kidney grille and exhaust tip trim.
The M440i xDrive Coupé ’s exterior styling is set apart by a rear trunk spoiler and by a Cerium Grey finish to the kidney grille, front air intake trim, exterior mirror caps and rear trapezoidal exhaust tip trim.
Acoustic glass is now used for the windshield to reduce noise coming into the cabin.
Interior Design
A premium driver-focused cockpit is the focus of the new 4 Series Coupé ’s interior design. Newly designed front power Sport seats and leather Sport steering wheel are standard. The upswept center console creates individual space for the front seat passengers. The M Sport Package and M440i xDrive Coupé models offer additional soft knee padding on the sides of the center console as well as an M Sport steering wheel and door sill plates with the M logo.
The center display screen flows into the instrument cluster area to form a congruous unit. The light functions are operated from a panel of buttons to the left of the steering wheel. The start/stop button is now located in the center console along with the newly designed gear selector lever, the iDrive Controller and the buttons for the Driving Experience Control switch.
Rear seating with integral head restraints is designed for two passengers and features a 40:20:40 fold down function.
The interior of the new 4 Series Coupé features fully LED lighting for front and rear interior and reading lights, glovebox, center armrest storage compartment, sun visor mirrors, trunk area and door courtesy lights. The optional interior ambient lighting provides adjustable lighting for the contour lines across the instrument and door panels as well as a light carpet to illuminate the ground outside of the door area. The lighting’s distribution, brightness and color scheme can be configured via the iDrive menu to suit the driver’s taste and mood.
Power and Performance
All models of the new 4 Series enjoy a boost in horsepower and torque over the models they replace. Powering the new 430i xDrive Coupé is an updated B46 2.0-liter 4-cylinder BMW TwinPower turbocharged engine delivering 255 hp @ 5,000 – 6,500 rpm (an increase of 7 hp) and 294 ft-lbs. of torque @ 1,550 – 4,400 rpm (an increase of 36 ft-lbs.). The 430i xDrive Coupé accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 240 km/h (210 km/h when equipped with all-season tires).
The new M440i xDrive Coupé is powered by the B58 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder BMW TwinPower turbocharged engine producing 382 hp @ 5,800 – 6,500 rpm (an increase of 62 hp) and 369 ft-lbs. of torque @ 1,800 – 5,000 rpm (an increase of 39 ft.-lbs.). The M440i xDrive Coupé accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and can reach an electronically limited speed of 240 km/h (210 km/h when equipped with all-season tires).
Both 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines use a single, twin-scroll turbocharger, high precision fuel injection (operating at over 5,000 psi), VALVETRONIC fully variable valve timing and Double-VANOS variable camshaft timing.
The 3.0-liter 6-cylinder motor in the M440i xDrive Coupé also benefits from weight-optimized pistons and connecting rods and from an exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head allowing for better thermal efficiency from the integrated water cooling passages.
Drive Systems and Transmission
The new BMW 430i xDrive Coupé comes standard with BMW’s latest intelligent xDrive all-wheel drive system providing additional traction during both performance driving and in varied weather conditions.
The BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system helps to sharpen the car’s handling properties. Power is sent to the wheels via an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the transfer case. The latest xDrive system found in the new 4 Series Coupé offers rapid, precise and fully variable distribution of drive torque between the front and rear wheels. In driving situations where all-wheel drive is not needed, all the power is directed to the rear wheels.
All 4 Series models deliver their drive torque to the road through a standard 8-speed sport automatic transmission with launch control. The M440i xDrive Coupé includes a standard rear M Sport differential which helps improve traction by equalizing drive torque between the left and right rear wheels under acceleration. It also works in conjunction with the DSC Stability control system to reduce unwanted understeer.
The latest version of BMW’s quick-shifting Sport automatic transmission features a new, optimized hydraulic control system for improved response and efficiency. A new generation of torsion dampers reduce rotational irregularities within the powertrain help to enhance both driving comfort and shift smoothness. Integral twin-damper systems for isolating vibrations reduce the degree of slip at the torque converter lock-up clutch.
Intelligent connectivity enables the 8-speed automatic transmission to adapt its shift strategy according to the route and driving situation. Working with the standard navigation system, the 8-speed Steptronic transmission uses data from this system and from the optional Active Cruise Control system’s radar sensor. This makes it possible for the transmission to avoid unnecessary gear changes by shifting down early in order to use engine braking to scrub off speed and be in the correct gear to accelerate out of a turn.
New 48-Volt Mild Hybrid System
A new 48-volt mild-hybrid system is standard on the 6-cylinder M440i xDrive Coupé . The 48-volt starter/generator unit is complemented by a separate 48-volt battery which allows for energy recuperation, storage and use during driving. Energy can be recuperated from deceleration, braking and from excess electricity generated while driving in Sport mode.
The excess energy is converted to electricity by the 48-volt starter/generator and stored in the 48-volt battery. This energy can be used by the starter/generator unit to boost performance by up to 11 hp during hard acceleration or by providing power for electronic systems, thus reducing the load on the engine and improving overall efficiency.
The 48-volt starter generator also improves efficiency by allowing the stopped engine to be restarted quickly with little vibration. The Auto Start/Stop function can now turn off the engine while the driver is braking for a stop as soon as the speed drops below 15 km/h.
Chassis and Suspension
The body of the new 2021 4 Series Coupé is made from hot-stamped steels, multi-phase steels and aluminum alloys to help reduce weight while providing for the most rigid platform possible to allow the suspension to work at its fullest potential. Additional bracing has been added, connecting the front shock towers to the bulkhead and to the front end as well as the rear axle area to help the new 4 Series deliver better agility and precision.
The front end of the car uses extruded aluminum side member panels and die-cast aluminum shock absorber housings. The hood, front fenders and doors are now made from aluminum.
The very rigid passenger cell and specially designed supporting structures impart an excellent structure for the active and passive safety systems to work together to help protect passengers. The new 4 Series Coupé is also equipped with an active hood system to improve pedestrian protection. This feature uses pyrotechnic actuators to raise the hood if the vehicle collides with a pedestrian by creating more deformation space between hood and hard structures underneath.
The more rigid body, wider rear track and a center of gravity that is 23 mm lower than that of the 3 Series Sedan all play an important role in allowing the front double-joint spring and shock front suspension and rear five-link rear suspension to deliver significantly sharper handling than the outgoing 4 Series.
The lift-related shock absorbers are able to deliver both sport-focused handling and driving comfort. The shocks reduce body movement and even out road vibrations by continuously adjusting the progressive damping force based on the changing spring travel. Excessive compression and rebound forces are better controlled to prevent the new 4 Series from becoming unsettled not only when driving over rough surfaces but also during performance driving.
The lift-related shock system adds extra hydraulic damping to the front shocks and extra compression limiting to the rear shocks. At the front, vibrations are reduced by an additional element that drops down into the inner sleeve of the shock absorber. Only when greater loads are encountered does the entire shock become active. The varying wall thicknesses of the front shocks, tubular anti-roll bars and lightweight control arms act together to reduce unsprung weight, improving the suspension’s responses.
Increased shock damping forces, firmer springs and anti-roll bars give the new BMW 4 Series Coupé its more sporting character. The standard M Sport suspension features firmer spring settings, stiffer bushings and mounts, firmer anti-roll bars and a greater negative wheel camber.
Optional Adaptive M Suspension
The optional Adaptive M Suspension combines all of the best traits of the M Sport suspension with electronic shocks to offer a wide range of adjustment from sport to comfort. Continuously adjustable valves allow the damping force to be adjusted for each wheel individually. Switching between the various Driving Experience Control modes delivers clearly different variations in the damping characteristics – from the well-balanced long-distance comfort of COMFORT mode through to the highly dynamic set-up activated in SPORT.
The ADAPTIVE setting allows for automatic adjustment of the steering, damping, accelerator pedal responses and the Sport Steptronic transmission’s shift characteristics to suit the driving style. The control system responds to accelerator and steering inputs to switch the powertrain and suspension to a sportier or more comfortable response. Map data supplied by the standard navigation system can also be used to anticipate upcoming turns.
Steering
Electric power steering with Servotronic speed-sensitive power assistance is standard on the new 4 Series Coupé .
Standard Variable Sport steering adjusts to changes in the steering angle to maximizing cornering agility and low speed comfort. The steering’s direct, precise responses enhance turn-in performance while, the wheel angles required for parking maneuvers are achieved with only a few turns of the steering wheel.
Wheels, Tires and Brakes
All 430i xDrive Coupés are equipped with standard 18 x 7.5 inch alloy wheels with all-season run-flat tires. Optional on all models are 19 x 8.0 inch alloy wheels with 225/40R19 all-season run-flat tires or 19 x 8.0 inch front alloy wheels with 225/40R19 and 19 x 8.5 inch alloy wheels with 255/35R19 performance run-flat tires. The M440i xDrive Coupé comes standard with 19 x 8.0 inch front alloy wheels with 225/40R19 and 19 x 8.5 inch alloy wheels with 255/35R19 performance non-run-flat tires.
Standard brakes on the 430i xDrive Coupé are vented discs with single-piston floating calipers, front and rear. The M440i xDrive Coupé is equipped with vented disks with M Sport Brakes with Blue calipers featuring vented disks with four-piston front fixed and single-piston floating rear calipers. M Sport Brakes with Red calipers are optional on the M440i xDrive Coupé. The 430i xDrive Coupé offers a choice of optional M Sport Brakes with either blue or red calipers. M Sport Brakes deliver outstanding thermal resistance with short pedal travel for sportier driving.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
The 2021 BMW 4 Series comes equipped with standard assist features designed to deliver peace of mind and improved driving comfort. Included systems are lane departure warning with steering correction - to keep you in the lane, frontal collision and pedestrian warning with braking function - which allows for reaction to vehicles, stationary objects, cyclists and pedestrians, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert - which warns of possible crossing traffic when backing up, rear collision preparation, automatic high beams and speed limit information.
Optional on the new 4 Series is the Driving Assistance Professional which adds Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Extended Traffic Jam Assist for limited access highways – a Level 2 autonomous assist system which helps to reduce fatigue in stop and go freeway traffic by allowing for extended hands free vehicle operation, lane keeping assistant with side collision avoidance, evasion aid, front cross-traffic alert, and emergency stop assistant – which can help guide your BMW to the shoulder and bring it to a halt in a medical emergency situation.
The optional Parking Assistance Plus includes a panorama view and 3D surround camera views to assist with parking. The system helps identify suitable parallel and perpendicular parking spots and can guide the 4 Series into and out of the driver’s selected spot. The included back-up assistant records the last 50 metres driven at speeds below 35 km/h and can automatically reverse your 4 Series along the exact path take to help navigate narrow or winding driveways for example.
The remote 3D view function gives drivers the ability to call up a three-dimensional live image of their parked vehicle and its immediate vicinity on their smartphone. The drive recorder, a new feature to the BMW 4 Series, uses the cameras of the various driver assistance systems to record video footage from different points around the vehicle, before storing the recordings so they can be either watched later on the Control Display when the car is stationary or exported via the USB port. When activated, the drive recorder shoots and stores 40 seconds of video. In the event of a collision, a period of up to 20 seconds around the moment of impact is automatically recorded and saved.
BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant
The new 2021 BMW 4 Series Coupé also offers the latest version of BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant to help interact with your car in a more natural way. Activated by a spoken prompt, such as “Hey BMW” or at the touch of a button, this digital companion learns the way you communicate to provide better and more accurate responses. The Intelligent Personal Assistant can now recognize who is speaking -- the driver or passenger -- and can react accordingly by changing the temperature settings on only one side of the cabin for example.
Naturally spoken instructions can now also be used to open and close the car’s windows (partially or fully) or adjust the air conditioning. In addition, the driver can set rules by which the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant learns routines that increase convenience in specific situations. For instance, the driver’s window could be opened automatically when the vehicle reaches a chosen location entered using GPS coordinates, such as the entrance to a garage.
Standard iDrive 7 with Navigation and new BMW Maps
Standard on the new BMW 4 Series Coupé is iDrive 7 with intuitive operation, individually configurable content and seamless interaction between driver and vehicle. Up to 10 pages can be personalized with two to four tiles of content each. Ways to interact with your new 4 Series Coupé include the touchscreen center control display, the iDrive controller, multifunction buttons on the steering wheel and voice control.
Standard displays on the 430i xDrive are an 8.8 inch center touchscreen control display and a 5.1 inch color display between the instrument gauges. Selecting the optional Live Cockpit Professional upgrades the displays to a 10.25 inch center touchscreen control display and a fully digital 12.3 inch instrument display. Live Cockpit Professional is standard on the 440i xDrive Coupé.
The standard navigation has also been improved with a new digital cloud-based feature called BMW Maps. The benefits are faster route calculations and dynamic recalculation based on precise real-time traffic data. The route is worked out using an anticipatory approach, meaning upcoming traffic along the entire route is factored into the calculation of the expected arrival time. Complete traffic data is now available for more minor roads, too. Hazard warnings transmitted online from the BMW fleet now reach the car even faster thanks to connected navigation. These improvements help to produce a very accurate estimate of arrival time and improved route guidance. The destination input function has also been improved and now lets the driver enter any word. Alternatively, the destination can be entered at any time simply by voice control. Plus, points of interest (POIs) along the route are described in greater detail, with reviews, opening times and photos.
When selecting the optional Live Cockpit Professional, the navigation system is enhanced with 3D visualizations of the surrounding area, depicting all of the cars, trucks and motorcycles registered by the cameras and sensors in the driver’s current lane as well as those in any adjacent lanes. They are shown in the central section of the instrument display. Vehicles within a critical distance are highlighted. Graphics indicate maneuvers which can be carried out with the help of the assistance systems. This ensures the driver has an overview of the situation and relevant courses of action at all times. If route guidance is activated, the screen also shows a panel with navigation instructions above the 3D view.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Compatibility
The new 2021 BMW 4 Series Coupé offers standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Compatibility. This benefits already enjoyed by Apple iPhone owners are now available to Android users making it easier to access a large number of digital services from the car in the same way as on their smartphone. These include Google Assistant, Google Maps, music streaming services like Spotify and Amazon Music, and the WhatsApp messaging service.
Exterior colors
The 430i xDrive Coupés offer a choice of two standard non-metallic paints and seven optional metallic finishes, three of which are new colors. The M440i xDrive Coupé offers a choice of one standard non-metallic color, five optional metallic finishes and two optional Individual metallic paints.
- Alpine White (standard)
- Black Sapphire Metallic
- Mineral White Metallic
- Portimao Blue Metallic (new)
- San Remo Green Metallic (new, from 11/20 production)
- Arctic Race Blue Metallic (new)
- Individual Dravit Grey Metallic (M440i xDrive only)
- Individual Tanzanite II Blue Metallic (M440i xDrive only)
Interior Upholstery and Trim
Standard on the 430i xDrive Coupé is SensaTec in a choice of Canberra Beige or Black. Optional Vernasca Leather is available for all new 4 Series BMW models (standard on the M440i xDrive) and comes in a choice of colors including:
- Canberra Beige / Black with contrast stitching
- Tocaro Red with contrast stitching
- Mocha with contrast stitching
- Cognac with contrast stitching
- Oyster with contrast stitching
- Black with Oyster contrast stitching
- Black with Blue contrast stitching (430i and 430i xDrive only)
Aluminum Tetragon trim is standard on all 4 Series Coupés. Optional on all models is Fine Wood trim with Ash Grey-Brown high gloss, Aluminum trim with mesh effect, Open Pore Fine Wood Maple trim or Fine Wood trim with Ash Grey-Brown high gloss.
