There used to be a time when every BMW 3 Series wore a two-door body style. Then again there also used to be a time when man invented the wheel without realising that, really, it’s the axle that was the key. Anyway, there is no point dwelling in the past.
But we will just point out that today you cannot buy a coupé-bodied 3 Series at all, and that’s because BMW is changing its numerical naming system to denote two-door cars with even numbers, which makes this latest just-released concept a 3 Series coupé that’s actually a 4 Series. It’s as if BMW childishly had an argument with itself, “Yeah, well, anything you say, plus one…”
The 4 Series is therefore a 3 Series, plus one. We can’t really imagine a world without a two-door M3, but then again, it won’t even matter if the Mayans were right and we’re all doomed come December 21. Otherwise, 2013 will be a very good year indeed, if this so-called concept is anything to go by.
We all know that BMW concepts are really production cars in their most expensive optional trim, so what you’re looking at is your next 335i. Sorry, 435i… Wow, that does sound really weird…
Munich’s famous carmaker claims that the number ‘4’ is “a sign of greater exclusivity and presence”. The only time the number ‘4’ is exclusive is if you only know how to count to three.
But more importantly for BMW the 4 Series is meant to start a new cycle, turning the denomination into a new model line instead of just a derivative body style. The upcoming 4 Series will encompass not only the Coupé, but also the future drop-top model due in 2013.
The design of this BMW 4 Series Coupé concept is pure BMW, with the signature kidney grilles and Hofmeister kink present as ever. This time, though, Munich’s stylists added a new mark to the 4 Series on its front fenders just aft of the wheel arches, as a sort of gill air outlet in the shape of a boomerang — the designers call it the Air Breather, and it works in tandem with the Air Curtain in the front apron to reduce drag around the wheels.
Dimension-wise, the 4 Series Coupé ensures it sits with a purposeful stance thanks to a wider track than the F30 saloon front and rear, by 14mm and 19mm respectively. At 1,826mm, it’s also 15mm wider than the four-door and 17mm longer, and significantly lower, by 67mm. The long bonnet, necessary for creamy straight-six engines, short overhangs and a swept-back seating position give the car a swoopy, athletic elegance. To finish off the concept, BMW’s designers detailed the air intakes, vents and door mirrors with satin-finish aluminium accents, and then threw on a set of 20in lightweight wheels.
Inside, the BMW 4 Series Coupé features the typical driver-oriented dash design for ideal ergonomics. The rear seats are contoured to appear as if they’re individual buckets, BMW Individual, the company’s personalisation service, wrapped the place in two-tone black and Schiaparelli brown trim with contrast stitching evidently inspired by an American football. Even the cup holders adopt the braided leather stitching, as well as the floor mats. The wood trim in the concept car is a natural Chestnut trim.
As for engines, the Middle East region will most likely get the same powertrain options as the 3 Series saloon, but with the line-up starting with the 428i and heading up to the 435i in Sport trim, ranging in power from 245bhp to 306bhp.
And before BMW gets around to producing this new Coupé and shipping it over to our region, that should give you plenty of time to stop living in the past, and get used to the notion of a 4 Series.
