In the beginning, there were the BMW 3 Series sedan and coupe models; and, for a very long time, they were good. Then, just last year, BMW split the coupe into its own 4 Series designation -- an odd choice, I thought, but one I accepted. But I couldn't accept it earlier this year when the Bavarians announced a new 4 Series sedan. I thought, "Wait, isn't the 3 Series already the 4 sedan?"
Things were getting confusing in BMW's lineup and I didn't like it. And then the 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe arrived in the Car Tech garage and BMW made a believer out of me.
At first glance, the 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe looks a lot like the 2015 BMW 328i sedan. Both are based on the same 3 Series platform, have nearly identical designs, and, most obviously, have 4 doors. The Gran Coupe's rear doors are slightly shorter than the sedan's, which makes ingress and egress a bit trickier, but not much. There's also ever so slightly less headroom on the rear row thanks to coupe's lower, shallower roofline.
Hit the trunk release button on the key fob and the point of this model becomes instantly apparent. Where the sedan features a conventional trunk, the Gran Coupe features a powered liftback design that's not dissimilar to that of the Audi A7. Hinged at the top of the rear window, this hidden hatchback opens wide granting better access to the rear storage than a trunk does.
More than just a wider opening, the enlarged storage area also accepts bulkier items than the sedan would. Remove a small dividing panel and fold flat the rear seats and there's room behind the driver for an adult's bicycle, a small christmas tree, or a few pieces of flat-packed Swedish furniture.
No, the Gran Coupe is still not as spacious as the 3 Series Sports Wagon (my personal favorite 3'er variant) or the 3 Series Gran Turismo (my least favorite), but it also doesn't look like a station wagon, which many drivers may appreciate. The Gran Coupe has the bonus of retaining the privacy and appearance of a conventional trunk when the hatch is closed and the seats are upright.
"The new 4 Series Gran Coupe starts to seem like a big ol' bag of compromises when compared with the good ol' 3 Sedan." That's what I said earlier this year when the 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe debuted at the Geneva auto show, because, at first glance, the Gran Coupe looks a lot like a redundancy in BMW's lineup. However, the benefits and additional utility of the liftback design far outweighs the small compromises pointed out. This new mashup turns out to be an excellent and interesting blend of form-factors that may not appeal to all, but which I prefer over the standard sedan.
The engine
From the doors forward, the 428i Gran Coupe is identical to the 428i coupe that we've tested previously.
It's powered by the same 2-liter TwinPower turbocharged engine producing 240 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. Our example puts that power to the rear wheels via an excellent eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters -- as far as I can tell, the only gearbox available at this trim level.
What impressed me most about this engine is how remarkably little turbo lag it exhibits. I barely noticed the turbochargers spooling up during the first second on a 0 to 60 mph run. Once the vehicle is on its way, lag is effectively eliminated. Acceleration is good, feeling a bit more powerful and supple than its 240 horsepower would indicate. Likewise, shifts from the ZF transmission are smooth and the gear selection seems to make sense.
Next to the shifter is a rocker switch that toggles between the normal, sport, sport+, and Eco Pro driving modes. We'll come back to the sport modes, but Eco Pro adjusts the performance of the engine, the transmission programming, the climate control system, and activates a Stop-Start anti-idling system to improve fuel economy. This mode also activates tools and tips in the infotainment system that help improve driver efficiency. At its best, the Bimmer reaches an EPA-estimated 27 mpg combined, 23 mpg city, and 34 mpg on the highway. Over my mixed driving cycle, which included a bit of sporty driving, I averaged just 25 mpg.
The ride
We're no strangers to the 3 Series' pedigree, so it's no surprise that the 428i Gran Coupe is such a competent sport sedan. It's got good bones. Our example was further augmented with the addition of a $3,500 M Sport Package that adds a sport suspension to keep the chassis planted when cornering and sport seats to keep the driver planned within the chassis. This package also adds a host of styling and aerodynamic upgrades, inside and out.
When BMW announced it was shuffling its car lineup -- for example, splitting the 3 Series into the 3 Series (4-doors) and 4 Series (2-doors) -- it seemed that
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