BMW’s 4 Series priced from $73,200

BMW’S first 3 Series coupe to wear the new 4 Series model designation will start from $73,200 when it arrives in Australia in mid-October.

The pricing for the entry-level 420d Coupe gives the two-door a $12,300 premium over the four-door – about the same as the premium built into the previous model.

However, 4 Series buyers jump behind the wheel of a car that is longer, wider and lower than the model it replaces – although the seat count remains at just four.

BMW says the 4 Series’ length has increased by 26mm to 4638mm over the model it replaces, width has increased by 43mm to 1825mm and height has decreased by 16mm to 1362mm.

It also differs from its four-door sibling with flared rear wheelarches that form the widest point of the 4 Series.

Underneath, the chassis is now longer with 50mm added to the wheelbase. Track has also increased, adding 45mm at the front and 80mm down the rear.

The 4 Series will launch in Australia with a high level of kit. Standard equipment in the 420d includes leather-trimmed electric adjust front sports seats (with memory), six-speaker audio with USB input, Bluetooth phone connectivity, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, dusk-sensing bi-Xenon headlights, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, an automatically dimming rearview mirror and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Under the bonnet, the base-model 4 Series uses a twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine producing 135kW of power and 380Nm of torque – the same as the sedan version.

Mated to an eight-speed automatic used across the 4 Series range, the 420d’s engine – as with every other powertrain in the turbocharged 4 Series line-up – uses idle-stop technology, an economy setting that dulls the throttle and shifts up gears earlier, and an on-demand system that draws on ancillaries such as the electrically assisted power steering only when they are needed.

Fuel economy for the 420d is rated at a combined 4.6L/100km, up by 0.1L/100km over the sedan. However, at 7.4s the base coupe makes the 0-100km/h sprint one-tenth faster than the 320d four-door.

The $86,500 428i Coupe adds an adaptive M suspension system that lowers the ride height by 10mm to better tap the 180kW/350Nm developed by the turbo 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine.

Equipment improvements over the base model includes satellite navigation with a larger LED screen high on the centre console, internet sharing, a nine-speaker audio system with a 20GB hard disc for storing music files, electric lumbar support for the front seats, and an anti-dazzle function for the mirrors. The wheels step up to 19-inch alloys.

Fuel economy is rated at 6.4L/100km, again 0.1L/100km more than the 328i sedan. As with the 420d, the 428i is 0.1s faster from rest to 100km/h at 5.8s.

Both the 420d and 428i include either a ‘Sport Line’ or ‘Luxury Line’ as standard equipment, adding a number of bespoke pieces of interior and exterior trim.

The range-topper for now – until a potential M4 is added to the line-up – is the $108,500 435i, powered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine.

It produces 225kW/400Nm, and sprints from 0-100km/h in 5.1s, a 0.4s improvement over the 335i. Fuel economy, meanwhile, is rated at a combined 7.4L/100km compared with 7.2L for the four-door.

Equipment steps up to the adaptive sports suspension combined with variable sport steering, upgraded four-piston brake callipers, a 16-speaker premium audio system, keyless entry/start, and the M Sport package that includes a number of visual enhancements to the car such as different 19-inch alloy wheels and a square-bottomed leather steering wheel.

BMW 4 Series pricing*

420d	$73,200
428i	$86,500
435i	$108,500

*Excludes on-road costs.