BMW first launched the i Vision Dynamics concept car at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, when it was speculated that it would become the third work of the BMW i electric sub-brand after the i3 and i8. Then the original factory launched the Concept i4 concept car at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, officially establishing its brand's first commercially available four-door pure electric sedan called the i4.
However, it is interesting that after bmw's original factory officially released the mass-produced version of the pure electric car i4 in March 2021, consumers can clearly see that the i4 is actually a large number of elements of the shared 4 Series family, and the form is closer to "oil to electricity", not the earlier imagination of the outside world That the i4 is built on a pure electric platform. Even after the original factory further published the 2nd generation of 4 Series Gran Coupé in June 2021, this bloodline was more established, because the biggest difference between the 4 Series Gran Coupé and the i4 inside and outside, in addition to the power system one is pure oil, one is pure electricity, the difference is only that the i4 is the latest iDrive 8 integrated curved suspension screen, and the 4 Series Gran Coupé stays in the more traditional iDrive 7.0 dual screen interface.
Even more obviously, the original factory code can also be seen, the 2nd generation 4 Series Gran Coupé is codenamed G26, while the i4 in the original factory internal documents are only marked as G26 BEV, which means pure electric power version.
In contrast, the 430i only has an output of 245 horses, and it takes 6.2 seconds to break through the 100-horse stationary acceleration; on the contrary, the i4 M50 has a maximum output of 544 horses driven by a dual motor, and the stationary acceleration breaks through 3.9 seconds, and the book data is not only higher than the 430i, but even more than the maximum horsepower of the M3 of 510 horses, and the stationary acceleration is exactly the same. So whether to choose to embrace the pure electric i4 or grasp the time to enjoy the pure oil 4 Series Gran Coupé has become a question that lingers in the author's mind when I test drive the 430i Gran Coupé....
Maintaining four oblique dorsals plus oversized kidneys, 4GC still has the traditional air intake and exhaust pipe
The above is not just the author's own doubts, because it is understood that many potential consumers of the i4 first see the new generation of 4 Series Gran Coupé as a reference, and then decide to choose between the two. In terms of appearance, the two have considerable similarities, except that in the 4 Series Gran Coupé, its oversized kidneys have a practical heat dissipation effect and an active intake regulation design.
The body size part, the 4 Series Gran Coupé is 4,783x1,852x1,442mm, the wheelbase is 2,856mm, compared to the pure electric version of the i4 is only 6mm lower in height, but if compared with the previous generation 4 Series Gran Coupé, its length can be said to be increased by 143mm, the width of the car is 27mm, the height of the car is also increased by 53mm, the wheelbase of 2,856mm is also enlarged by 46mm compared to the previous generation, and the front and rear wheelbases are enlarged At 1,595mm (+50mm) and 1,623 (+29mm), BMW's original factory also emphasized that its drag coefficient was reduced to 0.26, which was also 0.02mm lower than the previous generation, and the front and rear body counterweights remained in a 50:50 configuration.
The 4 Series Gran Coupé is equipped with M Sport and M air power kits as standard, but like the high-end 430 power model that I tested, it also adds M spoiler tail and electric sunroof configuration. The 430i is powered by an upgrade to a 19-inch M Y-spoke 859M rimset with a blue M brake kit and M-model sports car suspension. The 4 Series Gran Coupé side maintains the highly acclaimed Gran Coupé coupe styling of the previous generation, but the door is different from the flat door handle of the 4 Series Coupé, which also has more Air Breather side deflector holes than the two-door model, and extends all the way under the rear door through the L-shaped trim. And with windowless frame doors. The test drive is also available with an optional M Sport advanced kit with black headlights and multiple black trims on the body.
The taillight group is the L-type LED taillight group element that the brand has been used for recently, with the 430i rating more out of the M-type spoiler tail, and the tailgate maintaining the same up-and-down crossback design as the previous generation. Unlike the pure electric version of the i4, the 4 Series Gran Coupé still has the traditional external exhaust pipe.
The interior maintains the iDrive 7.0 interface, and the technology is the same as that of the current fuel model
In terms of interior, as mentioned above, unlike the electric i4 with a large curved screen and iDrive 8.0 system, the 4 Series Gran Coupé still shares the same center console architecture as the rest of the 4 Series family, using the existing iDrive 7.0 system, equipped with a 12.3-inch digital meter, with a 10.25-inch central touch screen, and the test-driven 430i also comes standard with a HUD head-up display, 464 watt Harman/ Kardon sound with 16 speakers. However, mobile phone wireless charging requires a higher price option. The full BMW Personal CoPilot Intelligent Driver Assistance Technology is also equipped as standard, which supports full speed domain ACC, active lane maintenance assist, congestion traffic assistance system, and is equipped with a road virtual reality display, automatic reversing assist that records 50 meters trajectory.
The 4 Series Gran Coupé standard model features Sensatec breathable leather seats and a dual front seat trim, while the test drive features Vernasca leather seats and M double front seat seats for a more encapsulating M. And in the past, the previous generation of people criticized the back seat space part, with the author's 178 cm figure actually riding, if the sitting head is easier to touch the roof, the rear seat knee is 1 fist and 3 fingers, fortunately, the back angle is not as straight as imagined, plus the seat cushion extension is enough, the long ride should not be too tired, but the head is more hurried, I believe that the i4 also has similar performance, but the rear seat headrest is easy to cover the driving rear windshield line of sight if it is erect. The luggage compartment is equipped with a 4/2/4 separate dump function as standard, which can have a storage capacity of 470 liters without the back of the rear seat being dumped, and the original factory emphasizes that at least two sets of golf equipment can be placed directly, and the rear seat can be expanded to 1,290 liters after the back seat is flattened, which is relatively more advantageous than the rear seat space.
The 430i is already very practical, showing the weight and handling advantages of a fuel car
The 430i is powered by a 2.0-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo inline 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine code-named B48, with twin-turbo current single turbocharging and an exhaust manifold combined with the exhaust manifold to significantly improve the efficiency of the exhaust cooling system, with a maximum horsepower of 245 hp/4,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 400N.m/1,600 rpm, coupled with the Steptronic sporty 8-speed manual transmission, which accelerates to 100 km/h at a standstill and requires only 6.2 It can be completed in seconds and the speed is 250 kilometers. However, it did not add 48V light oil electric auxiliary, and the 4 Series Gran Coupé only had M440i and 420d equipped with 48V in overseas markets.
The B48 engine that the author actually used for the 430i has been experienced on the 330i Sedan and 330i Touring of this generation of G20. At that time, the maximum horsepower output of the 3 Series had not yet been affected by factors such as EU emission regulations, so the output was 258 hp. However, this time, the 430i corresponds to the EU regulations, reducing the maximum horsepower by 13 horses.
However, the actual driving of the 430i, the gap between the 13 horsepower is actually minimal, basically it is still difficult to detect that the power has a significant loss, after all, this 2.0-liter engine with 8-speed hand combination, in the past in many models of the BMW Group have excellent performance, and even because the 430i is a comprehensive engine rear-wheel drive configuration, the overall weight and transmission itself has a quite excellent foundation. The tonality of the power output from the rear wheel does make it easier for the author to point to the bend when driving, and the power of 245 horses has a fairly good level, with 8-speed hand self-integration in various modes will be rapid rhythm up and down gear, whether it is high-speed cruising, or mountain road test, everywhere can naturally bring a satisfactory smile to driving.
Of course, compared with the previous test drive of the 4 Series Coupé M440i power model, the 430i's inline 4-cylinder power, compared to the M440i's inline 6-cylinder engine, naturally in the engine sound and power output fullness, there is a big difference, but for daily driving, the biggest difference is only reflected in the ductility of high-speed power, if in fact, in terms of conventional road speed limit, the 430i up to 245 horses of power has been quite practical, M440i up to 374 horses of power, Most likely, it can bring driving pleasure in higher speed ranges. Moreover, because the 430i model is not equipped with 48V, it is less uncomfortable to pull off the 48V engine at low speeds.
430i also provides the so-called Sprint sprint function, but need to be equipped with the optional "M Sport Advanced Kit" to have it together, as long as you press the paddle shift on the left side of the steering wheel, the vehicle computer will immediately switch to Sport mode, the gearbox will be adjusted to the lowest gear allowable for the current speed, the author's actual experience, it will be roughly lower than the current gear and then quickly down two gears, for overtaking or want to speed up quickly, are quite practical and enjoyable equipment. However, in manual mode, its autonomy to downshift is still slightly limited, and it is naturally not as free as M Performance or M Car.
In the chassis performance part, because the 430i test drive is also equipped with an adjustable suspension soft and hard M sports car electronic suspension system, so compared to the standard M sports car suspension, the author believes that there will be no too rigid road feedback feeling, not only the driving mode is more Adaptive optional, in eco Pro Individul and Sport Individual can adjust the comfort/Sport two soft and hard degrees for the suspension, most of the use Comfort is a combination of comfort and sportiness, and Comfort mode is very good at handling road vibrations. Of course, switching to Sport will have more road feedback, but it also brings more support when driving intensely. The heavier steering in Sport mode does make the feedback during intense driving more solid, and the steering zero sensitivity and accuracy are not a problem, with a chassis with balanced counterweights, there is still excellent driving fun. The braking performance of the M-type brakes is linear and clear, but if there is a higher driving demand, the author recommends that it can be upgraded separately.
Is the choice between fuel and pure electricity a dilemma? Is there still a reason to choose oil?
To sum up, back to the thinking mentioned at the beginning of the author, under the existence of the 4 Series Gran Coupé and the i4, should we choose oil or electricity? Since the author has not yet contacted the i4 real car, it is currently difficult to judge its actual product experience and feelings, and it can only be estimated from the book that the weight of the i4 body of more than 2 tons may have a slight impact on the control flexibility, and the iDrive 8 interface of the i4 will also be more novel in the technology experience.
However, after the test drive of the 430i, the author believes that the lighter posture and flexible driving of the 4 Series Gran Coupé oil car, as well as the sound experience of the fuel vehicle, are still its unique features, and the 4 Series Gran Coupé is still attractive to many fuel car enthusiasts, or buyers who cannot install charging piles at home.