While the BMW 435i has been proving itself a great commuter with its comfy seats, refinement and gadgets that's not really living the PH dream for a 300hp-plus rear-drive coupe. And there's only so much you can tell about a car trundling around the M25.
4 Series is a handsome beast, no doubts there
So to Yorkshire for a week, revisiting the roads on which we enjoyed the M135i (a
PH Dream Drive
no less!) just a few weeks before. A perfect opportunity to find out if the 4 Series can offer a more grown-up taste of the same magic.
First the boring practical bit of trying to fit in a one-year-old, associated clobber and a bicycle. There was no way the bike was going in the car and I was rather hoping for some roof bars onto which I could fit the Thule carriers sourced for the Focus ST previously on the PH fleet. Only BMW UK doesn't actually have them for the 4 Series yet, meaning a distinctly sub-optimal boot carrier instead. Not exactly the 'lifestyle' look I was hoping for but needs must.
Even with the bike on the back and fully laden the 4 Series mooched up the A1 recording an Eco Pro enhanced 30ish mpg; can't complain at that. Bike removed and family installed it was time for the 435i to finally step up to the mark and shine on some of North Yorkshire's more challenging cross-country roads. Hopefully.
I was really keen for the 4 Series to prove me wrong on fears that it was just a bit too sensible and aloof to really engage. Rooting for it to demonstrate previously hidden talents. After all a powerful straight-six BMW coupe, rear-driven and with a manual gearbox, should be in its element on roads like this, right?
More revealing than the M25, if not in a good way
But I still wasn't feeling it. Along exactly the same stretch of tarmac the M135i had been a riot, properly having at it as it bucked and weaved along the madly undulating Helmsley road. But at a similar pace the 435i just felt fast and a little scary in its detachment from what was going on under tyre. The 1 Series is a little thug, trading finesse for brute force but hugely entertaining. But where a 3 Series coupe of old would have delighted with fingertip feedback and a stirring six-cylinder howl the 4 Series just feels like it doesn't want to get involved.
First, the chassis. As previously reported it feels a little underdamped in the standard mode, Sport setting improving the body control but the 4 Series still feeling a little on its tip toes and lacking the confidence inspiring checks on pitch and roll you'd want on a challenging road. Paired with numb steering there's little joy to be had pushing the car hard, the lack of feedback meaning you can arrive at situations carrying huge speed but with no sense of the car's limits. Which rather goes against the boast in the press pack that "The BMW engineers have succeeded in making key improvements in areas such as steering accuracy, precision and agility, as well as honing, further still, the instincts of the new BMW 4 Series Coupe as an unadulterated driving machine."
Should be in its element; not feeling it yet
Contributory factors in this aim include a 19mm lowering of the roll centre compared with the 3 Series via altered suspension geometry, additional bracing between the front subframe and body and, it's claimed, the lowest centre of gravity of any car in the current BMW range. Compared with the old 3 Series coupe the wheelbase is 50mm longer, the front track 45mm wider and the rear increased by 80mm, making this the widest part of the car's bodywork. And it's got grip, there being little suggestion of flickering DSC lights that, in the absence of any other communication, would suggest you're leaning against the car's limits.
It's not slow either, even if the six gets gruff towards the top end where the M135i - with the same engine - seemed happier to sing its heart out. I wonder if the tall gearing and balky shift of the manual is a significant factor and suspect the eight-speed auto would make for a more cohesive package. I'd be keen to try one to put the theory to the test because, as it stands, fears the 4 Series is too aloof to engage seem sadly to be well founded. Fears brought into even sharper focus by the arrival of the 2 Series, AKA the answer to those who liked the idea of the M135i but couldn't stomach the looks.
The 4 remains a beautiful looking machine and much classier than the 2. But when it comes to dreams of being the ultimate driving machine it needs to work harder translating that on-paper promise into seat-of-the-pants fun.
FACT SHEET
Car: 2013 BMW 435i M Sport
Run by: Dan
On fleet since: October
Mileage: 4,182
List price new: £48,160 (Basic list of £41,435 OTR plus £670 for 19-inch M double-spoke 442M wheels, £360 for Adaptive Headlights, £515 for Adaptive M Suspension, £350 for enhanced Bluetooth, £300 for folding mirrors, £825 for head-up display, £460 for Interior Comfort Package comprising memory electric seats, 'extended storage' and sun protection glass, £95 for internet, £675 for Harmon/Kardon speakers, £570 for M Sport brakes, £1,000 for BMW Professional Media Package, £325 for online entertainment, £330 for reversing camera and £250 for Variable Sport Steering.)
Last month at a glance: Enough motorway miles already, time to hit the twisties
