Stefan Baldauf Erlkönig BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé G26 (2021)
07.10.2020
BMW wants to purify its currently extremely differentiated range of models. However, the 4-series is still spared. The more stylish offshoot of the 3 Series will also be available in the future as a Coupé ( read more here ), convertible (then again with a soft top, w as we show here ) and four-door Gran Coupé. Our Erlkönig hunter has now shot down the latter on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring.
Front section still heavily covered
What is striking about this prototype: the front section is still particularly heavily covered. No wonder, as the body part of the entire series that is by far the most hotly debated is hidden there - keyword 'mega-kidney'. It is no longer a secret that both the two-door coupé and the convertible have the large cooling inlet that extends far down into the front apron. And we would be very surprised if the Gran Coupé did not also enjoy the lush kidney design. After all, the headlight design is the same for all 4-series derivatives.
Stefan Baldauf
The side line of the new BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé is designed much less controversially than the front.
The sideline is markedly less controversial, this can be seen despite the camouflage film. So the two window lines taper towards the rear triangular window, with them at the very backSlightly bend Hofmeister-like. The roof line slopes fluidly towards the stubby tail, which ends in a spoiler lip. The ten-spoke wheels look quite small, which is more an indication that the 4-series Gran Coupé (factory code G26) will present quite generous dimensions. The rear lights are also still heavily veiled, but should be just as pointed inside as with the two-door models. At the moment, the two exhaust tailpipes are hidden in deep caves in the rear apron.
Performance values from 184 to 374 hp
The Gran Coupé, similar to the two-door, should be lower, But thanks to the wider track it will also be stockier - both than the predecessor and the current 3 Series, from which the technical substructure called CLAR basically comes. BMW is also likely to optimize its basis for the 4 Series Gran Coupé with noticeably higher torsional stiffness, more direct steering and more efficient aerodynamics. The same applies to the chassis, which can be damped conventionally or adaptively and which can be supplemented with an electronic sport differential.
Stefan Baldauf
The rear is still heavily covered, but the lights should be as pointed on the inside as on the two-door 4-series coupé.
When equipping the well-known four- and six-cylinder engines, it is worth taking a look at the 3 and the other 4-series versions. It should start with the four-cylinder entry-level variants (420i with 184 hp, 420d with 190 hp). The 430i with 258 hp, the 430d with 265 hp and probably a plug-in hybrid (430e with 292 hp) rank above this. Things get really sporty with the M440i, which provides 374 mildly hybridized horsepower, and the 340 hp M440d.
Will there really be an M4 Gran Coupé in 2022?
Whether that of the British trade journal 'Autocar' researched information some time ago that there will also be an M4 Gran Coupé in 2022, which in view of the Corona crisis and the need to save money will still exist, however, can be doubted. The all-wheel drive x-Drive for the more powerful engines as well as eight-speed automatic transmissions, which can be replaced with manual shifts in individual drivesset against it.
There are no surprises inside. This is where the three-seater cockpit facing the driver with a central touchscreen as well as i-Drive controller and gear /selector lever on the wide center console moves in. Behind the three-spoke steering wheel with a small impact absorber, digital instruments provide all the necessary information.
