Why The 4 Series Gran Coupe Is (Almost) Perfect

If you’re looking at buying or leasing a BMW, chances are you might be looking at a 3 series or a 4 series. Both have been incredibly popular for owners in the last few years. But neither is perfect. Do you want the more practical 3 series? Or the sportier 4 series coupe? Well, what if you didn’t have to compromise…

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Why The 4 Series Gran Coupe Is The Best Option

Let me start by explaining some background to you. My last three cars have been a 3 series, then a 4 series coupe and my current car is a 4 series gran coupe. So I’ve had a chance to own all three types of vehicles, so I’m well placed to explain why I think the 4 series gran coupe is the best option. But what exactly makes the 4 series GC so good?

The Looks

OK, you might think this one is entirely down to my opinion, and that is fair. But if we compare the standard 3 and 4 series styles, I don’t think many people would argue that the 4 series coupe is a better-looking car than the sedan style of the 3 series. The 4 looks more aggressive, sleeker, and more premium.

But the downside for you is that the 4 series is far less practical than the four-door 3 series. And if you have kids or need to use the rear seats often, a 4 series coupe isn’t going to work. Take it from my experience; it’s an OK vehicle for short journeys. But no one wants to sit in the back for a long drive. There isn’t a lot of leg or headroom and getting in and out is difficult.

So what do you do? Do you go for the 3 series just in case you need the practicality? Well, that’s the question I had to answer when I looked at what to buy after owning my 4 series coupe. And I didn’t want to go for a standard four-door style, so the 3 series was out.

And this was the first reason I started to look at buying a 4 series gran coupe. It has that perfect balance of the sportier 4 series shape, so looks-wise, I wasn’t compromising at all in reality. Comparing the coupe and the gran coupe dimensions of the F generation as an example:

	F36 Gran Coupe	F32 Coupe
Wheelbase	281.0 cm / 110.63 inches	281.0 cm / 110.63 inches
Length	463.8 cm / 182.6 inches	463.8 cm / 182.6 inches
Width	182.5 cm / 71.85 inches	182.5 cm / 71.85 inches
Height	138.9 cm / 54.69 inches	137.7 cm / 54.21 inches

So as you can see, between the two models, only the height is different. And even then, there is less than an inch difference!

This means you’re still getting that coupe-style body outline with the GC, and personally, I think it makes a big difference over the boxier 3 series. But what else makes a 4 series gran coupe a great choice?

The Practicality

You might not care about practicality if you are like me when I first started looking at a 4 series. After all, it’s a 2 door coupe, so it’s not designed for that. I didn’t care and had no plans for ever needing to use the rear seats. But I found pretty quickly that I did end up using them. A lot. And it was a pain.

On top of that, transporting anything wasn’t easy. Again, I knew what to expect when I bought the car. But it’s still frustrating. And another problem people often overlook on coupes – the doors are a lot bigger than you think. So overall, as much as I loved the car, it had its problems.

When it was time to change my car, practicality was on my mind. I don’t have a family with young children, but I still wanted an easier car to live with. I did not want a standard 4-door sedan/saloon model because of the style. As mentioned above, I’m not a fan of the 3 series (although the latest generation is one of the best).

So what could I do?

I was stuck. So much that I even considered looking at an SUV, which for me is extreme. I knew that living with my 4 series coupe was a compromise of great looks but challenging to use. So there was really only one option for me…

When I first looked at the 4 series gran coupe, I just thought it would be a coupe with some tiny rear doors. And I was very, very wrong. Trying a GC for the first time, you find out a few surprises.

The space for rear passengers is noticeably improved.
You get a middle rear seat.
You can lower the rear windows.
You get a lot more trunk/boot space.

These points might sound obvious, but I didn’t realize how much difference they made until I tested a gran coupe. The biggest surprise was, without doubt, the trunk space. The 4 series gran coupe has a hatchback-style boot, a significant improvement over the 4 series coupe and the 3 series. It just makes transporting anything large so much easier.

So we’ve gone over the looks and the practicality – what else could there be?

The Value

OK – hear me out on this. Because you might be thinking ‘the 4 series gran coupe is about the same cost as the coupe and more than a 3 series’. And yes, you’re right, but this isn’t about how much a GC costs compared to the others. It’s about the value you get.

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Look at it this way. The gran coupe is practically the exact cost as the 4 series coupe. This means you get all the practicality I mentioned earlier for the same cost. And although it’s more expensive than a 3 series, you get some benefits for that extra money. One is the (arguably) better looks, and you also get some better options and packages. If you want to find out more about BMW packages click here!

But I think an essential part of the value is depreciation. And I think the gran coupe performs well here. First off, gran coupes are rarer than your standard 4 series, so they hold their value better. And they are far rarer than a 3 series too. So you are likely to be in a better position with a gran coupe if you want to part exchange or sell in the future.

Summary

So overall, do I think my 4 series gran coupe is almost perfect? Well, it’s a significant improvement on my coupe, for starters. And I often get glares from 3 series drivers on the road, so that’s probably a good sign!

But it’s not a perfect car, sadly. There are some improvements, and I’ll put together a list of what could be better to show you. To be honest, though, I’m not expecting perfection, and every car has its problems, so you shouldn’t go looking for a perfect vehicle.

The critical question should be – do you enjoy driving and owning it, and can you comfortably live with it? And to all those, it’s 100% a yes for me. So maybe it is worth considering a gran coupe…