SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Three-way: 2017 BMW 420i Gran Coupé

Adults only

Posted: 7 December 2017

The numbers
Base price (manual): R603 200
Add CO2 tax: R 798.00 (a/t), R1596.00 (m/t)
Engine: 1998 cc, DOHC, 16-valves, four cylinders with twin scroll turbocharger
Power: 135 kW between 5000 and 6500 rpm
Torque: 270 Nm between 1350 and 4600 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 7.7 seconds
Maximum: 236 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 8.1 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Luggage: 480 – 1300 litres
Ground clearance: 130 mm
Turning circle: 11.3 metres
Warranty: 2 years/ unlimited km
Motorplan: 5 years / 100 000 km  

The 420i Gran Coupé is one of BMW’s more interesting blends of sportiness, style and practicality. Teenagers of both genders drool over it, parents agree it isn’t half bad to look at and, of the 4-series’ three available styles, fifty percent of buyers choose this four-door model.

Some background: Four-series coupés and convertibles were first shown at Frankfurt and Tokyo during 2013 with the Gran Coupé following at Geneva in 2014. The range, as most of us know, is based on the 3-series but these cars are marginally longer, wider and lower. They come out of three different factories: coupés are built in Munich, convertibles in Regensburg and Gran Coupés hail from Dingolfing.

Fours are intended for sportier use than Threes. They boast lower centres of gravity (Coupé -40 mm, Gran Coupé -30 mm and Convertible at minus 20), wider tracks (+14 mm in front and +22 mm at the rear) and reconfigured kinematics. Latest Coupés and Gran Coupés come with stiffer suspension, more advanced damping technology and upgraded steering.

These measures improve both lateral and longitudinal handling properties regardless of load. You experience reduced roll, more neutral responses at the limit, greater straight-line stability and wonderfully precise steering. This applies to all suspension types - standard, M Sport and Adaptive. The convertible was already good so no further upgrades were undertaken.

Gran Coupé models weigh about 45 kilograms more than equivalent Coupés because of the mass added by two more doors. This slows them down by about two-tenths of a second over the zero-to-100 km/h sprint, but top speed stays the same. What you gain is back seats that fold, the convenience of four doors, more rear compartment headspace and greater boot depth that adds 35 litres. The latter two are thanks to this model having less downward slope in its roofline.

Coupés and Grand Coupés are priced equally so the choice is yours - bragging rights or greater comfort, along with more elegant entry and exit. Convertibles cost more owing to added hardware and “über sexy” is obviously more expensive.

A recent facelift enlarged the front air intake and changed the rear panel and lights slightly but only true fans would notice. We get four versions in this country - 420i, 420d, 430i and 440i. The 440i is offered only with an eight-speed sport automatic whereas the others can be had with six-speed manual boxes or eight-cog “plain” Steptronic as well. Optional package lines – Sport, Luxury or M Sport - add between about R21 000 and R40 000 to each model’s basic price.

Standard equipment includes automatic headlights and wipers, micro filtered automatic air conditioning, cruise control with braking function, LED fog- and head lamps, keyless starting, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic drive-away locking, Bluetooth hands-free, Business grade satnav, intelligent emergency calling, teleservices, connected drive, real time traffic information and a sump guard. The standard RDS radio and stereo system offers six speakers, Bluetooth hands free and streaming, MP3 compatible USB drive, traffic announcements, owner’s handbook and service history.

Our test car had been fancied up with an M Sport package that added, apart from mainly appearance items, mixed tyres with lower profiles, M Sport (lowered) suspension and a drive experience controller featuring EcoPro, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus settings. Combined with the suspension upgrades mentioned earlier and low profile, run-flat tyres, ride quality could be described as being on the harder side of firm. We’re fairly tolerant so we didn’t mind too much but drivers in doubt might want to test-drive this car with and without the M Sport pack before committing their money.

Other practicalities include a square boot (950x950 mm) that’s about 440 mm deep, features two side alcoves and has a neat bin beneath the baseboard. This does daily duty as a place to store the pump kit and owner’s handbook but could easily be re-assigned. Seatbacks split 60:40 to extend load volume from 480 litres to 1300.

Sitting in the back you realise that you might be better off with something else should your passengers be taller than average, because headroom is restricted to the extent that six-footers dare not sit completely upright. Knee room, on the other hand, is generous while space for feet is average. Although there are three belts, only two head restraints and a high central hump mean that third parties had better be small. Reinforcing that, the squab is beautifully shaped for two, indicating that it’s intended for adults only.

On the other hand it’s drop-dead gorgeous, hustles like a tomcat on steroids and handles like nobody’s business. If fun enjoys any higher priority than family bussing, you really should get one.

Test unit from BMWSA press fleet

 

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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