2016 BMW 435i Gran Coup

BMW has always been the epitome of driving excellence and they continue doing so in their latest offering, the 2016 435i Gran Coupe. Now I know there are a lot of folks out there who are confused and even annoyed that BMW has introduced so many models and their number series is hard to keep track of. The simplest way of putting this is that the 4 Gran coupe is the 4 door version of the 2 door 4 series. Once you overcome the agitation and resentment raised by the name and start understanding the car a little better, it all seems to make sense.

If you want to drive a sporty BMW but want to get something which is not a 3 series (as everyone has it) and the 5 series may be biting too much into your pocket or doesn’t provide you with the same sporty ride as a 3 would, then you go for the 4 series coupe. Now those who want a little more room, practicality and style will opt for the 4 Gran coupe. This car blends the best of both worlds in the cleanest possible manner. It has the drop dead gorgeous looks of a coupe and the practicality of a Gran touring. With its hatchback design which you won’t notice unless you look at it very closely, BMW has created 35 Liters of cargo space which extends to 60 liters with the seats down. That’s plenty of space to carry your luggage, golf equipment, camping gear, bikes etc. It delivers decent gas mileage of around 23 MPG combined average.

When it comes to driving dynamics, the 435i GC with its potent straight 6 turbo charged engine producing 300 HP and 300 lbft of torque can take on most of the cars that one would usually encounter on the road. The 8 speed automatic transmission is one of the best in the business and mated with the straight 6 turbo charged engine, this baby can do 0-60 MPH in 4.9 seconds!! The 4 GC is lower, wider and stiffer than the 3 series which is great news. The 335i itself is a hell of a car and BMW has created something sharper, prettier and more practical which is a huge win. With its 4 driving modes, it provides a range of vehicle settings to suit your mood and needs. You can switch it in comfort mode and your wife or girlfriend will never complain about the potholes and bumps on the road. The minute she walks out of the car, throw it in Sports mode and it allows you to drive like an absolute hooligan!! The suspension stiffens, the steering becomes tighter, the throttle response becomes sharper, the transmission shifts gears with lightening precision and this 5 door hatch transforms itself into a sports car.

The 4 series is loaded with technology. The heads up display is the best in the business. Adaptive lighting, adaptive cruise control, active lane departure warning and blind spot assist along with parallel parking assist are just a few of the goodies that you can add to your 4 series.

This brings me to some of the drawbacks this car has. The 435i GC starts at $45800 here in the US but I’ll be shocked if you can touch one for that price. Once you start adding options like navigation, leather, keyless entry, parking sensors and cameras, active cruise control etc, the 435iGC can easily hit north of 65 grand!! That, for me, is a problem when I know that I can have the same engine and same features in a 3 series which will cost me thousands less. What I am essentially paying for is the looks and the better driving dynamics but hey- the 335i is not far behind. The interior of this car is an exact replica of the 3 series which is great but BMW should have changed the interior of this car if they changed the exterior to carve out a new series. While the quality of the material used in the car is mostly top notch, there are still some cheap plastics to be seen and for me that’s absolutely unpardonable at this price point. A big disappointment for me is that you can’t have one of these in a 6 speed manual here in the US even though the 8 speed automatic is a great transmission and most people will be very happy to live with it.

This car competes with the likes of the Audi S4 and the Mercedes c400. It has an upper hand over the Audi in terms of space, practicality and on board equipment even though the S4 comes with a more potent supercharged engine with an exquisite 6 speed manual. That might be a slightly better driver’s car, but according to me the 435i GC is a better daily driver car. The C400 has arguably the best interior in this class and that V6 engine and suspension feels very powerful and refined…….almost too refined for my taste as it somehow takes away the mechanical connection with the car and the road. You will be very happy with the 4 GC as long as you can keep your options under control or are willing to sacrifice horsepower and go for the less potent yet fun to drive 428i GC. The 4 gran coupe to me is one of the prettiest cars in the market and that alone is reason enough to throw out all sensibility out of the window and buy one…which atleast I did and got myself a 2016 435i GC.