2024 BMW 4 Series

The BMW 4 Series is one of the last of its kind. It’s a compact luxury car available as a coupe, convertible, or 4-door “Gran Coupe.” The diversity in its model range extends beyond just the body style; it also has multiple turbocharged engines available, all of which make this sporty coupe a blast to drive. This BMW is also a thoroughly contemporary luxury car sporting the latest infotainment technology and many premium options. The 4 Series has two clear competitors; the Audi A5 and the 2-door versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of compact luxury cars, including the BMW 4 Series.

The interior of the BMW 4 Series gets a couple of updates this year. The new standard infotainment system is the BMW Curved Display, housing a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 14.9-inch infotainment system. It’s powered by iDrive 8 software with lovely graphics and voice control. The 4 Series also has a new smaller, lower-profile toggle shifter, which helps open up the space.

The pricing of the 4 Series is similar to the Audi A5 and the 2-door variants of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Before buying a 4 Series, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. BMW 4 Series resale value is about average for the segment.

Whatever variant you get of the BMW 4 Series, it’s a treat to drive. The standard turbocharged 4-cylinder is quick and fun to rev, but the enthusiast in us prefers the M440i models.

The 4 Series models wearing the M440i badge are powered by a turbocharged 6-cylinder engine, which brings a big boost in performance over the base engine. In our testing, this spec captured the essence of a BMW driver’s car with swift acceleration, a satisfying exhaust note, and agile handling thanks to the M Sport suspension. We like it even more with the available Adaptive M Suspension, which improves both comfort and performance.

The serious driving enthusiast with a big budget will be interested in the M4, which uses a more high-performance version of the 6-cylinder engine in the M440i. It also adds various upgrades to the differential, exhaust, and steering, plus the adaptive suspension comes standard. The result is a serious luxury performance car that justifies its price tag.

The interior design of the BMW 4 Series is a good modern interpretation of the classic BMW cockpit, delivering a satisfying feel from the driver’s seat.

We welcome the minor changes to the cabin this year, including a toggle shifter rather than the old stick design and the standard BMW Curved Display. This high-tech display has been steadily making its way through the brand’s lineup, and we’re happy to see it in the 4 Series.

Front-seat space is plentiful, but we had difficulty fitting comfortably in the back of the 2-door models. If you’ll be transporting passengers with any regularity, they’ll appreciate the extra room in the 4-door Gran Coupe body.

Cargo space also varies quite a bit depending on the body. The surprisingly practical Gran Coupe with its liftback rear door has very impressive cargo space for a car this size, especially with the rear seats folded down. The coupe’s trunk is usable, but the cargo hold in the convertible is pretty tight.

Let’s get the front-end design out of the way; we know not everybody likes it. The front of the 4 Series has been accused of looking “buck-toothed,” and it’s proven to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of design.

Questionable grille aside, the body lines and proportions of the 4 Series evoke sporty BMW models of the past while looking decidedly modern. There’s something charmingly old school about the 2-door models, and the Gran Coupe does a good job looking sporty while offering 4-door practicality.

The Gran Coupe is only an inch longer than the 2-door coupe. The 4 Series is slightly bigger than the BMW 3 Series sedan, as well as the Audi A5 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, but they all fit into the compact luxury car class.

Eager engines
An all-turbocharged lineup of engines makes the 4 Series a fun car to drive, no matter which one you pick.

Gran Coupe body
The Gran Coupe 4-door body retains the enjoyable driving character of the 4 Series while adding a ton of practicality with more rear-seat space and cargo room.

Dynamic Handling Package
This option package makes the 4 Series drive more like a sports car with upgrades to the suspension, differential, and brakes.

M Sport Package
The available M Sport Package adds a sporty appearance package and M Sport suspension while keeping the price reasonable.

Premium Package
The Premium Package makes the 4 Series a more upscale luxury car with features like heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and driver’s seat lumbar control.

BMW Curved Display
This new standard feature brings a digital gauge cluster and a 14.9-inch infotainment system to the 4 Series in one sleek display.

The BMW 4 Series has various powertrain options, and you can’t go wrong with any of them. The 430i models use a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and the sportier M440i cars get a punchy turbo 6-cylinder. Upgrading to the M4 brings you a sportier version of that 6-cylinder, and the M4 Competition turns up the heat even further.

Rear-wheel drive is standard on the 4 Series, and all-wheel drive is optional on most models. The only variant you can get with a manual transmission is the M4.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine (430i)
255 horsepower @ 5,000-6,500 rpm
295 lb-ft of torque @ 1,550-4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 25/34 mpg (RWD), 23/33 mpg (AWD)

3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine (M440i)
382 horsepower @ 5,800-6,500 rpm
364 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800-5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 24/32 mpg (coupe, RWD), 22/31 mpg (coupe, AWD), 23/31 mpg (convertible, RWD), 22/30 mpg (convertible, AWD), 24/32 mpg (Gran Coupe, RWD), 22/30 mpg (Gran Coupe, AWD)

3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine (M4)
473 horsepower @ 6,250 rpm
406 lb-ft of torque @ 2,650-6,130 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/23 mpg

3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine (M4 Competition)
503 horsepower @ 6,250 rpm
479 lb-ft of torque @ 2,750-5,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/23 mpg (coupe, RWD; convertible), 16/22 (coupe, AWD)

More 4 Series fuel economy information is available on the EPA’s website.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

The BMW 4 Series is backed by a 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, plus a 3-year complimentary maintenance plan. This warranty is similar to the German rivals of the 4 Series, but some competitors offer longer coverage.

Safety

No third-party agency has safety rated the 2024 BMW 4 Series; however, standard advanced safety tech includes lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, high-beam assist, and more.