TEST DRIVE: 2021 BMW 4 Series Prototype

This is our test drive and review of the 2021 BMW 4 Series Coupe. The car was a prototype version covered in camouflage.

Most of the media reports devoted to the new 2021 BMW 4 Series Coupe thus far have focused on its design. But now, with the keys to several prototypes in our grasp, we have the chance to write a preliminary driving report on the new car.

We also get an idea of what the second generation of the midsize coupe has to offer besides a large kidney grille. After all, the most discussed aspect of the G22 4 Series has long since been answered: it will have a whole new kidney design, which will set it apart from the 3 Series much more clearly than before.

A New Powertrain

However, the controversial design is far from the only aspect of the new 2021 BMW 4 Series Coupe that distinguishes it from the 3 Series Sedan. Behind the confident front-end, still concealed below a layer of camouflage, lies a thoroughly reworked technical package.

The new powertrain has one or two extra delicacies to take the power to a new level – both objectively and subjectively. We took to the country roads around Garching to check out what the engineers have come up with and why, and to sample how the overall package feels behind the wheel.

The team of chassis experts assembled by Jos van As set out some lofty goals for the new 4 Series. The working title they gave the G22 4 Series is “The Scalpel.” Famed for its sharpness but above all its surgical precision, a scalpel embodies the engineers’ mission statement for the BMW 4 Series Coupe – a car born to execute the commands of a skilled driver with the pinpoint fidelity of a scalpel in the hand of an experienced surgeon.

Turning this ideal end-point into reality required some concerted arm-twisting behind the scenes at BMW (dynamic excellence of this grade does not come cheap). Luckily for the driving dynamics engineers, subline manager David Ferrofino – whose sphere of responsibility includes all 4 Series derivatives – managed to convincingly sell his case.

Source: TEST DRIVE: 2021 BMW 4 Series Prototype – “The Scalpel”