[Auto] Redesigned 2021 BMW 4 Series gives RC350 and Corvette a run for the money

[King_of_lion]

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver notes a “controversial new design,” “overachieving engines,” and “$13,000 price premium may turn off some buyers” for the 3.0-liter six.

Marketer’s pitch: “A cutting edge coupe.”

Reality: It’s more like a Lexus, and I can’t decide if that’s good or bad.

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What’s new: The 4 Series coupe is all new for 2021. It’s the second generation of the model first unveiled in 2014. Now it’s longer with a great big grille up front.

The 430 is a low-slung, sporty two-door coupe, and from the get-go feels a lot like the RCs Lexus has sent to me again and again, hence the comparison.

The 4 Series also comes in sedan and convertible form.

Up to speed: At first, the 2.0-liter Twin Power turbo power train didn’t feel particularly fast. There’s a slight delay when the accelerator is smashed, but the 255 horses more than make up for that. Speeds of 70, 80, even near 100 came far more quickly than that initial hiccup might have led Mr. Driver’s Seat to believe.

It took a couple days of driving to feel the full performance of the 430. BMW reports the xDrive version tested gets to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, and that’s credible. An M440 version with a 3.0-liter six shaves a second off that time, but this is still plenty of car.

Note that the BMW has 55 fewer horses than the Lexus but still beats its 0-60 time by 0.7 seconds, yet their curb weights are roughly the same (around 3,700 pounds).

Shifty: BMW’s 8-speed Sport Auto transmission remains a delight. Shifting has just the right feel, paddles add another method, and automatic mode also works just fine. There’s not a lot of downshifting help in Sport mode, but I’ll take that over cars that grab back the shifting again and again.

On the road: The M Sport Package ($3,800) adds variable sport steering, and the Dynamic Handling Package ($2,450) certainly played a part, but whatever the cause, the 430i’s handling was dreamy. This also took a few days for me come to terms with, but a few rides in the country showed me how the car just held to the road like any sports car worth its weight. (Adaptive M suspension for $700 also helped with this, I’m sure.)