[xG35c]

Got pulled forward out of my 335 sedan lease into a 428GC this week. I was a bit concerned about the 2.0l four, but BMW really has done another exceptional job with this motor. I can compare it to an Audi TTS I owned for a while and this motor sounds and feels much better and has less turbo lag. The car feels powerful enough, although not power to excess like the 335, and it is interesting to watch the sport display torque meter showing the motor nearly giving its all up steep hills under load. I would say it has just enough power. This motor and ZF 8 speed combo is silky smooth and I doubt the uninformed would even guess it's a four. The car feels much lighter than my 335 (likely due to the light electric assisted steering) and more solid at the same time (likely due to 45k miles on frequently crappy roads the 335 endured).

A few negative notes on this particular model: The hatch space really isn't any more than a regular trunk would offer. Headroom is low in the back and it is more awkward to get into and out of than the sedan. Hard to really call this a negative, but paddle shifting down from 8th gear to say, 3rd in order to get some engine braking is a bit much.

Now the pros: I really do think this is the sleekest sedan BMW has ever built (I consider the 6 series GC too big and expensive). After living with the car for a few days, I now better appreciate the differences BMW engineered into the new 4 series coupe vs the 3 sedans. My "luxury line" seems to sit surprisingly low over the wheels - I guess these coupes get a standard sport suspension drop?

Since the purchase of a BMW is frequently style driven, and anyone considering a small sedan probably really isn't too worried about rear passenger space, for the nominal extra money over the 3 series I don't see why anyone wouldn't buy one! (But don't rush out just yet, I want to enjoy being first on the block for a while! )

[chylld]

Glad you like it

(btw it's a 428 not a 328)

my 4gc caught the light in an interesting way yesterday, snapped a photo and cranked up the contrast a bit...

[xG35c]

Duh... fixed it!

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Trunk space/cargo capacity is very high on my list of priorities so I gave the 4GC a long look. With both cars' rear seat in the upright position the F30 actually has a tiny bit more room in its trunk. The big hauling advantage with the 4GC is the wide opening.
Planning on buying a 2016 model year of one or the other... We'll see!

[chrisny]

How far from your lease-end did the pull ahead kick in?

[xG35c]

Dealer contacted me 6 months out, placed my order, car delivered in about 9 weeks, 4 payments waived (just barely saved that fourth payment)!

[TurboSpecC]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Trunk space/cargo capacity is very high on my list of priorities so I gave the 4GC a long look. With both cars' rear seat in the upright position the F30 actually has a tiny bit more room in its trunk. The big hauling advantage with the 4GC is the wide opening.
Planning on buying a 2016 model year of one or the other... We'll see!

The major advantage of the 4GC is opening/closing of the motorized tailgate. The F30 trunklid is surprisingly not motorized (even though the liftgates are on the F31 and F36).

Seems like a first-world problem, but it's incredibly convenient to be able to press the "close and lock" button on the liftgate vs getting your hand dirty by pressing down on the top of the trunk (or pulling a muscle yanking the trunk down from the inside with enough force to latch it).

This was the primary deciding factor for the 4GC over the 4 Coupe; that and no awful motorized seatbelt arms!

[w1k1nG]

Originally Posted by chylld

Glad you like it

(btw it's a 428 not a 328)

my 4gc caught the light in an interesting way yesterday, snapped a photo and cranked up the contrast a bit...

looks great !

[JJS]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Trunk space/cargo capacity is very high on my list of priorities so I gave the 4GC a long look. With both cars' rear seat in the upright position the F30 actually has a tiny bit more room in its trunk. The big hauling advantage with the 4GC is the wide opening.
Planning on buying a 2016 model year of one or the other... We'll see!

Then the F31 is the right 3/4-series for you.

[Tommy_hf]

congrats, judging on pictures I didn't feel the GC at all, but after seeing the cars at the dealership I like it. To be honest, I think the luxury line looks great with the chrome accents and the satin alluminium window trim. The dealer had a tanzanite blue M sport and mineral gray Luxury line. Headroom in the rear was quite cramped though, it offers even less than the 2 door coupe... Probably because of the tailgate upper edge.
I'm not tall at all and was touching the roofliner already. But still, as I do like the practicality of 2 extra doors but mostly sit in the car 1-2 occupants I think that's a non issue. One small gripe though, the boot space is narrower than the F30 and the F30 barely swallows golf bags with the driver in the bag... Still like the F30 a lot(more space, more practical), but the GC offers a good alternative after the F30 :-)

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by JJS

Then the F31 is the right 3/4-series for you.

I'd consider it if a 6 cyl was offered here.