BMW is giving its compact two-door line-up a mid-cycle overhaul for 2018, and while we got a first look at what’s coming for the global line-up last week, we now learn there’ll be some unique tweaks for the American versions of the BMW 4-Series coupes and convertibles, as well as the 2018 Gran Coupe.
Once the two-door half of the hallowed 3-Series, BMW split the line off, bringing the then-new 4-Series line-up to the States for the first time in 2014.
In an unusual move, this is actually the second year in a row that BMW has updated the 4-Series. It introduced some new engines – and a concurrent change in model nomenclature – for 2017. The focus for 2018 is on design, suspension and technology.
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Visually, you might not catch some of the changes at first glance. The front and rear fascias are updated for ’18. And there are new bi-LED headlamps and LED taillights, for example. You’ll also find more wheel and exterior paint color options.
“The maxim guiding the BMW 4 Series model update was ‘stick to the proven formula but add extra richness to the cars’ character,’” says Domagoj Dukec, Head of Exterior Design.
There’s also a bit more bling: the interior adding more chrome offset by gloss-block trim. “The interior of the BMW 4 Series family delights with its own unique blend of sportiness and elegance,” suggests Oliver Heilmer, BMW’s interior design director explains. :There is the distinctly sporty flair of the driving environment and then there are the high-class materials and long, graceful lines greeting the occupants in both the front and rear.”
But what might matter more to today’s tech-minded motorist is the updated BMW infotainment system. While the 4-Series doesn’t yet get all the bells and whistles first seen on the latest 7-Series (and now added to the newly updated 5-Series), it does get a new look, especially with the optional Navigation and Executive Packages. With navi, for example, drivers can arrange six large, tile-like icons on the widescreen display, and they offer more information than before.
The Executive Package’s Multifunctional Instrument Display, meanwhile, “gives the driver the choice of different display options depending on the driving experience mode selected,” BMW explains. This virtual cluster displays a more traditional look, focused on speed, RPMs and fuel gauges, in Comfort Mode. But it shifts to a more performance-oriented layout in Sport.
And BMW intends to up the sporty nature of the new 2018 4-Series with an updated suspension claimed to be stiffer on the coupe model – though it remains unchanged on the cabriolet. There are two upgraded options, as well: the M Sport and the Track Handling packages.
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Initially, we’ll see the 2018 BMW 4-Series reach showrooms in March in 430i, 440i and xDrive variants of the Coupe, Convertible and stretched Gran Coupe. The M4 will follow.
Pricing will be announced closer to launch, BMW says, though it’s expected to stick close to the current numbers, starting around $43,000 for the base 4-Series Coupe.
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