Cars, Car Reviews and New Cars

BMW's 240-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder is one of the most capable turbo four-cylinders around, with punchy acceleration and impressive fuel economy that rarely go hand in hand. It replaces the old coupe's 230-hp six-cylinder. One gripe, however, is the noticeable acceleration lag when having to move quickly from a stop. Punch the accelerator and be prepared to wait before the car starts to scoot with any aggressiveness. The lag is less noticeable once you're at speed, where the eight-speed automatic transmission consistently picks the right gear when it's time to pass or merge.

The various driving modes of Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ provide a mild to wild attitude. Want compact car fuel economy? Eco Pro does it. I observed up to 35 mpg cruising gingerly on the highway, though the cost was a big reduction in throttle response and very early shifts from the automatic transmission. An aggressive and intrusive auto stop-start function helps fuel economy, though it's hardly seamless. The 428i xDrive is rated 22/33/26 mpg city/highway/combined — impressive given its performance and all-wheel drive. Rear-wheel-drive 428i models are rated 23/35/27 mpg with the automatic transmission and 22/34/26 mpg with the six-speed manual, which isn't available with the 428i's all-wheel drive.

Choosing the xDrive 428i bumps the price up $2,000 over a rear-wheel-drive model, from $41,425 to $43,425 (prices include destination). All-wheel drive is familiar territory to luxury coupes like the Audi A5, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Infiniti Q60. An A5 2.0T with Quattro all-wheel drive is $39,895, a C350 with all-wheel drive is $46,775 and the Q60 with all-wheel drive is $43,505.

Flip the selector to Sport+ and the 428i wrings every last drop of horsepower from its four-cylinder engine by holding gears longer and boosting throttle response. In cars with the optional adaptive suspension, which our test car had, it also tightens the car's suspension and the electronic traction control enters a less restricted dynamic mode. An added bonus are the paddle shifters, which are super precise and fast considering they're controlling an automatic transmission that isn't of the dual-clutch variety.

Our 428i test car came equipped with nearly every performance part you can throw on an all-wheel-drive version. (Some parts you simply cannot, like the six-speed manual transmission and M Sport suspension, which are exclusive to the rear-drive 428i.) The M Sport Package on our test car included lightweight 18-inch wheels wrapped in summer performance tires and the appearance goods, but not the M Sport suspension. Instead, our tester used the Dynamic Handling Package ($1,000) with an adaptive suspension and variable sport steering, as well as M Sport brakes ($650) with larger rotors and painted aluminum calipers. The adaptive suspension on all-wheel-drive models doesn't lower the car as much as the one on rear-drive models.

The adaptive suspension adjusts damper firmness on the fly and does a great job at preventing the choppiness that comes with many sport suspensions. At the same time, however, I wouldn't say this all-wheel-drive model has the sporting aggressiveness you'd expect out of $5,150 in performance upgrades. The 428i xDrive rolls through corners with a heft that I don't recall from the 328i M Sport sedan with rear-wheel drive and a fixed-firmness suspension that we tested during our Sport Sedan Challenge. All coupes are heavier than the sedan — by 60 pounds for the rear-wheel-drive version and by 40 pounds for all-wheel drive. My recollection is that the 328i rear-wheel-drive sedan with the fixed M Sport suspension was a lot livelier than this particular 428i with all-wheel drive and the M adaptive suspension. Our 428i xDrive would still wag the tail on occasion to let you know the all-wheel drive has a rear bias.

                               

The 4 Series uses a nearly identical interior to the 3 Series: attractive, high-tech and high-quality. Backseat room is the big differentiator between the two, as seating capacity goes from five in the sedan to four in the coupe. Up front it's all good, with plenty of room for my 6-foot-tall frame, just like in the 3 Series sedan. You'll pay the price for those awesome aggressive looks and sloping rear roofline with less headroom in back, plus the backseat has less legroom and is narrower.

Various equipment lines provide a different interior experience in base, Sport, Luxury and M Sport trim levels (which come in the form of option packages). Our test car had the M Sport goods, with sport seats, Estoril Blue matte aluminum interior trim, an M steering wheel and anthracite-colored ceiling trim.

The M Sport's tires and suspension aren't the quietest over rough roads, though the roads we experienced during construction season in the Chicago area were more crappy than usual. A different wheel and suspension package may soak up road imperfections better than this sport-infused model. Regardless, the comfort level wasn't a deal-breaker, as rolling into the city's deepest potholes didn't upset the car very much. The engine is quiet enough with the windows up but thankfully not completely silent with the windows down; you can hear the whistle of the working turbocharger — a nice touch for those in tune with the performance noise.