Autoblog

BMW 4 Series spied with its future competition

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, BMW, Luxury

BMW showed off its new 4 Series coupe in concept form at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, but it won't be long before we see the production model, evidenced by this modestly camouflaged prototype spotted testing. In case you forgot, the 4 Series serves as the replacement for the two-door versions of the BMW 3 Series, just as the upcoming 2 Series will effectively be the new version of the 1 Series coupe and convertible sold in our market.

This isn't our first glimpse of the 4 Series out testing, and we've even spied its droptop, Gran Coupe and too-hot M4 kin. We don't expect the final design to stray too much from the concept car seen in Detroit, albeit without the normal conceptual goodies like oversized wheels and with the overstyled front fascia toned down a bit. Our spy photographers even caught the 4 Series coupe hanging out with an Audi A5, giving us a good glimpse at how the two cars will stack up in terms of size and design.

It's still unknown exactly what engines will power the car when it comes to production, but since this thing is a derivative of the 3 Series, we expect the usual range of turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines to be available, likely in 428i ad 435i guise (though, to be fair, the larger 640i coupe uses a 3.0-liter turbo engine, so there's even the potential for 440i nomenclature to work its way into the mix). We'll have to wait until the car officially bows later this year to know for sure.

BMW 4 Series spied with its future competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW 4 Series Coupe spotted sans swirlies

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, BMW, Luxury

The spy shots you see above are not of a BMW 3 Series Coupe. Of course, that's just because the German automaker has apparently decided that coupes and convertibles deserve their own numerical distinction, one step higher than their sedan siblings.

While we've seen the upcoming BMW 4 Series in both convertible and coupe shapes before, this is the first time the car has been spotted by our European spy shooters without BMW's trademark swirly camouflage - all the better to spot details like the sloping fastback roofline and fender vents. Sadly, the fascia is masked, but we'd expect to see some stylized kidney grilles and stretched headlamps beneath.

We're told that this is not an M model but rather a 435i or 440i fitted with BMW's Sport Line body kit along with 19-inch M Sport wheels. A higher-performance M4 version is also in the offing. Take in all the details in the image gallery above, paying special attention to the horrible Sport badges that we pray don't make it into production. Expect to see the 2014 4 Series Coupe make its official debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.

BMW 4 Series Coupe spotted sans swirlies originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here's your first look at the BMW 3 Series coupe, in M4 guise

Jeff Sabatini — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, BMW

As we all look forward to the F30 2012 BMW 3 Series spawning its forthcoming coupe bodystyle as well as a new M3, today's treat is a bit of both. Our spy shooters caught this car testing in Europe, which is clearly an M version of the 3 Series coupe.

The wheels and quad exhaust are a dead giveaway that this is no ordinary 3, and of course, the scuttlebutt is that BMW is going to call the 3 Series coupe the 4 Series, making the M3 replacement actually the M4. BMW has reportedly confirmed that the current M3's V8 is going to be replaced with a turbo'ed inline six in the F30 M cars. The expectation is that the M3 will launch before the M4, given that BMW has yet to even bring the 4 Series to market.

Check out all the images in our gallery.

Here's your first look at the BMW 3 Series coupe, in M4 guise originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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