2014 BMW 4 Series - 440i Coupe Spied

The all new 3 series coupe, which is being re-branded as a 4 series coupe will debut as a model year 2014 in the summer of 2013. BMW has been busy testing the base model 428i coupe rumored to have the same turbo 4 cylinder N20 that is available in the current 2012 and 2013 328i. The big engine 4 series coupe will have the turbo 6 cylinder N55 found in the 21012 and 2013 335i sedan but the power will be bumped to the 320hp range.

The 4 series test mule spied here is the N55 powered 440i coupe with a power bump to 320hp. The power bump is part of BMW's strategy to move the coupe up market from the 3 series sedan creating a distinction between the sedan and coupe markets as they have done with the 5 and 6 series. The 4 series coupe will come with more standard features and a higher base price furthering the gap between the 3 series sedan and 4 series coupe.



Much of the 4 series coupe design is still under wraps as we're just under a year out. While this cars headlights are clearly test car units the final F32 coupe will have a headlight design that mimics the F30 3 series sedan, wrapping all the way from the fender to the kidney grills. The grills will be much wider then the 3 series sedan with a look similar to the 6 series coupe. At the rear the trunk lid has been styled to wrap into the rear window. The big engine 440i retains the split, left and right single exhaust were the 428i will have a left side dual exhaust.

As we get closer to the press launch of the 4 series coupe the camouflage will start to drop off the 4 series so stay tuned for more and more revealing spy shots of the 2014 4 series coupe. Based on the size and general lines you can see so far, do you think the 4 series coupe is going to be HOT or NOT?

Yep, it's a car. Even looks like it's a two door. Are we sure it's not an Acura Integra? Look at those headlights.

Is that a trailer hitch?

Originally Posted by sunny5280

Is that a trailer hitch?

Yes. They do a lot of load testing with some sort of drag inducing trailer device as seen here on the F35 3 series Gran Touring (GT) -




More F35 3 Series GT pictures - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...607&highlight=

btw - I forgot to mention, STUPID TO THE HIGH HEAVENS THROWING AWAY FORTY YEARS OF HARD WON BRAND IDENTITY BY CALLING THIS CAR A 4 SERIES. People are still pissed they dropped the "ci" designation for the coupes. Someone at BMW corporate, please pull your head out your butt and learn something. Keep the irreplaceable 3 Series name and bring back the "ci" designation for the coupes (and "cic" for the 'verts).

BMW recently recognized as the MOST VALUABLE BRAND IN THE WORLD and they are too stupid to recognize a huge part of that is the 3 Series, including the coupe, and the ///M3, which virtually every person on the planet associates with a coupe or convertible.

This 4 Series crap is a bigger corporate identity blunder than New Coke!!! The entire 3 Series history is built on the two door 3er. Without which there would be no 3 Series sedan at all!!! This "4 Series" is NOTHING SHORT OF BMW BLASPHEMY. It is shameful to the brand.

I guess I ought to email this rant to BMW.

Beautiful trailer

Originally Posted by tturedraider

btw - I forgot to mention, STUPID TO THE HIGH HEAVENS THROWING AWAY FORTY YEARS OF HARD WON BRAND IDENTITY BY CALLING THIS CAR A 4 SERIES. People are still pissed they dropped the "ci" designation for the coupes. Someone at BMW corporate, please pull you head out your butt and learn something. Keep the irreplaceable 3 Series name and bring back the "ci" designation for the coupes (and "cic" for the 'verts).

BMW recently recognized as the MOST VALUABLE BRAND IN THE WORLD and they are too stupid to recognize a huge part of that is the 3 Series, including the coupe, and the ///M3, which virtually every person on the planet associates with a coupe or convertible.

This 4 Series crap is a bigger corporate identity blunder than New Coke!!! The entire 3 Series history is built on the two door 3er. Without which there would be no 3 Series sedan at all!!! This "4 Series" is NOTHING SHORT OF BMW BLASPHEMY. It is shameful to the brand.

I guess I ought to email this rant to BMW.

I agree (although I'm not quite as worked up about this as you! ).

tturedraider says it all. BMW is screwing themselves. They are so trying to emulate Audi and yet, it is Audi that has been playing catch up since the 1980s.

Originally Posted by mohrgan

bmw is screwing themselves. They are so trying to emulate audi and yet, it is audi that has been playing catch up since the 1980s.

+1!!!!!

Originally Posted by tim330i

Yes. They do a lot of load testing with some sort of drag inducing trailer device as seen here on the F35 3 series Gran Touring (GT) -




More F35 3 Series GT pictures - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...607&highlight=

Gotta get one of those "trailers" for the motorcycle.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

btw - I forgot to mention, STUPID TO THE HIGH HEAVENS THROWING AWAY FORTY YEARS OF HARD WON BRAND IDENTITY BY CALLING THIS CAR A 4 SERIES. People are still pissed they dropped the "ci" designation for the coupes. Someone at BMW corporate, please pull your head out your butt and learn something. Keep the irreplaceable 3 Series name and bring back the "ci" designation for the coupes (and "cic" for the 'verts).

BMW recently recognized as the MOST VALUABLE BRAND IN THE WORLD and they are too stupid to recognize a huge part of that is the 3 Series, including the coupe, and the ///M3, which virtually every person on the planet associates with a coupe or convertible.

This 4 Series crap is a bigger corporate identity blunder than New Coke!!! The entire 3 Series history is built on the two door 3er. Without which there would be no 3 Series sedan at all!!! This "4 Series" is NOTHING SHORT OF BMW BLASPHEMY. It is shameful to the brand.

I guess I ought to email this rant to BMW.

I am not as worked up about this as you as long as they don't ruin the driving experience (which they have with some recent models).

While we are on this topic, how about their stupid 3xx/5xx/6xx/7xx/8xx designation deviation, where "xx" used to mean the engine displacement numbers, not what some marketing guy thought is good for sales numbers.

The whole "sDrive" and "xDrive" designation is also not very well thought out... so what are they going to call the rumored FWD model?

Originally Posted by enigma

The whole "sDrive" and "xDrive" designation is also not very well thought out... so what are they going to call the rumored FWD model?

fDrive

Originally Posted by enigma

I am not as worked up about this as you as long as they don't ruin the driving experience (which they have with some recent models).

While we are on this topic, how about their stupid 3xx/5xx/6xx/7xx/8xx designation deviation, where "xx" used to mean the engine displacement numbers, not what some marketing guy thought is good for sales numbers.

The whole "sDrive" and "xDrive" designation is also not very well thought out... so what are they going to call the rumored FWD model?

BMW has drifted from the literal motor size designation for a long time. The N52/N54 motors made this a necessity, since they both displace three liters. So, the E90 325, 328, 330 and 335 all have motors that displace three liters, but all have different performance specs.

I don't know why they've bothered with "sDrive". But, "xDrive" actually makes sense, because, for marketing purposes, they needed a name for customers to identify with the way Audi has Quattro. Albeit, Quattro is a much cooler sounding name than xDrive.

Originally Posted by tim330i

fDrive

My thoughts exactly. Probably an appropriate name as well as the extraneous names the "f" would undoubtedly inspire.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

BMW has drifted from the literal motor size designation for a long time. The N52/N54 motors made this a necessity, since they both displace three liters. So, the E90 325, 328, 330 and 335 all have motors that displace three liters, but all have different performance specs.

I don't know why they've bothered with "sDrive". But, "xDrive" actually makes sense, because, for marketing purposes, they needed a name for customers to identify with the way Audi has Quattro. Albeit, Quattro is a much cooler sounding name than xDrive.



My thoughts exactly. Probably an appropriate name as well as the extraneous names the "f" would undoubtedly inspire.

I understand the NA vs FI argument. Instead of putting some artificial or random number determined by marketing, they could've used the "t" designation along with the displacement.

As for the "xDrive", what was wrong with "xi" (e.g. 330xi) instead of this God-awful long model names?

Originally Posted by tturedraider

btw - I forgot to mention, STUPID TO THE HIGH HEAVENS THROWING AWAY FORTY YEARS OF HARD WON BRAND IDENTITY BY CALLING THIS CAR A 4 SERIES. People are still pissed they dropped the "ci" designation for the coupes. Someone at BMW corporate, please pull your head out your butt and learn something. Keep the irreplaceable 3 Series name and bring back the "ci" designation for the coupes (and "cic" for the 'verts).

BMW recently recognized as the MOST VALUABLE BRAND IN THE WORLD and they are too stupid to recognize a huge part of that is the 3 Series, including the coupe, and the ///M3, which virtually every person on the planet associates with a coupe or convertible.

This 4 Series crap is a bigger corporate identity blunder than New Coke!!! The entire 3 Series history is built on the two door 3er. Without which there would be no 3 Series sedan at all!!! This "4 Series" is NOTHING SHORT OF BMW BLASPHEMY. It is shameful to the brand.

I guess I ought to email this rant to BMW.

Guess, if they had designated the '4 Series' to the Sedan, you would be cool with that?

I guess they wanted to keep sedans 'odd', {3,5,7} while making things even with coupes! But the 1-series screws things up - does it mean we have a '2-series' in the works and will it be a coupe, convertible or hatchback?

Agreed on all fronts. The naming has gotten completely out of hand.

1, 3, 5, 7, series
3XX should denote displacement
A "t" suffix is for turbo
X for all-wheel drive
i or d for petrol vs. diesel

It's clear to me what a 530txi is. But maybe us "insiders" who can decode the nomenclature are the exception?

With mobile phones you have the "Samsung Galaxy III S" competing with the "iPhone 4". It's like the "BMW 435i xDrive" competing with the "Audi A5 Quattro". One of those is much cleaner / clearer to me than the other. Maybe the analogy is a little strained, but you get the idea.

-James
2006 BMW X3 3.0i (manual, m-sport, xenons, premium, pdc, servotronic)

My guess is that BMW did a lot of focus groups to realize that the average person didn't understand all the naming. We might like I, CI, XI, etc. it does get a little confusing with the extended drive train options. Would an AWD, Turbo, Coupe be a CXTi?

335CXti doesn't sound all that awesome either.

EDIT - Realized it would be a 330CXti under the above naming nomenclature.

Originally Posted by mawana

Guess, if they had designated the '4 Series' to the Sedan, you would be cool with that?

I guess they wanted to keep sedans 'odd', {3,5,7} while making things even with coupes! But the 1-series screws things up - does it mean we have a '2-series' in the works and will it be a coupe, convertible or hatchback?

Yes. We will soon have a 2 Series.

Originally Posted by enigma

I understand the NA vs FI argument. Instead of putting some artificial or random number determined by marketing, they could've used the "t" designation along with the displacement.

As for the "xDrive", what was wrong with "xi" (e.g. 330xi) instead of this God-awful long model names?

Originally Posted by iamthewalrus

Agreed on all fronts. The naming has gotten completely out of hand.

1, 3, 5, 7, series
3XX should denote displacement
A "t" suffix is for turbo
X for all-wheel drive
i or d for petrol vs. diesel

It's clear to me what a 530txi is. But maybe us "insiders" who can decode the nomenclature are the exception?

With mobile phones you have the "Samsung Galaxy III S" competing with the "iPhone 4". It's like the "BMW 435i xDrive" competing with the "Audi A5 Quattro". One of those is much cleaner / clearer to me than the other. Maybe the analogy is a little strained, but you get the idea.

-James
2006 BMW X3 3.0i (manual, m-sport, xenons, premium, pdc, servotronic)

Yes, the nomenclature is clear (mostly) to "insiders", but not to the general public. You give the general public WAY TOO much credit. Most can barely tie their shoes in the morning.

btw, it's the Samsung Galaxy S III.

how is it possible to know what engine is in a test mule just by looking at it?

ahh change is good!

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Yes, the nomenclature is clear (mostly) to "insiders", but not to the general public. You give the general public WAY TOO much credit. Most can barely tie their shoes in the morning.

Yeah...only BMW owners are capable of properly tying their shoes.

Originally Posted by sunny5280

Yeah...only BMW owners are capable of properly tying their shoes.

Only about a third of those.



I lost all faith in the intelligence of the America people on 03 November 1992. Since that day nothing that happens in this country surprises me. That is a day I will never forget as long as I live.

Yeah, "4" series, is, eh, it just doesn't work.

And why is there a guy with a dog on a car forum? Cute dog. But I don't get it.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

btw - i forgot to mention, stupid to the high heavens throwing away forty years of hard won brand identity by calling this car a 4 series. People are still pissed they dropped the "ci" designation for the coupes. Someone at bmw corporate, please pull your head out your butt and learn something. Keep the irreplaceable 3 series name and bring back the "ci" designation for the coupes (and "cic" for the 'verts).

Bmw recently recognized as the most valuable brand in the world and they are too stupid to recognize a huge part of that is the 3 series, including the coupe, and the ///m3, which virtually every person on the planet associates with a coupe or convertible.

This 4 series crap is a bigger corporate identity blunder than new coke!!! The entire 3 series history is built on the two door 3er. Without which there would be no 3 series sedan at all!!! This "4 series" is nothing short of bmw blasphemy. It is shameful to the brand.

I guess i ought to email this rant to bmw.

+1