BMW 430i Coupe | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

BMW 430i Coupe | Test Drive

12 April 2021 Redazione News, Tested

BMW 430i Coupe

FACEFIRST

Words Christian Parodi / Photos Jay Tomei

For many it sounds like one of those shortest straw moments, a situation in which you would rather sink or run and hide. Instead you have to deal with the bone sandwich of the moment. I see it differently and not only as a former owner of an F32 4 Series (M4 to be precise), but because I have always believed that a car should answer two main things: drivability and character. And be careful, because as far as look concerns I do not necessarily mean that it must be objectively beautiful, also because the immortal shapes of the 60s will never come back due to all the rules that force designers and electronic brains to face very specific restrictions and rules, penalizing the sinuosity of forms. I mean, after all it is important that those who buy are gonna like it, not necessarily everyone and the new front-end of the last generation 3 Series and 4 Series is undoubtedly something that makes people talk about it, something that I personally liked it from the first moment.

It is obvious that it is never easy to talk ‘bout something controversial and even if it is not about politics or finance, these are still delicate topics that risk disappointing and dividing, but at the same time I find that they are the most stimulating situations precisely because they allow you to ask yourself about something different than usual, which does not stop at a simple matter between black or white, beautiful or ugly, performing or comfortable. The new 4 Series, technically called G22, is not just a huge front grille, because after all it aims to maintain the leadership of its segment, where for example the historic Mercedes rival maintains a more traditional design, but already looks old even before completing its break-in.

Ok, no time to loose, let’s start with the design, also because it is the first thing that catches the eye when we approach a car, especially if it is a completely new model. With a BMW, we expect a driving experience that will satisfy everyone, including enthusiasts, and on the basis of this, the aesthetic aspect has full freedom to take some rights and surprise. In this case, the distinctive feature of the Bavarian maker, namely the double kidney grille, undergoes a growth hormone-based development, perhaps in excessive quantities. The result is that the very grille is expanded horizontally and mainly vertically, incorporating the front plate and acting as a magnet for anyone who cross this direction. Feel free to hate me, but I find that this stylistic leap in the dark works and even if it does not fit perfectly with the softer rear – which on the previous series had reached the apotheosis of forms – it basically puts a little bit of unexpected in a segment sometimes too predictable and often limited to sharpening headlights in order to define one model over the other.

This doesn’t have to be yet another article all about the gigantic front grille, you’ve read tons of ‘em and if you bear with me, you all know very well that the crucial aspect for the new 4 Series is the dynamic one, because a BMW is always synonymous with driving pleasure – in the end this is the starting point for the next M4. At the time of our test, we opted to collect the 430i, that is the intermediate step in the petrol range sitting between the 420i with 184 horsepower and the more powerful 440i with 374 hp. However this is the one we consider the perfect compromise between comfort and performance and which thanks to an engine with overall small dimensions but with a substantial torque reserve, transfers the pleasure given by a rear-wheel drive layout to the road, offering pure driving feelings in perfect BMW style.

The 430i now has a 4-cylinder (single) turbo engine of just 2-liters, longitudinally fitted under the bonnet and which limits fuel consumption, making it perfect for any type of travel, whether it is city, motorway or b-roads. In the latter scenario, the 258 horsepower delivered on the upper part of the rev-counter and the 400 Nm of torque available at just 1,550 rpm allow you to move smoothly the ton and a half of weight, without ever leading to nervous reactions, unless it is the driver himself to induce oversteer, maybe deactivating traction control and setting in Sport Plus, the most performance-minded driving mode or even better going for Individual, which allows you to aptly act on the engine, gearbox, steering, suspension and sound parameters, this last one never too accentuated but still pleasant, especially since it is still a four-cylinder pot.

The Steptronic automatic transmission has 8 speeds and allows you to manage gear changes via the paddles on the steering wheel, the same lever, or to let the car take care of it on its own. In any case, the passage from one gear to another is clearly perceived, making driving involvement a pretty physic experience, not at all penalized by a chassis that still reminds that you are on board a small grand tourer. Being still in the middle of winter and wearing snow tires, I don’t feel the need to go extreme looking for the dynamic side of the 430i, here made even more sporty by the MSport set-up (the exterior and interior package adds 5,000 Euros to the starting price), which also includes the important self-locking differential on the rear axle. It would not be the same of a scenario with dry asphalt and summer tires. I decide to take advantage of the situation and aim the large double kidney grille towards the snow-capped mountains of Piedmont, where a lonely road full of curves probably covered with snow will only raise my sympathies towards this new and unfairly mistreated model.

Life on board is literally immersed in the total comfort of the fantastic leather sports seats, the steering wheel with that crown typically thicker than any other car is the link between you and the road and the digital instrumentation in front of the driver and in the center of the dashboard did not prevent BMW engineers from maintaining physical controls such as climate controls and the main ones concerning the car dynamics. I feel seated low down, with a perfect view of what is around me and of its overall dimensions, where other than a large trunk we have two seats in the back that are not sacrificed at all, neither for legs or head room.

I keep crunching kilometers and when the road gets narrower, pronouncedly twisty and slimy, the rear of the 430i widens and lets you play as you expected on a car of this kind. The steering is precise and the reactions of the chassis are always very predictable, providing fun in complete safety and fluency. There is also time to increase the pace and see that despite never becoming nervous- not even pushing the boundaries – the 4-cylinder is always ready, above all thanks to the 400 Nm of torque that constantly keep the 2-liter on its toes, thus resulting in 5.8 seconds to go from 0 to 100 kph and reach 250 per hour of top speed. All this happens regardless of whether the front grille is huge, nor out of scale, unconventional or attracts more looks than is usually expected from a sober car like this. It happens because the dynamic state of grace is once again impeccable, courtesy of the evolution that we would have expected after the extraordinary F32 and supplants any possible criticism of the controversial aesthetic. Ultimately it’s fine if you like it or not, at least it will be able to arouse an emotion – something that the C-Class has not been able to do for years. What is certain is that by driving it you will have proof of how much the so criticized aesthetics is only the outline of a mechanical package that leaves no room for doubt: the new 4 Series is the car we all hoped it would be.