The BMW 3 Series Coupe is no more and it's been replaced by this - the new 4 series.
Now coupes are all about two things, the way it drives - which we'll get to later - and
the way that they look.
Now, I don't know about you, but I think that this 4 series is one of the best looking modern
BMWs.
That's helped by this nice narrow kidney grille which is angled slightly forward to make the
car look more sporty.
And this bar at the bottom looks just like the concept car that they showed at Detroit.
Plus, it has these very feline-looking lights that are very technical and modern looking.
The only body panel that's shared with the 3 Series is the bonnet, all the rest of the
body panels are bespoke.
At the side, all 4 Series' come with at least 18inch alloys, this test car's got 19inch
ones.
BMW's plundered some of its motorsport heritage to make the 4 Series more efficient - at the
front there's an air curtain that blows air through this whole in the bumper and around
the wheel, and then air goes through this whole and out of this gill here down the side
of the car.
This makes it more efficient, and cuts a couple of grams per kilometre of CO2.
If you exclude the door mirror, the widest part of the BMW is normally the door handle,
but on this car it's actually the rear wheel arch.
BMW makes a huge effort to draw your eye to it, creasing the body side in and giving the
arch a big flare - I reckon it makes the car look really powerful.
Finally, round at the back, is a built in boot-lid spoiler and the likes have little
LED bars in them to make the car look nice and wide.
Despite all this sporty stuff, the 4 Series is actually surprisingly practical.
You can wave your foot under the bumper if you've got your hands full, you've just got
to have the key in your pocket.
The boot's actually pretty big, only about 45-litres less than the 3 Series Saloon.
Let's go and see how this thing drives.
Interior will be very familiar to anyone who knows the current 3 Series, in fact, the only
thing that's different - apart from this fairly horrible red trim - is that a little robot
hands you your seatbelt.
Thanks robot.
So what's the 4 Series like?
To be honest, in a straight line, it's actually quite a lot like a 3 Series, very comfortable
and compliant - however, on these larger wheels you do get some bumps and thumps through the
cabin as you'd kind of expect.
When you come to a corner, things change a little bit - this car runs 10 millimetres
lower than the saloon does, also feels a lot more planted especially when you turn in.
The steering isn't super feel some, it's got really nice sort of agileness to it that will
translate nicely when the M4 comes out next year.
In sport plus you really notice that this car has changed quite differently.
In comfort mode it's all soft and wallowy, in sport plus it's very sharp and agile.
Still perhaps not the nth degree of drivers' cars.
But I think in this class it's probably the best - better than the E-Class although that
car has a nice turn in.
And the body feels a lot stiffer than the Audi's does, but the gearbox when you're in
sport plus is really responsive as well.
And the car's fitted with these nice paddles on the steering wheel - it responds almost
as quickly as a dual-clutch it's really impressive.
One thing I would say is that the brakes on this car, if you use them quite aggressively
over a long period of time, tend to shudder a little bit at the car's weight.
This car actually doesn't weight much differently to the saloon.
So, while you could argue that it's a bit too similar to the 3 Series in terms of the
way that it looks, I still think that the 4 series hits the spot with its styling.
To drive, it's pretty comfortable most of the time, and there are elements that will
really reward keen drivers.
But it's not the super-sharp drive that the good looks would lead you to believe, so some
people may be a little disappointed, especially if they're expecting a big step up from the
3 Series.
You'll just have to wait for the M4 to arrive for that.