Mild mid-life facelift for BMW’s sporty executive coupe, 420i kicks off the range, Gran Coupe and Cabriolet to follow 

SINGAPORE –

BMW’s small executive two-door, the 4 Series has just received its mid-life refresh (or Life Cycle Impulse, in BMW-speak) and is now on sale in Singapore.

For now, pricing for only the 420i Coupe Sport has been announced by dealer Performance Motors Limited, at $228,800 with COE, with the more expensive 430i and 440i models expected to join the range soon.

Visually, the revisions are extremely mild. Up front are new bi-LED headlights with flatter light tubes that give the car a more dynamic look, as well as LED foglights. Similarly, the rear end receives new full LED taillights with reshaped light strips and larger turn indicators. Two new paint options have been added too – Sunset Orange and the Snapper Rocks Blue you see below.

Updates to the cabin are much more significant. Just like in the 5 and 7 Series, the iDrive system’s interface is now based around app-like tiles that can be rearranged as desired, unlike the list-and-scroll format of before. The traditional dials have also been replaced with the Multifunctional Instrument Display, which is BMW-speak for a fully digital instrument cluster with changeable graphics. Like the exterior, there are also new interior colours to choose from; three, to be exact, as well as three new dashboard trim strips for even more personalisation combinations.

Mechanically, the 4 Series sports a stiffer suspension setup which claims to deliver sportier handling without any sacrifice in ride comfort. Engines meanwhile, are identical to those found in the facelifted 3 Series range

The 420i’s 184bhp turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder is carried over unchanged, while the 430i – which replaces the previous 428i – uses the same engine but puts out 252bhp, or 7bhp more than before. The one we’re most interested in though, is the 440i. It replaces the previous 306bhp 435i, utilising once again the 3.0-litre turbo six-cylinder, but now with 326bhp and 450Nm of torque – 20bhp and 50Nm greater than its predecessor.

We can expect the four-door coupe Gran Coupe and Convertible models to join the range in the coming weeks, with the Convertible and 4-door Gran Coupe joining the 2-door Coupe. Each body style will be available with each of the three engine variants mentioned above.

The market for small executive coupes is rather different now compared to when the BMW 4 Series first appeared on the scene in 2014. Not only does it have its traditional German rivals, the Audi A5 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe to contend with, but buyers have even more to choose from, in the form of left-field contenders such as the Lexus RC, Infiniti Q60 and even the Ford Mustang.