BMW's Game Changer – A Vehicle That Is Redundant Before It's Even On Sale

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler
bmw s game changer a vehicle that is redundant before it s even on sale

BMW’s new nomenclature dictates that coupes have an even numbered naming convention, while sedans get an odd numbered digit. But with the BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe, BMW has managed to disrupt the integrity of it right off the bat.

The Gran Coupe, said to be the black car in the center of the photographs, is just a 4-door 4-Series with a sloping roof. But a 4-door 4-series is, of course, a 3-Series. Aside from the sloping roof and the presumably missing center seat in the back, how is this at all different from a 3-Series? What’s the selling proposition? At least the 6-Series GC has a competitive set in the Audi A7 and Mercedes CLS, while offering a distinctive package versus the 5-Series. This really doesn’t look that different at all. Then again, luxury niche customers have always been ignored by the Germans…

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  • Hummer Hummer on Feb 01, 2014

    I've seen several people make point of the 3-series being common as a legitimate reason in and of itself to buy the 4 What about the grand old idea of buying something you want and like, I've never purchased a vehicle on the basis of what others will think of me, they have all been bought because I wanted them and they made me happy. Is image really that big to some of you?

    • Zykotec Zykotec on Feb 01, 2014

      I think BMW too a large degree makes a living on people who buy cars only for the image. Offcourse there are still car enthusiasts who buy them too, because they think they look good and drive/handle well, just like there are some people who buy an ILX or CTS because they like those cars. BMW and Audi, and partially Mercedes has understood the current market of people with a 15 minute attention span though, with a new model released almost every forthnight, without spending an awful amount of money on development. It is the late 50's all over again.This is one reason Ford and Opel , and many Japanese brands are struggling in Europe, with very few models that are not updated often, people just forget that they excist...

  • Gottacook Gottacook on Feb 01, 2014

    It's funny how the German automakers (starting with the first-gen Mercedes CLS and the VW CC; today BMW and Audi as well) began featuring frameless windows in their premium four-door cars at the same time that Subaru began to abandon them.

  • Analoggrotto Does it include a date with Mary Barra?
  • Tassos ask me if I care.
  • ToolGuy • Nice vehicle, reasonable price, good writeup. I like your ALL CAPS. 🙂"my mid-trim EX tester is saddled with dummy buttons for a function that’s not there"• If you press the Dummy button, does a narcissist show up spouting grandiose comments? Lol.
  • MaintenanceCosts These are everywhere around here. I'm not sure the extra power over a CR-V hybrid is worth the fragile interior materials and the Kia dealership experience.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's such a shame about the unusable ergonomics. I kind of like the looks of this Camaro and by all accounts it's the best-driving of the current generation of ponycars. A manual 2SS would be a really fun toy if only I could see out of it enough to drive safely.
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