2021 BMW 430i

By Steve Kursar

The 2021 BMW 430i is a two-door coupe that’s all-new for 2021. Sporting a very bold, new front fascia, the newest 4-Series BMW is the second generation of a model that was initially introduced back in 2014. This is a car for a family of no more than two. If you need a family transporter, look elsewhere. The entire design of the new 4-Series is a look into the future of BMW and that future looks very promising from here.

The BMW brand prides itself on building the “ultimate driving machine.” And since the Germans take driving very seriously, that means a lot. They engineer cars that are able to cruise for long periods of time well over one hundred miles per hour on the German Autobahn, the French Autoroute and the Italian Autostrade. Too bad, Texans just don’t have a legal way to drive that fast on our state highways.

A base 2021 430i Coupe comes with a $45,600 MSRP price tag. A convertible 4-Series will cost you an extra $8,000. Both models are powered by the same powertrain, a 255 hp, 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 60 time is 5.5 seconds, not blazingly fast but pretty darn impressive for a 2.0 liter engine. EPA estimated fuel economy is respectable, getting you 26 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.

The new front fascia may be off-putting to some, but the interior is sure to be a winner with everyone who sits behind the wheel. BMW designers have created a driver-focused cockpit as a way to make a point that the new 4-Series is all about driving. The center display screen flows into the instrument cluster area to form a congruous unit. The light functions are operated from a panel of buttons to the left of the steering wheel. The start/ stop button is now located in the center console along with the newly designed gear selector lever, the iDrive Controller and the buttons for the Driving Experience Control switch.

The back seat is small, and the trunk is a lot larger than you might expect in a coupe. This is a car designed for a getaway, not the bank robbery kind. If you can imagine a day when the kids no longer need rides, and there’s nothing holding you back, that’s the time to put the new BMW 4-Series Coupe or Convertible on your new car shopping list.