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New BMW 4 Series Coupe in final testing… BMW have released information and (heavily camouflaged) photos of the forthcoming 4 Series Coupe, which is currently undergoing final and exhaustive pre-production development testing, carried out at race tracks and other test facilities both in and around Munich and elsewhere in Europe. After having the new 4 Series’ driving qualities honed at the winter testing centre in Arjeplog, Sweden, at BMW Group’s test centre at Miramas, France and on the Nürburgring, the prototypes are now returning to their roots: engineers are currently putting the final touches to the chassis technology of the new 4 Series on the motorways, country roads and city streets around the BMW Group’s Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich. The new 4 Series Coupe is
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BMW Car Club Magazine June 2020
obviously based around the G20 3 Series platform, but there are changes. For instance, the saloon’s impressive drag coefficient is undercut by 0.015. The 4 Series sits 57mm lower than its four-door counterpart and its centre of gravity is 21mm closer to the road as a result. The front wheels carry increased negative camber and the rear track has been widened by 23mm to sharpen handling. The G20 3 Series already boasts extraordinary dynamism, but the new 4 Series Coupe raises agility and lateral acceleration by a sizable margin again. Lift-related shock absorbers – which made their debut in the G20, offer continuously variable, progressive damping control as a function of spring travel – and have been tuned for an even sportier drive in the new 4 Series. BMW also confirmed that the
range-topper (excluding the M4, which will be launched in 2021) will be the M440i xDrive, powered by a twinscroll turbocharged straight-six engine delivering 374bhp; it will also feature 48V mild-hybrid technology. A 48V starter-generator and a second battery are employed to both ease the load on the engine whilst also providing a punchier power delivery (an extra 11bhp is produced) when accelerating hard – expect an impressive 0-60mph figure. The power generated by the engine in the new BMW M440i xDrive Coupe is channelled to the road via a ZF eightspeed steptronic automatic gearbox and the car’s intelligent all-wheel-drive system. An M Sport differential is also employed to make sure that drive power is deployed to optimum effect when pressing on.
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