BMW 4 Series Performance, Engine, Ride, Handling

Every 4 Series gets variable steering as standard. It ramps up assistance to save you from excessive arm-twirling when parking, but offers less help on faster roads to prevent the car from feeling hyper-reactive to tiny steering adjustments. It’s not perfect, because the car can still feel a bit sensitive to quick inputs at higher speeds. That can be mitigated by switching to Sport mode, which adds weight to the steering to give a greater sense of connection to the front wheels and make it easier to judge how much input is required.

The 4 Series’ standard passive suspension is noticeably stiffer than the set-up in the BMW 3 Series, which has the positive impact of reducing body lean. That allows you to scythe through corners more enthusiastically than in the Audi A5 and the Mercedes C-Class Coupé. However, because it’s more focused on delivering poise and control than wafty comfort, you feel more of bumps as they pass beneath the car than in the best versions of the A5.

For that reason, we recommend the optional adaptive suspension that comes as part of the M Sport Pro Package (which is standard on M Sport Pro Edition models and on the M440i and M440d). That lets you stiffen or soften the ride at the touch of the button. Comfort mode makes the 4 Series much calmer around town and delivers a very smooth ride on A-roads and motorways. 

In terms of refinement, the 420i and 430i are smooth and quiet enough when you’re pottering around, with a more rorty edge when pushed hard, while the 420d is prone to a bit more vibration through the steering wheel at idle. The M440i is the best sounding 4 Series – its six-cylinder engine noise is wonderfully soulful, especially compared with the S5’s muted diesel bellow.