BMW 420i M Sport Coupe 2020 UK first drive | Autocar

If you’re looking for an entry point to the latest BMW 4 Series Coupé line-up, this here 420i M Sport is it.

You will, of course, have by now formed your own opinion about the styling of Munich’s latest two-door. Based on what I’ve read in various online comment sections, it would seem that there are a few people out there who don’t mind the way it looks, and I salute those individuals brave enough to actually stick their heads above the parapet and fess up to fancying its fanged face.

Whatever floats your boat, I guess. But for what it’s worth, I think it looks as though design chief Domagoj Dukec had a Predator for a muse. “Draw me like one of your German grilles,” it said, while reclining on a chaise lounge. Probably.

Anyway, the 420i M Sport Coupé starts at £39,870 and is expected to be the best-selling 4 Series variant here in the UK. Power comes from BMW’s B48 powerplant, and in this application the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine develops a modest 182bhp and 221lb ft.

An eight-speed automatic transmission sends all of this to the rear axle, where it’s then deployed to the road. Unlike the 420d diesel, the 420i goes without any form of mild-hybrid assistance.

Suspension is by way of MacPherson struts and multiple links, with passive dampers and 18in alloys equipped as standard. Our test car, however, came with the £2500 M Sport Pro Package, which adds, among other things, adaptive dampers, 19in alloys, run-flat tyres and M Sport brakes to the equation.