2014 BMW 435i Photo Gallery

If you’re not sure what a 2014 BMW 4 Series is, take a look at this picture. It’s a 3 Series Coupe, or what a 3 Series Coupe would look like if BMW still built one. The new world order at the Bavarian Motor Works (Bayersiche Motoren Werke) mandates that 4-door sedans, 5-door hatchbacks, and 5-door station wagons carry odd-numbered series designations, while 2-door coupes, 4-door coupes, and 2-door convertibles carry even-numbered series designations.

Therefore, the new 2014 BMW 4 Series lineup consists of the coupe shown above, a 4-door Gran Coupe, and a 2-door convertible. Prices start at $41,425 for a 428i Coupe and rise from there. The 435i Coupe photographed for this gallery had a window sticker of $55,325.

Yeah, the BMW 4 Series is a pretty good-looking car, especially with these delicious 19-inch M Sport aluminum wheels bolted onto each corner. This particular example is painted Melbourne Red Metallic with Shadowline exterior trim and is equipped with the aerodynamics kit that is included in the optional M Sport Line Package.

Through the use of design and materials, BMW clearly delineates the driver’s cockpit from the rest of the BMW 435i Coupe’s cabin. Quality is evident everywhere you look, but the Venetian Beige Dakota leather in this test vehicle did not feel as supple as the car’s $55,000 as-tested price tag might suggest.

The BMW 435i Coupe’s M Sport Line Package contains these power adjustable front sport seats with manual thigh adjusters. As might be expected, they are very comfortable and do an excellent job of holding adults in place when taking corners at speed.

Believe it or not, four adults can comfortably ride in the 2014 BMW 4 Series Coupe, with rear headroom the only dimension proving somewhat tight. The front seats power forward to provide easy entry for rear seat occupants, but getting out isn’t quite as easy unless you’ve been spending lots of time doing crunches at the gym.

Just as the 435i Coupe’s rear seat is more accommodating for people than expected, the 15.7 cu.-ft. trunk is more accommodating for cargo than you might assume. Need more room? The rear seat features a 40/20/40-split design, expanding the car’s ability to carrying longer objects and making it easy for two couples to take a ski trip.

If you’re planning a ski trip, you might want the 435i Coupe’s optional xDrive all-wheel-drive system. It takes all 300 horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque generated by this turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine and feeds it to the car’s four wheels. This example lacks xDrive, the standard 8-speed Sport Automatic transmission powering only the rear wheels. The EPA says this car should get 25 mpg in combined driving. I averaged 27.4 mpg, but that included lots of highway cruising.

Historically, the BMW 3 Series that preceded the BMW 4 Series delivered average reliability according to Consumer Reports and J.D. Power. People who bought them also rated them average for quality in J.D. Power surveys. Based on my examination of this 435i Coupe, the quality of the materials is excellent, though the leather is a little bit on the stiff side.

As this photo gallery is published, the new 4 Series Coupe has not been subjected to crash tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

If you’ve got an extra $6,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can load a BMW 435i Coupe with numerous safety-related technologies. Of them, a reversing camera really ought to be standard equipment on a car that starts at more than $40,000. A free, 10-year subscription to BMW Assist eCall services is standard, automatically activating if the car’s airbags deploy in order to speed rescuers to the scene of the accident. The system also provides an SOS Emergency Request button.

There are two ways to look at a $55,000 BMW that lacks safety-related features, a premium sound system, a navigation system, smartphone applications, and more. The glass-is-half-full viewpoint is one that favors simplicity. Lots of people don’t like all of those extras, and BMW doesn’t force you to buy them. The glass-is-half-empty viewpoint is one that incredulously questions this 435i’s value equation.