The concept of sporty driving pleasure in the premium midsize segment is being redefined and will soon be available to experience in the new BMW 4 Series Coupe. Following a series of exhaustive test drives held as part of the development process to prepare it for series production, the latest incarnation of the two-door model is now embarking on the final phase of dynamic testing. After having their driving qualities honed at the winter testing centre in Arjeplog, Sweden, at the BMW Group’s test centre in Miramas in France, on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit and at various other race tracks, the prototypes are now returning to their roots: engineers will put the final touches to the chassis technology of the new BMW 4 Series Coupe on the motorways and country roads around the BMW Group’s Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich.
Like its overall vehicle concept and design, the 4 Series Coupe’s chassis technology is a more individual composition than ever before. The proportions, aerodynamic properties and weight distribution of the two-door car provide the ideal basis for a chassis set-up focussed unerringly on exhilarating dynamic performance. A direct comparison with the new BMW 3 Series Sedan highlights the new model’s unique profile particularly clearly. The sedan’s impressive drag coefficient, for example, is undercut by 0.015. Plus, the new BMW 4 Series Coupe is 57 millimetres lower than its four-door counterpart and its centre of gravity is 21 millimetres closer to the road as a result.
This all combines with the increased negative camber at the front wheels and the 23-millimetre wider rear track to sharpen the car’s handling characteristics by a significant degree. The sports sedan already boasts extraordinary dynamism, but the new BMW 4 Series Coupe raises agility and lateral acceleration by a sizable margin again.
The development team for the new BMW 4 Series Coupe also took a model-specific approach to incorporating the chassis technology and connecting the suspension to the body. The fruits of their labours will launch the new two-door model straight to the top of its segment in terms of sporting prowess and the driving experience. At the same time, the double-joint spring strut front axle / five-link rear axle configuration means the dialling up of dynamic performance doesn’t come at the expense of excellent comfort on everyday drives and long journeys. Lift-related dampers – which made their debut in the new BMW 3 Series Sedan and offer continuously variable, progressive damping control as a function of spring travel – have been tuned for an even sportier drive. Custom-made tower-to-front end struts and an additional shear panel on the bulkhead optimise steering precision and response, while bracing elements have been added around the rear axle to increase stiffness for improved straightline stability and lateral acceleration.
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SOURCE: BMW Group
