donkeykong
Track Technician
Besides being redundant the side profile looks decent.
4 Series (F32) [Spy Shots] The BMW 4 series GranCoupe is spied cold-weather-testing in Sweden
The first generation of the BMW 4 Series consists of the F32 (coupé version), F33 (convertible version) and F36 (five-door liftback version, marketed as 'Gran Coupé') compact executive cars. The 4 Series was created when BMW spun off the 2-door models (coupé and convertible) of the 3 Series into a separate series. Production: July 2013 – September 2020
Beemer B773ER
Tire Trailblazer
Why wouldn't you get this over the sedan ? 
Giannis
Staff member
Why wouldn't you get this over the sedan ?
Because the side profile looks slightly better. But that doesn't justify the expected (or any) price step over the regular 3 series sedan.
D
Deleted member 25
So the car actually has nothing to do with a van ? Why didn't the CM just say that this a 5dr sedan a la a5 Fastback ?
EnI
Piston Pioneer
But the added sportiness & exclusivity over 3er sedan certainly do justify the purchase. That's also why some pick S5 SB over A4 sedan and even A5 - due to more versatility & practicality. Such cars appeal to the customers who want a COUPE but with some more practically (sedan-like) features. Adding a hatch tail gate even broadens the appeal - since you get more practical boot as a bonus.
So, why picking 4er GC instead of 3er sedan ... It's like asking why picking 3er Touring over 3er sedan, or 3er GT over both ... or even why picking 4er GC over 4er copue or 4er cabrio. Different lifestyles, different needs, different preferences, different decisions. All the mentioned models cater to different specific needs (some to broader ones, some to more niche ones) - and having many choices & alternatives to pick from (to better fulfill your needs) never hurts.
Think of 3er GT as of enhanced sedan, and of 4er GC as of enhanced coupe. And obviously there are customers for such cars - 3er GT is selling very well, and I'm sure 4er GC will too (judging by A5 SB sales).
Because it's more a coupe than a sedan. Character & dimensions wise (sporty, low, wide). The ride is much closer to a coupe than to a sedan. So is the driving feel incl. sitting position etc.
GranCoupe moniker is used since it's now been established as a mark for enhanced coupes (mainly more practical ones than conventional 2dr coupes). Regarding being a 5dr car ... I was trying to tell you guys that from the beginning - even leading you to your own conclusions by highlighting some typical hatch features seen on 4er GC prototypes. But ... due to GC moniker a vast majority incl press claimed the car was a 4dr (sedan-)coupe.
mini_cooper4
Autotechnik Ace
EnI
Piston Pioneer
More practical compared to 2dr Coupe. Sure some prefer coupe character to sedan one: sitting lower, sportier driving. While with GC they get extra pair of doors - for easier rear set entry for occasional adult passengers or children (who don't mind lower roof line), and in 4er GC case you also get a hatch tail gate, so the boot is much more practical than in the trunk-style boot case. Especially in the case of such low car as 4er GC is. And in this segment customers cherish extra practicality & versatility - much more than in a higher segment (6er GC). I guess the customers' age structure is different - 6er GC appeals to older customers without children while 4er GC is suitable to younger people with children, therefore extra versatility & practicality is welcome.
Why getting 4er GC instead of 3er sedan or 3er GT? As said: some prefer coupe-like feeling. And the practicality & roominess level of 4er GC obviously satisfies the needs & expectations well. While the others who prefer roomier & more comfy vehicle opt for 3er GT, and some still stick to classic sedan or wagon: which is a good compromise between sportiness & practicality. Yet some want something different, something more exclusive & exotic: so there are 3er GT & 4er GC available for such customers.
3er GT is there to keep BMW customers with the brand - those who want a more comfy & roomier car but don't want to upgrade to more expensive one or to an SUV. Usually they opt for a MB instead. But now they have an option within BMW brand portfolio - even a bit more exclusive & exotic one.
Same case with 4er GC. Preventing BMW owners to migrate to Audi (A5 SB) or to Porsche "PaJun" (baby Panamera) in the future.
The battle for the customers is fierce. Not having the right product in the portfolio results in customer (e)migration.
And mind that much more BMW customers leaves the brand due to the lack of comfort & practicality than to the reduction in sporty character of newer Mks.
4er Coupe is already as heavy or in some cases even heavier than 3er sedan, so ... Expect the 4er GC to be somewhere there as well. Rather sporting some more weight then less.
Giannis
Staff member
In my book, whether the rear of the car opens together with the rear glass panel or not, doesn't really make any difference. Practicality is why you pick a Touring over anything else. Show-off is when you think you buy an A5 SB over an A4 because you think it's more practical, but actually you do so just to be different.
Pardon me, but above all, a car is a tool, then a game. Fashion item lies at the bottom of my list, so personally I don't really find it logical to pay such a premium just to be different.
It hurts me. I don't like the fact that what BMW is nowadays is "Consumerism joy". This doesn't represent me.
Gianclaudio
Aerodynamic Artisan
So well put together.
EnI
Piston Pioneer
It's 4er GC vs 4er Coupe and A5 SB vs A5 coupe when we talk about practicality. Not 4er GC vs 3er sedan or A5 SB vs A4 Sedan. Since it's clear people DO NOT won't buy 4er GC and do not buy A5 SB due to added practicality vs the sedan - since there is non part the hatch tail gate. But some need just that - more than the head room in the rear. People do have different needs.
So, why then different kinds of vehicles are available? I guess one shape & type of car would & could satisfy all the needs. But obviously people DO HAVE different needs. And those needs can only be satisfied by different "tools". Who said the needs have to be purely rational??? The world runs on irrationality too. Always has and always will. That's why consumerism rules today. It's not based on rationality. It's driven by irrational stuff ... emotions, expectations, wishes, dreams, fantasy, projections etc.
Car is a tool ... why then top speeds @ 250km/h when in most places (except on some parts of German Autobahns) the speed limit is @ about 130km/h? So, why not limiting car's top speed there? Now you drive "a tool" with a function that's useless or illegal to use. Or ... why using "a tool" that burns so much gas if there's another much more efficient tool available? Why having color & trim options at all? Why not all cars are white with all-black interior? Why your "tool" has to heat your butt in Winter? Why your "tool" has to feature 1000W Hi-Fi system with zillion speakers?
Look ... cars have been beyond being tools from almost the beginning of automotive era. So ...
And which brand and company isn't? All of them are. Only the extents & shades are different. As I said many times: a company (and a brand) HAS TO adapt. And in the times of consumerism it has to be a part of it.
What it bothers me more @ BMW is that the products in many cases just don't ooze much premium & luxury as they should for the asked price. The perceived premium is many times not on are with the closest rivals. BMW has to address this issue ASAP!
What consumers definitely demand today is that the look reflects the price: so for a high (base) price the product at least has to look expensive if not necessarily feels expensive too. And it has to offer not just the image but also a certain quality that reflects the price. A decade or two ago it was enough for a BMW product just to drive well to be desirable - today it has to also offer other premium touches the rivals offer. It's also much about perception of premium - in the context what others offer as premium. So BMW better come up with more expensive-looking interiors & even exteriors. What they lack is fine detailing that looks expensive, and in most cases also feels expensive. If Jaguar & Porsche can do it, so can BMW. Not to mention Audi, Lexus & MB ... Small stuff, small details but important ones.
Couldn't disagree with you more strongly on this one. When you've a young family where there might be a buggy involved then the practicality of a hatch boot over a traditional boot lid is preferable. But I do agree that its a style choice over a conventional estate car.
This is a personal choice of yours but not everyone will share that sentiment which is why cars like the 4GC will/are popular. I personally "get" the 4GC concept much more than the 3GT.
Giannis
Staff member
And who said that needs are created only by consumers? Would it be impossible for the need to be created by the automaker that decided that a 4-door-coupe is a good idea, and then properly marketed it? How did mankind survive before the introduction of such design alterations of the main body types? (Main body types = sedan, hatchback, touring, coupe, cabrio)
I refuse to accept that people actually experience revelation with the introduction of the 4GC and A5 SB. Sorry.
And a screw driver is a tool, which you can use to screw something, or stab somebody. Why is an illegal function available? Because a tool needs to do a job as better as it can, and if due to this, it happens to do other things as well, this is where common sense applies.
Just because a screwdriver has a sharp head, doesn't mean that you can stab anyone you like. If someone tries to kill you, though, and you happen to hold a screwdriver, you can use it to defend your life. It's more or less the same with a car's top speed
Yes, people have different needs and that's why there are different tools. But don't you think there's a point, beyond which its getting ridiculous?
Sorry, I'm not accepting it either. All my life, I was under the impression that if someone didn't find a coupe practical any more, he/ she would buy a sedan. Now you are telling me that the 4GC, A5 SB and their likes only attract potential buyers from their coupe counterparts? For me this extended segment is a bloody mess and there can't be clear trends. I tend to believe that someone interested in buying from this segment will cross-shop everything:
3er sedan vs 4 GC - because of the perception of exclusivity and style
4 GC vs 4 Coupe - because of the number of doors available
As an automotive enthusiast and not a BMW shareholder, under no circumstances am I going to feel sorry for BMW, for "having" to adapt.
Vice versa, I am refusing to adapt to this smartphone madness and still do my job with a 5 year old Nokia 6300i. Do you believe that Apple or Samsung care or feel sorry for me?
I'll agree, though, that BMW needs to work more on the perceived luxury department. No "ifs" and "buts", they are falling behind.
Bottom line: I believe that this "game" of finding new niches and offering new body styles has gotten ridiculous. It's not covering any needs, but finding something different, just for the sake of offering something different. Anything other than that, is just words trying to put a deep meaning into something shallow.
SCOTT27
Lap Time Luminary
We are talking about progression in both the market and indeed the customer.
Niche models attract new customers and will continue to do so...
You only have to look at recent announcements by Audi for more Q models for this purpose.
Audi are adapting as are Mercedes and BMW they continue to grow whilst the volume and mainstream manufacturers decline. Look at Porsche they are progressing too. By the end of the decade there will be the baby Panamera and I would not bet against a smaller SUV below the Macan and indeed a Coupe version of the Next Cayenne.
Enthusiasts will be horrified but its a sign of progress..
Sooner or later everyone will have to adapt.
Niche models attract new customers and will continue to do so...
You only have to look at recent announcements by Audi for more Q models for this purpose.
Audi are adapting as are Mercedes and BMW they continue to grow whilst the volume and mainstream manufacturers decline. Look at Porsche they are progressing too. By the end of the decade there will be the baby Panamera and I would not bet against a smaller SUV below the Macan and indeed a Coupe version of the Next Cayenne.
Enthusiasts will be horrified but its a sign of progress..
Sooner or later everyone will have to adapt.
TheNewBATMAN
Quattro Commander
Can anyone put its profile side by side with an F30's ?
Giannis
Staff member
Posts like this make me think that its time to buy a few E46s and E39s (one to drive and the rest for parts) and call it a day with the automotive industry...
bimmerjph
Diesel Dynamiker
In what way does that qualify as progress?
EnI
Piston Pioneer
@Giannis
It's very simple. The market today - and so the business - is always driven by demand & supply. They both have to be there & co-exist so the markets work.
And new segments emerging is a common thing. Existing segments becoming saturated, and people wanting something new. Something that combines one or more worlds ... Not just in automotive industry but elsewhere too. Smartphones with cameras replacing simple point-and-shoot digital cameras - so manufacturers are now making ultrazoom compact cameras, or CSCs - which are more affordable (although not as good and useful) as DSLRs. And same case with desktop computers, notebooks, tablets etc ... It depends what for you need the tool. Sometimes tablet is enough , sometimes you need a desktop PC, while in most cases a notebook will do the magic. Same functions, different nuances, different shapes, different performance figures etc As said: it depends what you need / what you want. Sure in most cases people want more - way beyond actual rational needs.
Sure new products "create needs" - either due to customer's inability to recognize what she/he really needs, or due to advertising: where manufacturers target consumer's emotions and trick him/her by images & promises that a certain product would satisfy a certain need best (although there are other products that could do that as well - as good or even better). So, sure ... targeting / manipulating with human emotions creates / boosts desirability of a certain product / brand. Nothing new here. Therefore consumer behavior & consumer psychology is a very important factor withing the field of marketing.
But in the end it's THE CONSUMER who makes the choices. Nobody else makes them for him/her. It's not like somebody points a gun to your head and forces you to buy something. It's ALWAYS YOUR OWN decision what you buy. Sure it depends on how well you know & understand yourself & your needs & wishes & fantasies etc, and how well you really know the product. If you buy something just because somebody else says it's good for you and suits you well (but it actually does not), then you either don't know yourself (which is indeed a very scary implication) or you don't really don't know the product you are buying - which today is mostly your own fault since in many cases you can try/check it first before you buy it.
So, it only gets as ridiculous as ridiculous the folk is in general. Marketing & sales guys just play the game that's there. It's limited by the customer and his/her mind. So, having a f...ed up mind is not anybody else's fault but your own in the end ... and perhaps your parents', and your family in general, your teachers, your ... Certainly not manufacturers' or marketing folks' fault. They just turn you against yourself ... if they can. But in the end it's you and only you who makes a good or bad (purchasing) decision.
I think crying about how manipulated we are by marketing / advertising / sales guys who make us buying things is just a lame excuse. Because it's hard to admit when making a mistake - and it's so much easier to blame someone else for it. And it feels good too.
And yes, it's a game. A game of trade, a game of business, and a game of human greed & vanity. Games as old as humanity itself.
It's very simple. The market today - and so the business - is always driven by demand & supply. They both have to be there & co-exist so the markets work.
And new segments emerging is a common thing. Existing segments becoming saturated, and people wanting something new. Something that combines one or more worlds ... Not just in automotive industry but elsewhere too. Smartphones with cameras replacing simple point-and-shoot digital cameras - so manufacturers are now making ultrazoom compact cameras, or CSCs - which are more affordable (although not as good and useful) as DSLRs. And same case with desktop computers, notebooks, tablets etc ... It depends what for you need the tool. Sometimes tablet is enough , sometimes you need a desktop PC, while in most cases a notebook will do the magic. Same functions, different nuances, different shapes, different performance figures etc As said: it depends what you need / what you want. Sure in most cases people want more - way beyond actual rational needs.
Sure new products "create needs" - either due to customer's inability to recognize what she/he really needs, or due to advertising: where manufacturers target consumer's emotions and trick him/her by images & promises that a certain product would satisfy a certain need best (although there are other products that could do that as well - as good or even better). So, sure ... targeting / manipulating with human emotions creates / boosts desirability of a certain product / brand. Nothing new here. Therefore consumer behavior & consumer psychology is a very important factor withing the field of marketing.
But in the end it's THE CONSUMER who makes the choices. Nobody else makes them for him/her. It's not like somebody points a gun to your head and forces you to buy something. It's ALWAYS YOUR OWN decision what you buy. Sure it depends on how well you know & understand yourself & your needs & wishes & fantasies etc, and how well you really know the product. If you buy something just because somebody else says it's good for you and suits you well (but it actually does not), then you either don't know yourself (which is indeed a very scary implication) or you don't really don't know the product you are buying - which today is mostly your own fault since in many cases you can try/check it first before you buy it.
So, it only gets as ridiculous as ridiculous the folk is in general. Marketing & sales guys just play the game that's there. It's limited by the customer and his/her mind. So, having a f...ed up mind is not anybody else's fault but your own in the end ... and perhaps your parents', and your family in general, your teachers, your ... Certainly not manufacturers' or marketing folks' fault. They just turn you against yourself ... if they can. But in the end it's you and only you who makes a good or bad (purchasing) decision.
I think crying about how manipulated we are by marketing / advertising / sales guys who make us buying things is just a lame excuse. Because it's hard to admit when making a mistake - and it's so much easier to blame someone else for it. And it feels good too.
And yes, it's a game. A game of trade, a game of business, and a game of human greed & vanity. Games as old as humanity itself.
Similar threads
Spy Shots
[Spy shots] BMW Neue Klasse Coupe
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, abbreviated as BMW is a German multinational
manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced
from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
