The Crittenden Automotive Library

BMW 4 Series - For Men Only

Topics: BMW 4 Series

BMW 4 Series - For Men Only

Geoff Maxted
DriveWrite
October 7, 2013

At DriveWrite I get irritated by products aimed at a target audience. Why neuter sales? Take the new BMW 4 Series which is, according to the company, aimed at ‘mainly men age 35 to 50 who are successful, sporty and with a sense of style’. What about the successful, yet scruffy, blokes or the poor sods who are deemed to be too old or too young eh? Where does the wealthy couch-potato fit in? What about the girls?

The 4 Series is a great looking coupé and it replaces the equivalent 3 Series two-door. That’s it in the picture being steered by a guy who is determinedly 35 -50 years old. It is more or less new from the ground up, sharing only bonnet and door handles with the 3.

The coupé is 10mm lower than the 3-series four-door saloon, giving it the lowest centre of gravity in the entire BMW range. Engineers have made the car longer, reinforced the chassis to make it stiffer, widened the track front and rear and optimized steering and suspension settings. The 4 Series Project Manager says, ‘it is a completely independent car made for customers with sporty expectations’.

As you’d expect from this premium company the 4 Series will have a good engine range, 8-speed automatic transmission available for all models, with versatile rear space and good boot capacity. It is said to be the only car in its class with a proactive assistance programme that tells driver when to decelerate.

So that’s the BMW 4 Series. A very desirable car with all the positive attributes that you’d expect from this brand. Anyone can buy one but expect to be looked at strangely if you are not a sporty 35-50 year old. Next year there’ll be a convertible. Will it be targeted at 35-50 year old hairdressers? We’ll have to wait and see.