[simianspeedster]

After a year with an Audi TTS that has not gone well (too painful to type tonight), I'm thinking about rejoining the BMW flock. A few questions:

Did the suspension improvements that were introduced with the 2016 330i and 340i ever make their way to the 4 Series Coupe or Gran Coupe? I've never seen mention of suspension changes to the 2016 or 2017 4 Series, but it would seem odd for BMW to only update the 3 Series models but not the 4s.

Aside from the new engine and revised sport transmission tuning, I'm not seeing any other major mechanical changes to the 2017 430i Coupe and Gran Coupe relative to the 2016 428i models. Am I overlooking anything major?

Can anyone point me to a comparison of iDrive 4.0 (2016 models) vs. iDrive 5.0 (2017 models) as it applies to the 4 Series? I've read a few reviews of iDrive 5.0 from the 7 Series launch, but I don't expect that all of those features will trickle down to the 4. For me, the availability and accuracy of real-time traffic is the biggest factor.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if I should pick up a well-priced 2016 from dealer stock or wait for the 2017s to arrive. I won't have time to order a car this time around, so I'm trying to gather info and make a good choice based on what's available.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide!

[RM7]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

After a year with an Audi TTS that has not gone well (too painful to type tonight), I'm thinking about rejoining the BMW flock. A few questions:

Did the suspension improvements that were introduced with the 2016 330i and 340i ever make their way to the 4 Series Coupe or Gran Coupe? I've never seen mention of suspension changes to the 2016 or 2017 4 Series, but it would seem odd for BMW to only update the 3 Series models but not the 4s.

The suspension in the 4 series is different than the 3. If anything, the 3 got a little closer to the 4 with the LCI. The 3 suffered from the absolutely abysmal suspension, several threads with owners that have driven both extensively say this is not the case with the 4, never was. Coming from my last car, I'd say BMW is behind the times on suspension and whatever you do, if you want decent suspension, don't get the x-drive, as you can't get it with the sport suspension. With either the adaptive suspension or new shocks you can upgrade it with stiffer sways and springs, but it's a lot of money to fix, Audi does AWD cars that are much more performance orientated as far as suspension.

Aside from the new engine and revised sport transmission tuning, I'm not seeing any other major mechanical changes to the 2017 430i Coupe and Gran Coupe relative to the 2016 428i models. Am I overlooking anything major?

Haven't heard anything.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if I should pick up a well-priced 2016 from dealer stock or wait for the 2017s to arrive. I won't have time to order a car this time around, so I'm trying to gather info and make a good choice based on what's available.

Dealer stock is usually way off what I want. They order a bunch of luxury models, or maybe an "m sport", but then option out every single possible thing, which adds weight and is sometimes not the balance between driving and features that everyone is looking for, or even worse, doesn't get something that you consider critical, like the adaptive/active cruise control with the radar, or sport suspension, or whatever that box may be for you. If you happen to find something that ticks all the boxes, lucky you, but I find that to be pretty hard in this day and age when we decided ahead of time what we want.

[CalCarNut]

Biggest factors between '15, '16 and 17..

Warranty, price, price and price...although the new 2Liter would be nice its only bumped (reportedly) 8hp over the N20/N26. A leftover 15 gives you more maintenance coverage over the '16/'17...but most don't want a 'new' 2yr old model.

[simianspeedster]

Thanks for the info, folks. I should've mentioned 2 things before:

1) My wife had a 2012 328i and it was an abysmal lump of a car due to the terrible base suspension combined with heavy wheels and run flat tires (Luxury trim), though I admired the well-tuned combination of engine and transmission. The idea of a better tuned 3 Series suspension and a better 4 Series suspension from the get go has me reconsidering the F3X lineup.

2) This car is only going to be my daily driver so I don't expect it to be a track warrior, just a reasonably comfortable and occasionally fun ride. I changed the suspension wheels and tires on my last BMW, but the M Adaptive Suspension should be fine for my needs. At most, I'd swap the RFTs for Michelin PSS tires.

I test drove a 2016 M Sport 328i back to back with a 2016 M Sport 428i GC and I thought the 428 was more composed overall in city driving, and I much prefer the exterior design and interior feel of the GC. I would also consider a 4 Coupe. Any choice would be RWD.

I can't imagine the new engine will make a big difference for my commute, so the big question is iDrive 4.0 versus iDrive 5.0 and whether it's a big deal especially as it relates to navigation in real-time traffic accuracy. I love the called my regular dealer today about the latter and he didn't have an answer but said he would look into it. Curious to hear if others know more about that.

Leaning toward a 2016 GC and checking dealer stock in the area...

[Tommy_hf]

All 4 series produced from november 2016 onwards have i-drive 5.0 and optional apple carplay functionality.

[simianspeedster]

Thanks. I also contacted a BMW Genius to ask about the differences between iDrive 4.x and 5.0 and he said it basically represented interface changes. The main menu for choosing iDrive functions is GUI-driven, for example, instead of menu driven, and it's possible that the 2017 cars have a 4G data connection instead of 3G. But in terms of functionality, nothing of note.

After scanning the 2016 stock at local dealers, I targeted a particular car and went there ready to go. And while that car turned out to be heavily modified by the dealer (long story), I drove a few alternatives and picked up a 435i GC. I've had it for a week, driven it on all kinds of roads and in heavy traffic, and it's exactly the daily driver I was looking for. It's comfortable, quiet, solid, has great ride quality (even with runflats), and effortless power -- a real stress melting ride.

I surprised myself by choosing a car with the base suspension (i.e. non M-Sport). I drove an M-Sport model back to back with my car on the same rough roads, and I found that the M-Sport car even when set to Comfort mode transmitted significantly more impact harshness than the base suspension -- it wasn't even close. And while I enjoyed the way the M-Sport car tightened up in Sport mode, I will rarely have the opportunity to take advantage of those abilities on my commute, and I drive my fun car on weekends.

I'm very pleased with the GC, especially considering how disappointed my wife and I were with our 2012 F30. The old adage is worth repeating: never buy a first model year car!

[AndDown]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

After scanning the 2016 stock at local dealers, I targeted a particular car and went there ready to go. And while that car turned out to be heavily modified by the dealer (long story), I drove a few alternatives and picked up a 435i GC. I've had it for a week, driven it on all kinds of roads and in heavy traffic, and it's exactly the daily driver I was looking for. It's comfortable, quiet, solid, has great ride quality (even with runflats), and effortless power -- a real stress melting ride.

I surprised myself by choosing a car with the base suspension (i.e. non M-Sport). I drove an M-Sport model back to back with my car on the same rough roads, and I found that the M-Sport car even when set to Comfort mode transmitted significantly more impact harshness than the base suspension -- it wasn't even close. And while I enjoyed the way the M-Sport car tightened up in Sport mode, I will rarely have the opportunity to take advantage of those abilities on my commute, and I drive my fun car on weekends.

I'm very pleased with the GC, especially considering how disappointed my wife and I were with our 2012 F30. The old adage is worth repeating: never buy a first model year car!

For model year 2016, the "base" models for the 4XX were equipped with the Sports package which IMO gives the best in ride/handling for a daily driver. Our previous 2013 F30 felt more "floaty".

[philbake]

The 4 series GC was introduced as a '15 model. The suspension is different on the 4, and it sits a tad lower. The 4's didn't have that 'floaty' feel that the '12-15 3 series had. I had a '13 328ix traded it for a '16 428ix GC, and the handling was much better IMO.

[simianspeedster]

Thanks for the info. Given the size, weight, and configuration of this car, I didn't expect it to have sporting pretensions (relatively speaking), but I'm still pleasantly surprised at the ride/handling balance. This week, I drove through one of the most notoriously poor sections of the 5 freeway east of downtown LA, in the car soaked up the pavement craters quite well. I thought I might have to replace the run flats with Michelin PSS tires, but there's really no need. The stock Contis also have a solid treadwear rating, so if properly maintained they should last the life of the 3-year lease. I'm really impressed with what BMW has made of this chassis given our prior experience with the 2012 model. The two cars seem almost unrelated.

[englishguy84]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

Thanks for the info. Given the size, weight, and configuration of this car, I didn't expect it to have sporting pretensions (relatively speaking), but I'm still pleasantly surprised at the ride/handling balance. This week, I drove through one of the most notoriously poor sections of the 5 freeway east of downtown LA, in the car soaked up the pavement craters quite well. I thought I might have to replace the run flats with Michelin PSS tires, but there's really no need. The stock Contis also have a solid treadwear rating, so if properly maintained they should last the life of the 3-year lease. I'm really impressed with what BMW has made of this chassis given our prior experience with the 2012 model. The two cars seem almost unrelated.

I drove what I subsequently realized was a '15 base suspension F30 in August, then a '17 base suspension yesterday. The two feel quite different as well—steering was better (and heavier!), suspension less bouncy. The pre-LCI F30 is a very disappointing car that was pretty easily bested by Cadillac/Lexus/Mercedes. The post-LCI is still heavy and a little numb, but it's worlds better and a worthy BMW. Especially if one thinks of the 2 as the new 3 and the 3 as the new 5.