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BMW 4-Series boot space, practicality and safety

2020 onwards (change model)
Practicality rating: 3.9 out of 53.9

Written by James Dennison Published: 23 July 2021 Updated: 17 December 2021

  • Lots of room up front
  • Acceptable in the rear, too
  • Smaller boot than rivals

How much space is there?

As you’d expect, the 4 Series is roomy for the driver and front-seat passenger, but less so for those in the rear. There’s plenty of storage space, though, with a large and well-shaped glovebox and a useful cubbyhole under the central armrest. The cupholders and phone storage in the centre console are well thought out, too – making this the perfect car for those who spend lots of time on the road.

Although getting into the rear is a bit of a scramble, once installed there’s a reasonable amount of head- and legroom, even if it lags behind the saloon it’s based upon. In short, it’s a decent four-seater, slightly behind the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and Audi A5 for room, but ahead of the Lexus RC.

Boot space and storage

The 4 Series’ boot is reasonable enough in isolation, but it lags behind the A5 and C-Class coupes, and has a smaller opening. There’s a capacity of 440 litres on offer, but the saloon-style opening isn’t very wide, which makes loading bulky items tricky. The floor is set low behind a high lip, too, and there’s a risk of scratching that deep back bumper when you’re loading items.

Two levers located near the top of the boot opening release the 40:20:40 three-way folding back seats, but you have to move to the interior to lower them. BMW doesn’t quote a capacity in this layout, but you will only be able to carry longer items that you can successfully load over the high boot lip in the first place.

BMW offers a Comfort Pack, which adds storage nets to the side of the boot, plus a power-opening boot lid that can be operated either by the button above the number plate recess or via the key fob.

Is it easy to park?

Since the 4 Series Coupe is a two-door sports car, it has a low-set driving position that helps to enhance its performance credentials. That means it’s not as easy to see out of than some other models, even the similar 3 Series saloon. Thankfully, BMW only sells the 4 Series in high-spec M Sport trims, and that means front and rear parking sensors are fitted as standard on all models, as is Parking Assistant. This electronic system uses the parking sensors and operates the steering while you use the accelerator to guide the car into or out of a parking space.

BMW also offers Parking Assistant Plus, which usually comes as part of a Technology Pack. Adding the Technology Pack introduces 360-degree cameras, which the Parking Assistant system then uses to offer an even better view of your surroundings.

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BMW 4 Series Coupe (2020) luggage space
BMW 4 Series Coupe (2020) luggage space

Safety

  • BMW Active Guard comes as standard
  • Lots of features, with more optional
  • Based on five-star BMW 3 Series

The BMW 4 Series technically hasn’t been evaluated by Euro NCAP, but the safety body still lists the car with a full five-star rating, because it applies the score achieved in 2019 by the BMW 3 Series to the two-door model. Euro NCAP states on its website that the 4 Series is structurally similar to the 3 Series and shares the same level of safety equipment.

The 4 Series comes with Active Guard Plus as standard. This features front collision warning with brake intervention and pedestrian detection and lane-departure warning. Other safety systems include seven airbags (with a driver’s knee bag), plus Isofix child seat attachments in the rear, although you’ll find it a struggle to get a bulky child seat in the back through the narrow opening offered when the front seats are tilted forwards.

Buyers can optionally add the Driving Assistant Professional pack, which includes equipment such as adaptive cruise control, auto speed limit assist, front cross-traffic alert, city braking, evasion aid, lane assist with side-collision protection and wrong-way warning, among others.

Euro NCAP rating

Overall NCAP safety rating 5 out of 5
Year tested: 2019
What is Euro NCAP?
Adult Occupant: 97%
Child Occupant: 83%
Vulnerable Road User: 93%
Safety Assist: 72%

Equipment and options

Each trim level will have different equipment offerings.
Basic equipment (26)
  • ABS
  • Alarm
  • Alloy wheels
  • Audio remote
  • Body coloured bumpers
  • Central locking
  • Climate control
  • Cruise control
  • Driver`s airbag
  • Electric mirrors
  • Front electric windows
  • Heated seats
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
  • Isofix child seat anchor points
  • Leather seat trim
  • Parking sensors
  • PAS
  • Passenger`s airbag
  • Rear electric windows
  • Remote locking
  • Sat Nav
  • Service indicator
  • Side airbags
  • Steering wheel rake adjustment
  • Steering wheel reach adjustment
  • Traction control
Standard Equipment
Optional Equipment
Standard Trim Standard Equipment (4)
  • Cloth seat trim
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Metallic Paint
Standard Trim Optional Equipment
  • n/a
M Sport Standard Equipment
  • n/a
M Sport Optional Equipment (4)
  • Cloth seat trim
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Metallic Paint
M Sport Pro Edition Standard Equipment (1)
  • Metallic Paint
M Sport Pro Edition Optional Equipment (12)
  • 3x3 point rear seat belts
  • Air conditioning
  • CD
  • Cloth seat trim
  • DVD
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Electric sunroof
  • Front fog lights
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated mirrors
  • Sports seats
M440d Standard Equipment (1)
  • Metallic Paint
M440d Optional Equipment (2)
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
M440i Standard Equipment (1)
  • Metallic Paint
M440i Optional Equipment
  • n/a

Dimensions

Length 4768mm - 4770mm
Width 2081mm
Height 1383mm - 1393mm
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