Nothing beats German precision.
You always know what's going to happen.
When a new 3-series is launched, the 3-series Coupe follows a year later.
But sometimes, the Germans surprise you.
And so we now have a 4-series instead of a 3-series Coupe.
Which is basically the same, but BMW insists the 4-series is in a completely different league.
However, my Belgian colleagues say that they've copied this from Audi
Which does the same with the A5, which is an A4 coupe.
And they also say that the original is always better
Or is it?
The moment you get into the 4-series, it becomes less special.
From the outside it looks great, from the inside it's identical to the 3-series.
That's not a crime, the 3-series interior looks fresh and well built if a bit messy.
But if you sell it as a 4-series, it should look a bit more special.
By using exactly the same dashboard, you only get the coupe-sensation when you look in the rear view mirror.
Of course the engine line-up is like the 3-series minus the entry-level engines.
There's a 420i, but we drive the more powerful 428i.
A 28i used to be an inline six, but those times are gone.
Today it's a straight-4 turbo, albeit with a healthy 245 hp.
It takes some time to get up to steam, but above 2.000 rpm it really feels quick.
Of course it doesn't sound as good as a six-cylinder, even with sound engineering.
The ride and handling then, BMW's usual strong point.
They told us it would be completely different from the 3-series...
Right.
To be honest, it drives like you expect from a 3-series coupe.
Again, that's fine but not exactly the way BMW promised us it would be.
But the 4-series rides and handles beautifully, a good mix between comfort and sportiness.
It's a bit softer than before, but when it has settled into a corner it stays very composed.
You steer this car with both the wheel and the throttle.
Which is a good thing, because the steering is unusually light and devoid of feel.
Also, the Audi with sport suspension feels a bit more eager.
So the A5, the big example in terms of marketing.
But this A5 does have a slightly different dash from the A4.
It was designed to last and it still doesn't look out of date.
It's not better than the BMW, but considering it's impressive that it can still keep up.
The facelift raised power from the 2.0 TFSI tot 225 hp.
Mated to Quattro AWD it is a very easy and fluent drivetrain.
However it doens't feel particularly powerful.
If you said it had 200 hp or 180 I would've believed it.
This one has a 7-speed S-tronic dual clutch transmission which is still very quick
but the 8-speed auto in the BMW is just as fast and more fluent when setting off.
Then the real question: is an A5 with sport suspension better than a standard 4-series?
Well, it's tighter and needs marginally less time to settle into a corner
but it's not necessarily better, just more clinical.
You can drive it very fast but you never bond with the car.
The BMW moves around more, but feels far more alive.
This one simply goes through a bend at any speed you like and that's it.
Quattro makes it very fool-proof to drive
but never really engaging, also because of the steering.
It has sport-steering which is very direct but offers no real feeling.
And where the BMW offers at least some, this is completely dead.
There can be no question that the 4-series is an impressive car.
It offers the same mix of sportiness and comfort that make the 3-series such a joy.
A car that does everything right and looks good to boot.
You can however doubt that 4 on the back.
Had it been called 3-series coupe, it wouldn't have been any different.
In that respect Audi has been more clever with the A5.
But that remains the only point in which the A5 truly beats the 4-series.