2018 BMW 4 Series

BMW 4 Series

BMW’s 4 Series is a car for those who care less about boot space and more about making an entrance at Melrose Arch or Umhlanga. It’s not pretending to be practical — you’re choosing it because style and status matter, and the badge tells a story, whether you’re parked next to a C-Class Coupe or an Audi A5. The engine lineup on offer in South Africa is mostly petrol and diesel, with automatics all but standard these days. Manual and semi-autos are unicorns — technically out there, but good luck spotting one. Scan the classifieds and you’ll find just 15 used 4 Series coupes between R289,900 and R1,948,888, with a sharp median of R658,888. That’s a chasm, not a gap; a six-hundred-grand swing between an earlier F32 and a current G22 tells you just how much the generation leap matters. On paper at least, the F32 420i M Sport A/T is the gateway, and it’s where most sensible buyers land — think R289,900 to R316,500, two cars, both with enough kit that you won’t feel shortchanged. The G22 420i, though, is a different beast. Only one is listed, at R658,888, and it’s a big step up in both technology and finish. Diesel fans get slim pickings, with a lone G26 420D Gran Coupe M Sport at R798,888. Mileage averages 86,126 km, spanning models from 2014 right up to 2025, so the unicorn low-milers are out there if you pack smart and wait. But here’s what actually matters: people in South Africa buy this car for its shape. That two-door coupe roofline is rare now, and despite the grille debates, the 4 Series coupe nails the brief in a shrinking segment — and that's the point.