BMW 435d xdrive M Sport

Engine: 2,993cc, straight-six twin-turbodiesel

Power: 313bhp and 464lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds and 155mph

Economy: 50.4 mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 146g/km

Price: £45,040

THE AUTOMOTIVE industry has always been a numbers game.

Roaring engines and burning rubber rarely manifest itself in day-to-day driving and what often decides the purchase of a possession which defines our character to other road users are a series of stats almost evocative as a cars’ design.

Now BMW’s marketing gurus have overseen a reshuffle of the numbers that name its range to coincide with the launch of a raft of new models.

In comes the 2-Series to replace the 1-Series Coupe and Convertible, the 4-Series to replace the 3-Series Coupe and Convertible.

But when it comes to the 435d M Sport Coupe I’ve driven here the defining numbers aren’t those attached to its boot, but those evocative figures from the spec sheet.

Alongside its chrome 435d moniker, it wears BMW’s xDrive badge which, until recently, was the preserve of the manufacturer’s range of SUVs.

Not only are the one-time rear-wheel-drive devotees at BMW now offering four-wheel-drive throughout its range, the 435d is not available in a rear-wheel-drive configuration at all.

To some BMW purists this must be hard to swallow, but what it means is that the 435d M Sport can deploy its thumping, twin-turbocharged 313bhp and 464lb.ft. of torque to devastating effect.

Those evocative on-paper figures detail a Porsche-worrying 4.7 second sprint to 62mph and an electronically-limited 155mph speed limit. Obscene stats for a diesel-powered coupe.

Somehow BMW has also managed to preserve claims of 50.4mpg fuel economy and 146g/km CO2 emissions.

The 435d M Sport xDrive slots in just below the range-topping M4 at £45,040 and my test car had an additional £6,430 of options fitted.

Standard on all 4-Series are: front and rear parking sensors, heated seats; DAB radio; leather upholstery; two-zone air conditioning; cruise control; Bluetooth; Drive Performance Control, which adjusts the car’s attitude at the touch of a button; a 6.5 inch control screen accessed via the intuitive iDrive rotary controller; and automatic lights, wipers and boot opening.

The 4-Series looks like a big car on first acquaintance and it is. A full 26mm longer and 46mm wider than the outgoing 3-Series Coupe, with a 10mm reduction in height.

The bonnet has a more bulging quality than that of the current the 3-Series saloon and the aggressive front bumper — with its gaping vents — and rear diffuser differentiate this as the range’s sporty specification.

My test car’s optional 19 inch wheels did not fill the wheelarches quite as I had imagined they would upon seeing the spec sheet (18s are standard), the 4-Series’ sleek but undoubtedly large frame looming over them.

Inside that same added scale makes sense for rear passengers. Leg room is ample for two adults and head room is not too bad either.

Up front a low, purposeful driving position is complimented by trim of top quality, intuitive controls and a smattering of M logos.

Anyone who has ever driven an M3 will be familiar with the handful of leather steering wheel that greets the driver’s palms. For some, the BMW’s helm may feel a little too chunky.

One concern was banished early doors. The 435d’s performance is not undermined by an agricultural diesel soundtrack.

BMW have adopted technology which manipulates the sounds of the engine into something fruity which is fed through the interior via the speakers to avoid such an issue.

At low speeds the three-litre oil-burner is whisperingly refined. Up the pace and there’s a throbbing, six-pot warble. Opening a window offers some insight to a reality with some diesel clatter, however.

Few will be cruising with their windows down in the 4-Series though. cocooned in the stylish interior with air con engaged, most drivers will be too absorbed in the 435d’s sheer pace.

Plant your right foot and the thing surges forward.

There’s no metering out the 60lb.ft. torque advantage that the 435d boasts over an M4 and its immediately obvious that xDrive makes this one truly potent machine.

That and the excellent, eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Seemingly unfazed by any driving style it betters Audi’s DSG or Mercedes’ frustrating 7G-Tronic systems in every department.

Thankfully, despite its width, the 4-Series manages to feel wieldy down a b-road and is not wholly without the adjustability of its rear-wheel-drive stablemates.

Drive Performance Control’s Eco Pro and Comfort settings do exactly what their titles suggest but Sport and Sport+ free up the chassis to be accurate and capable of manipulation via the throttle.

Traction may be pretty much unimpeachable, but the rear end will assume attitude under heavy throttle applications and the 4-Series will settle into a subtly oversteering stance to maximise its trajectory out of a corner.

The 4-Series can feel like a big, heavy car and sometimes sits heavily on an outside rear tyre, but it is both predictable, engaging and very quick.

BMW’s numbers game has taken it into territory that most UK petrolheads never thought it would go... The heart of land once occupied by Audi’s quattro-equipped cars.

On this evidence the results add up, though. It’s four-wheel-drive Coupe beats Audi’s A5 Coupe at its own game.