First Drive: 2014 BMW 435i (F32)

Ideally, the BMW 4 Series should be the final nail in the coffin for gimmicky Sport modes, simply because a good car can do without a discomfort suspension setting. Tragically, the infamous Sport button will live on to satisfy the egos of people who like to pay thousands more to feel their superiority.

Here is proof you don’t need Sport mode: On Top Gear recently Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May talked about how they tested the Volkswagen Golf GTI, running the car in all its different suspension settings on the Top Gear Test Track. In Normal mode, the GTI achieved a 1:29.6; in Sport mode, 1:29.6; in Comfort mode, 1:29.5. A BMW chassis engineer told Edmunds.com that Sport mode is a “marketing setting: intentionally stiff to remind people that they’re in the Sport mode they paid for.”

Many automotive writers may recommended paying for adjustable damping, but I’m telling you, don’t listen to them. There are few exceptions, but BMW’s system isn’t one of them. In Comfort mode the shocks feel drunk, or similar to how worn-out shocks feel, and in the Sport setting they’re too firm. As Top Gear says, they should just label the Sport button “Worse” because at the end of the day, the Sport button just makes a car less comfortable.

I’m spending a chunk of time condemning Sport mode because I want to emphasize the 435i is a great car by its own merits, and it doesn’t need electronics to edify it. Here’s why: compared to the 3 Series, the center of gravity has been lowered one inch, and the coupe has an additional link between its unibody and front subframe to heighten steering and suspension accuracy. Edmunds reports the electric steering is once again intuitive — something that’s been absent since the hydraulic glory days, but enthusiasts beware, the 4 Series offers no limited-slip differential, so you’ll have to turn to the aftermarket, or wait for the M4.

With the added softness BMW has been adding to its cars in recent years, it would appear the F32 is bucking that trend. We’d love to see the 4 Series compete against the current compact-executive-car chassis king, the Cadillac ATS, that way, we’d have a clearer idea about how much more sportiness you’re getting when you choose a 4 Series over a 3 Series.

via [Edmunds]