Like life itself, BMWs seemed less complicated last century. You didn’t need a crib sheet to understand the badge, and body styles were mostly just sedans, with a smattering of station wagons, two-door coupes, and convertibles. That was before it helped kickstart the SUV craze; now instead of 3, 5, 7, the series run 2–8 and X1 through X7. And don’t get me started on individual model names. Like the 2025 430i xDrive Gran Coupe.
At first glance, if you’re middle-aged like the average Ars reader, your brain probably says “this is a 3 Series sedan.” After all, it has a pair of doors on either side. But there is no requirement for a coupe to only have two doors: the name is derived from the French “couper,” meaning cut. And indeed, the roofline is cut down more than 2 inches lower than the actual 3 Series.
There’s also a hatch at the rear, rather than a trunk lid. So, technically it’s a fastback body style, which BMW has decided to call Gran Coupe the way it calls station wagons Tourings. Pedantic pigeonholing of body style will probably take a back seat to discussion of the front grille, though.
Source : https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/03/the-2025-bmw-430i-gran-coupe-is-a-great-everyday-cruiser/
