Big Blue Wonder

The 4 Series Hasn’t Figured In India Yet. After A Quick Spin In One, It’s A Wonder Why.

- Raunak Ajinkya

The thing about BMWs is that they’ve reached this unique stage in their life. Take this beautiful 435i you see on these pages. A lot of people believe this particular life cycle of BMWs are well down on the legendary designs of BMWs of yore. The Bangle-led designs were, for the lack of a better word for now, fanciful, to say the least. Character shone through every crack, and they were generally nice to be seen around in, or even just to behold.

I’m not of the same opinion. Truth be told, this particular 435i makes me want to chuck all my money at it, and drive off into the sunset without a look back. It’s by no means the perfect car, but look at it! How is anyone not impressed by it and at least a little envious?

I got a little lucky with this machine. A short stay in Dubai allowed me the chance to understand exactly what BMW’s getting right with the non-M 4 Series, and goodness, there’s a lot right with it. Now, keep in mind that Dubai’s roads, especially in comparison to, say, Bombay, are delightful. They’re smooth, well-marked and potholes are as regular an occurrence as snow in Bombay. Given that, it’s not so easy to figure what it’d be like driving it in India, but the focus here is what it felt like, regardless of geography, so I’ll stick to that.