2021 BMW 4 Series vs 2021 Chevrolet Camaro

Buyers configuring their perfect Chevrolet Camaro had two significant options—body styles—to choose from right off the bat: coupe or convertible. The look of both was remarkably similar with the soft roof of the convertible simply taking the place of the traditional fixed roof of the coupe. With the top down, the car looked ready to tour classic American coastal landscapes at low speed. As a coupe, its looks were fierce.

The Camaro coupe and convertible were available in eight trim levels: 1LS, 1LT, 2LT, 3LT, LT1, 1SS, 2SS, and ZL1. The Camaro ZL1 was the car's most performance-focused variant, while the Camaro SS provided the best blend of daily-driver performance. The tester for this review was a 2021 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS Coupe. The car rode on standard 18-inch silver-painted aluminum wheels wrapped in 245/50R18 all-season, blackwall tires. Up to 20-inch wheels were available, and the Camaro could be had with summer tires. Wheel design was undoubtedly as subjective as it was functional, but even in the sporty 2SS variant, the polished silver design worked to age the car rather than make it look flashy or modern.

Conversations about the 2021 BMW 4 Series coupe's styling likely began and ended with the massive new twin-kidney grille, which BMW said provided better engine cooling. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but it was challenging to find anyone who considered it attractive. The rest of the car was fairly standard BMW styling fare, with standard LED headlights and taillights, and an overall shape that looked a bit more familiar than that Edsel-like proboscis.

The new front end was aerodynamic, though. BMW claimed the 2021 4 Series coupe had a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.25, compared to 0.29 for the previous-generation model. That was partially thanks to Air Curtain intakes on the front bumper, a feature also included on the previous-generation 4 Series. They directed air around the front wheels, ensuring a smoother flow along the sides of the car. The new 4 Series still shared a basic platform with the BMW 3 Series sedan. It had the same wheelbase as that four-door model and was slightly longer, wider, and lower, with a wider rear track.

A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine was standard on the Chevy Camaro. It made 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque and was paired with a six-speed manual transmission as standard. Buyers could upgrade to the 3.6-liter V6 power plant, which made 335 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque. Two more powerful V8 engines were also available. A 6.2-liter V8 churned out 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque, while a supercharged version of that engine went even further, delivering 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.

Like most manual-transmission vehicles with an automatic transmission option, the Camaro’s six-speed was not as fuel-efficient as its automatic-transmission options (in this case, eight-speed and 10-speed gearboxes). The turbo-four paired with the manual gearbox got an EPA-estimated 19 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined. Its automatic counterpart got 22 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined. The same pattern held true for the V6, which had its manual achieve 16/26/20 mpg city/highway/combined fuel economy, with the automatic getting 18/29/22 mpg city/highway/combined.

BMW offered two powertrains in the 2021 4 Series. The 430i model got a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which made 255 horsepower and 294 pound-feet of torque—increases of 7 hp and 36 lb-ft over the previous-generation 430i. The M440i was powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, producing 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, and featured a 48-volt starter/generator for better fuel efficiency. An eight-speed automatic was the only available transmission (a six-speed manual would be offered on the upcoming BMW M4).

The 4 Series was a pretty quick car. BMW said the base rear-wheel-drive (RWD) 430i coupe would do zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, while the all-wheel-drive (AWD) 430i xDrive shaved 0.2 seconds off that time. The M440i xDrive coupe took 4.3 seconds to reach 60 mph, according to BMW. Those numbers beat comparable versions of the Audi A5, Lexus RC, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupes. BMW also quoted top speeds of 130 mph or 155 mph, depending on the wheel-and-tire configuration. But that didn’t translate to real-world fun.

Cloth upholstery and front bucket seats were standard in the Camaro. Buyers got an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a four-way manual front passenger seat with power recline, and a rear folding bench seat also as standard. The seats up front were relatively comfortable and not particularly sporty. Recaro sport seats were available. Leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, a six-way power-adjustable passenger seat, and heated and ventilated front seats were available. The heated seat worked particularly well with more than the usual amount of seatback coverage.

The position of the front seats would have been conducive to good visibility—if the windscreen allowed it. It did not. While the narrow glass limited outward visibility, the issue was made worse by the oversized hood over the instrument cluster that took away much of the driver's forward view. There was no point in pretending that the rear seats were for adults to sit in. Perhaps a child in a car seat could be comfortable, but that was with the caveat that the driver needed to be on the short side so that they didn’t end up with feet kicking the back of their seat at all times.

No one bought a coupe for its practicality, but the 4 Series did reasonably well for the segment. It had more front headroom and trunk space than the Audi A5, Infiniti Q60, Lexus RC, or Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupes. Except for the Lexus, these competitors offered more legroom front and rear, however. The Audi and Mercedes also boasted more rear headroom, but the rear seats in all of these cars were only suitable for children or occasional use by adults. If you needed to carry more than one passenger on a regular basis, you would get a 3 Series.

Measurements aside, the 4 Series was a nice place to be if you were the one driving. Front-seat space felt more than adequate, showing the real advantage of stepping up to a 2+2 coupe like this from a traditional sports car like BMW’s own Z4 and its Toyota Supra sibling. It was a right-size car for people who didn’t need the extra space of a sedan but might feel cramped in two-seat sports cars. The 4 Series’ cockpit was also logically laid out. The infotainment touchscreen was nicely integrated with the dashboard and positioned so it was both easy to see and manipulate from the driver’s seat.

Chevy equipped the Camaro with a good roster of standard technology including a 7-inch infotainment system touchscreen, Bluetooth, voice command, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, a six-speaker audio system, 4G LTE WiFi hot spot, and keyless entry and start. A head-up display, navigation, Bose premium audio system, satellite radio, 8-inch infotainment touchscreen with cloud-based personalization options, wireless charging, and a rear-camera mirror were available.

The sports car’s driver-information center displayed all the requisite information in typical GM fashion. It was functional and relatively straightforward in its operation proving that at least here, and with the infotainment touchscreen, once you’d used them in one GM product, you knew how to use them in all GM products. Both the driver information screen and infotainment touchscreen suffered from a forward lean that was puzzling, to say the least. Whether GM’s design team was unable or unwilling to prevent glare in any other way should be seen as a major misstep. The overall aesthetic of the styling was incredibly awkward. However, both screens were perfectly functional.

The standard BMW iDrive 7 infotainment system included an 8.8-inch touchscreen and an instrument cluster with analog gauges and a 5.1-inch display screen. The optional Live Cockpit Professional setup got a 10.25-inch central touchscreen and an all-digital instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch screen. Our test car had Live Cockpit Professional, with nicely-rendered graphics and sensibly-designed menus. BMW’s iDrive rotary controller remained one of the best infotainment interfaces in the business, providing the tactile response a touchscreen never could. That made navigating the infotainment system easy, but you could still use the screen itself, or BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant voice control, which responded to the prompt “Hey BMW.”

Other standard features included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth, and SiriusXM satellite radio. A head-up display and wireless phone charging were available at extra cost.

The safety ratings for the Chevrolet Camaro were a bit disappointing for a newer car (it was last redesigned for the 2016 model year). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Chevy a mix of "Good," "Acceptable," and "Basic" ratings while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) scored the car with five-star and four-star ratings (out of a possible five stars). These ratings were similar to the Dodge Challenger, which was much older than the Camaro.

A good list of safety technology was available including rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, lane-change alert, and rear parking sensors. Some technology was not available on Camaro convertible models.

Crash-test ratings for the 2021 BMW 4 Series from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) weren’t available yet. The 2021 model was likely too new for published ratings. Standard driver-assist features included lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, and speed-limit information.

Many cars from more mainstream brands now offered adaptive cruise control as standard equipment, but on the 4 Series you’d have to select the $1,700 Driving Assistance Professional Package to get it. Granted, that bought a fairly sophisticated system that could bring the car to a complete stop and set off again in traffic, as well as steering assist to keep the car centered in its lane.