Go back to page 1: Intro, design, interior

Driving Experience

The M440i gets the same drivetrain as the M340i – a single-turbine, twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six cylinder engine with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, M Sport Differential, and all-wheel drive. 

While the M340i debuted in 2018 with 386hp, in 2020 it received an update with a reduction to 374hp and 48V mild-hybrid system and that’s what the M440i currently packs beneath the bonnet. The e-motor provides up to 11hp of boost, but you won’t really feel it as the engine’s 500Nm peak torque doing the lion’s share of the work.

But 374hp is nothing to sniff at and the M440i makes even more out of that with excellent traction and the assistance of AWD too – on paper it’s as quick as an ‘08 M3 in 0-100km/h.

To typify the M440i as ‘the most powerful 4 Series other than an M4’ is to do it an injustice. Yes, it’s very fast and that inline six purr is still addictive in both power and sound, and the M440i at high-speed is like a salamander in a damp place (as our photos show). 

It’s a car very obviously built for GT-style driving where lots of power comes in handy and can be piled on very quick, but it’s all executed with an edge of smooth elegance rather than M4-style brute force.

Yes, you could say it’s very gran-d, and takes far more after the 8 GC rather than the 2 GC. So less of the throw it into the corner and laugh all the way through and more of an ‘arrive at what you think is rather quick, neat steer to the apex – oh my god I’m going how fast? – and accelerate off’.

What will impress most buyers is the refinement: There’s a lack of noise from outside, the ride quality is very good and, unless our posteriors deceive us, even better than that of the M340i’s. 

It’s also an easy piece to take through town thanks to the very same qualities that make it nice to drive. Our only gripes are the thick A-pillar hinders vision of nearside kerbs – with a Harman Kardon tweeter in it – and some slight jerkiness at carpark speeds on tiny throttle application. 

Pricing, Competition and Conclusion

In 2021, there’s still only one direct competitor to the M440i, and that’s the Audi S5 Sportback – we’ve tested the normal A5 and the high-performance RS 5 Sportback. The S5 is almost as powerful, on paper it’s slightly less quick in a straight line, but it’s also around S$30k less expensive. 

Mercedes-Benz doesn’t have a midsize/exec four-door coupe, only the larger CLS and smaller CLA, so a sort-of competitor would be the Mercedes-AMG C 43, which we rate quite high on the driving enjoyment scale. 

What will draw a buyer to the M440i GC is what we said at the start: The style of the whole package, and it’s a good thing that the GC now walks loudly and carries a rather large stick, the biggest pluses are the practicality of the five-door package and its overall refinement. It represents a big step up over the previous car, so yes, the 4 Gran Coupe has gone gran-d for sure. 

 

BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe

Engine	2,998cc, inline 6, turbocharged
Power	374p at 5500-6500rpm
Torque	500Nm at 1900-5000rpm
Gearbox	8-speed automatic
0-100km/h	4.7 seconds
Top Speed	250km/h
Fuel Efficiency	8.6L/100km
VES Band	C2 / +S$25,000
Agent	Performance Motors Limited
Price	S$409,888 with COE and VES
Availability	Now
Verdict	4 Series Gran Coupe is very gran-d in its most powerful M440i guise

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