BMW 440i Gran Coupe
Discussion
A serial car swapper, at the age of 43 (and having kept my 3rd car, an E46 325Ci for Circa 7 years) this is my 23rd car 
Each and every time I convince myself that the next change will tick all boxes and satisfy my constant thirst for driving Nirvana (within budget). The car prior to this, a G05 (2023) X5 30D was supposed to cover off all family duties whilst still being relatively 'fun' to drive. It was supremely capable and very much the competent daily driver.
Despite this, it was a very heavy Diesel. And a very heavy Diesel doth bring no smiles.
Very much the baseline and, the platform of the last dozen cars, I have a thing for 3.0ltr 6cyl engines, usually the straight variety. Having owned 2 previous B58 adorned cars, a 440i coupe (manual), and recently a G30 540i, the allure of a petrol straight 6 was growing ever stronger after a year in the X5.
I do a fairly significant No of miles every year (Circa 22K), but with fuel costs covered I set my sights on what I probably should have got several years back when I got the coupe variant.
I think the 4GC has aged well in the right spec, and when I stumbled across this one, in what seems to be a fairly rare colour for the model, my mind was made up.
Completely standard, and with only 12K miles, full BMW history and an 'as new' interior, I'm very happy with it so far. Compared to the 540i, which also had an OPF, I was surprised and extremely pleased that the engine and exhaust note seem far less muted. Perhaps this is simply down to less sound deadening or the fact that the newer generation G30 was more refined?
Either way, it makes a lovely sound when driven hard.
The media screen looks like a mobile phone by comparison to the X5, but with HK stereo and all the other creature comforts standard on this spec/age model, it has all I need.
I love the fact it has a 'proper' hand brake, and the icing on the cake for me, actual dials on the speedo/rev counter!
Each and every time I convince myself that the next change will tick all boxes and satisfy my constant thirst for driving Nirvana (within budget). The car prior to this, a G05 (2023) X5 30D was supposed to cover off all family duties whilst still being relatively 'fun' to drive. It was supremely capable and very much the competent daily driver.
Despite this, it was a very heavy Diesel. And a very heavy Diesel doth bring no smiles.
Very much the baseline and, the platform of the last dozen cars, I have a thing for 3.0ltr 6cyl engines, usually the straight variety. Having owned 2 previous B58 adorned cars, a 440i coupe (manual), and recently a G30 540i, the allure of a petrol straight 6 was growing ever stronger after a year in the X5.
I do a fairly significant No of miles every year (Circa 22K), but with fuel costs covered I set my sights on what I probably should have got several years back when I got the coupe variant.
I think the 4GC has aged well in the right spec, and when I stumbled across this one, in what seems to be a fairly rare colour for the model, my mind was made up.
Completely standard, and with only 12K miles, full BMW history and an 'as new' interior, I'm very happy with it so far. Compared to the 540i, which also had an OPF, I was surprised and extremely pleased that the engine and exhaust note seem far less muted. Perhaps this is simply down to less sound deadening or the fact that the newer generation G30 was more refined?
Either way, it makes a lovely sound when driven hard.
The media screen looks like a mobile phone by comparison to the X5, but with HK stereo and all the other creature comforts standard on this spec/age model, it has all I need.
I love the fact it has a 'proper' hand brake, and the icing on the cake for me, actual dials on the speedo/rev counter!
Thanks all,
Yes, Tanzanite blue is the colour, in the sunlight its lovely!
Probably in the minority but, even though I've had several cars equipped with Apple CarPlay, I hate it... Much preferring the BWM host system. It has the Spotify 'app' which outside of a couple of DAB stations is all I use.
Being a 2019 it definitely has an OPF, my comparison was against the 540i I had which also featured an OPF. The sound is by some way better in the 4 series?
I think the only 'mod' I want to do, is replacing the existing grey rear diffuser with a gloss black variant in keeping with general look of the car and the gloss black inlays to the interior.
Certainly no plans to 'drop' and add spacers, which seems to be a popular choice. Horses for courses and all, just not really my thing,
Yes, Tanzanite blue is the colour, in the sunlight its lovely!
Probably in the minority but, even though I've had several cars equipped with Apple CarPlay, I hate it... Much preferring the BWM host system. It has the Spotify 'app' which outside of a couple of DAB stations is all I use.
Being a 2019 it definitely has an OPF, my comparison was against the 540i I had which also featured an OPF. The sound is by some way better in the 4 series?
I think the only 'mod' I want to do, is replacing the existing grey rear diffuser with a gloss black variant in keeping with general look of the car and the gloss black inlays to the interior.
Certainly no plans to 'drop' and add spacers, which seems to be a popular choice. Horses for courses and all, just not really my thing,
Looks lovely that- and a good spec, which is so important on these cars. Tanzanite is a great colour, as others have said the photos don't do it justice. Big fan of the B58 too, been lucky enough to drive a few and even with the OPF (I've only experienced it in the G2x 3/4er) it's a great sounding engine.
I'm with you on CarPlay too- I'm resisting the logical argument to fit one of the retrofit CarPlay boxes to my comparatively ancient E82 125i (with CIC iDrive) in favour of an OEM USB retrofit to give me the ability to play music off my phone but keep the proper BMW interface- which will probably be more expensive and more complicated...
I'm with you on CarPlay too- I'm resisting the logical argument to fit one of the retrofit CarPlay boxes to my comparatively ancient E82 125i (with CIC iDrive) in favour of an OEM USB retrofit to give me the ability to play music off my phone but keep the proper BMW interface- which will probably be more expensive and more complicated...
Edited by Sofa on Monday 22 April 21:33
Mr Ben said:
Thanks all,
Being a 2019 it definitely has an OPF, my comparison was against the 540i I had which also featured an OPF. The sound is by some way better in the 4 series?
thing,
Ah sorry I miss read, wasn’t meaning to be a dig either. I reckon they must put more insulation in the 5 series. I test drove one and agreed it was quite.Being a 2019 it definitely has an OPF, my comparison was against the 540i I had which also featured an OPF. The sound is by some way better in the 4 series?
thing,
richatnort said:
Mr Ben said:
Thanks all,
Being a 2019 it definitely has an OPF, my comparison was against the 540i I had which also featured an OPF. The sound is by some way better in the 4 series?
thing,
Ah sorry I miss read, wasn’t meaning to be a dig either. I reckon they must put more insulation in the 5 series. I test drove one and agreed it was quite.Being a 2019 it definitely has an OPF, my comparison was against the 540i I had which also featured an OPF. The sound is by some way better in the 4 series?
thing,
I took it out late last night for my first (for the sake of it) drive and it left me grinning like a grinny thing. The sharp contrast to a 2 Tonne Diesel SUV still evident but, the way it builds speed from 40mph upward is wonderfully addictive
3 weeks into ownership and too many visits to Shell, I'm getting to know the car now, what's good and what might get done in the future.
To this point I've only swapped the rear diffuser for a gloss black variant which matches the window trim etc quite nicely, all IMHO of course.
Thought I'd immediately want to swap the exhaust out for a REMUS but this precast judgment was based on the experience in my 540i. Once the engine's warmed putting the car into 'sport' keeps the flap in the left tailpipe open so just enough burble/noise for me, for now.
Performance wise I find the B58 to be in and around the sweet spot for acceleration without always running out of road too quickly... which is to say you can let it go through most of the gears and enjoy the experience.
It's only when cornering, particularly long sweeping corners, that I'm finding the car a little... fidgety. At only 13K miles I'm sure that there's no wear/tiredness in the suspension components, so I've been considering aftermarket alternatives.
A popular route seems to be Bilstein shocks with Eibach springs, but I've read lots of favourable comments/reviews on Bilstein's B16 Coilover kit. Having never fit coil-overs to a car before, I'm somewhat undecided if the outlay is worth the improvement?
After a quick wash and wax... and in the sun showing a bit of colour!
To this point I've only swapped the rear diffuser for a gloss black variant which matches the window trim etc quite nicely, all IMHO of course.
Thought I'd immediately want to swap the exhaust out for a REMUS but this precast judgment was based on the experience in my 540i. Once the engine's warmed putting the car into 'sport' keeps the flap in the left tailpipe open so just enough burble/noise for me, for now.
Performance wise I find the B58 to be in and around the sweet spot for acceleration without always running out of road too quickly... which is to say you can let it go through most of the gears and enjoy the experience.
It's only when cornering, particularly long sweeping corners, that I'm finding the car a little... fidgety. At only 13K miles I'm sure that there's no wear/tiredness in the suspension components, so I've been considering aftermarket alternatives.
A popular route seems to be Bilstein shocks with Eibach springs, but I've read lots of favourable comments/reviews on Bilstein's B16 Coilover kit. Having never fit coil-overs to a car before, I'm somewhat undecided if the outlay is worth the improvement?
After a quick wash and wax... and in the sun showing a bit of colour!
Really nice car.
With regards coilovers, for me, I would never fit them on to an everyday car on UK roads. No matter how good they are.
Bilstein B12s with a very small drop and some anti roll bar upgrades would provide a much more compliant ride. I think Birds do a package that is similar in nature to this?
Coilovers also have a habit of getting crusty unless you look after them with socks and give them a bit of attention once in a while.
With regards coilovers, for me, I would never fit them on to an everyday car on UK roads. No matter how good they are.
Bilstein B12s with a very small drop and some anti roll bar upgrades would provide a much more compliant ride. I think Birds do a package that is similar in nature to this?
Coilovers also have a habit of getting crusty unless you look after them with socks and give them a bit of attention once in a while.
MattsCar said:
Really nice car.
With regards coilovers, for me, I would never fit them on to an everyday car on UK roads. No matter how good they are.
Bilstein B12s with a very small drop and some anti roll bar upgrades would provide a much more compliant ride. I think Birds do a package that is similar in nature to this?
Coilovers also have a habit of getting crusty unless you look after them with socks and give them a bit of attention once in a while.
As above. Try a Birds kit. I found the B12 kit too hard on an E91.With regards coilovers, for me, I would never fit them on to an everyday car on UK roads. No matter how good they are.
Bilstein B12s with a very small drop and some anti roll bar upgrades would provide a much more compliant ride. I think Birds do a package that is similar in nature to this?
Coilovers also have a habit of getting crusty unless you look after them with socks and give them a bit of attention once in a while.
Mr Ben said:
3 weeks into ownership and too many visits to Shell, I'm getting to know the car now, what's good and what might get done in the future.
To this point I've only swapped the rear diffuser for a gloss black variant which matches the window trim etc quite nicely, all IMHO of course.
Thought I'd immediately want to swap the exhaust out for a REMUS but this precast judgment was based on the experience in my 540i. Once the engine's warmed putting the car into 'sport' keeps the flap in the left tailpipe open so just enough burble/noise for me, for now.
Performance wise I find the B58 to be in and around the sweet spot for acceleration without always running out of road too quickly... which is to say you can let it go through most of the gears and enjoy the experience.
It's only when cornering, particularly long sweeping corners, that I'm finding the car a little... fidgety. At only 13K miles I'm sure that there's no wear/tiredness in the suspension components, so I've been considering aftermarket alternatives.
A popular route seems to be Bilstein shocks with Eibach springs, but I've read lots of favourable comments/reviews on Bilstein's B16 Coilover kit. Having never fit coil-overs to a car before, I'm somewhat undecided if the outlay is worth the improvement?
After a quick wash and wax... and in the sun showing a bit of colour!
It looks amazing I reckon. To this point I've only swapped the rear diffuser for a gloss black variant which matches the window trim etc quite nicely, all IMHO of course.
Thought I'd immediately want to swap the exhaust out for a REMUS but this precast judgment was based on the experience in my 540i. Once the engine's warmed putting the car into 'sport' keeps the flap in the left tailpipe open so just enough burble/noise for me, for now.
Performance wise I find the B58 to be in and around the sweet spot for acceleration without always running out of road too quickly... which is to say you can let it go through most of the gears and enjoy the experience.
It's only when cornering, particularly long sweeping corners, that I'm finding the car a little... fidgety. At only 13K miles I'm sure that there's no wear/tiredness in the suspension components, so I've been considering aftermarket alternatives.
A popular route seems to be Bilstein shocks with Eibach springs, but I've read lots of favourable comments/reviews on Bilstein's B16 Coilover kit. Having never fit coil-overs to a car before, I'm somewhat undecided if the outlay is worth the improvement?
After a quick wash and wax... and in the sun showing a bit of colour!
I see these as a lovely alternative to my F82 M4. The M4 feels very planted in the corners(unless it is cold/wet), but the trade off is a very harsh ride though, even with the standard adjustable dampers for me. My 370Z has a miles better ride in comparison for example.
I'm not totally against the OPFs on the M4 either, yes it would be nice if it was a bit louder, but my daughter says that she can still hear it when she's heard it from outside though.
Mr Ben said:
3 weeks into ownership and too many visits to Shell, I'm getting to know the car now, what's good and what might get done in the future.
To this point I've only swapped the rear diffuser for a gloss black variant which matches the window trim etc quite nicely, all IMHO of course.
Thought I'd immediately want to swap the exhaust out for a REMUS but this precast judgment was based on the experience in my 540i. Once the engine's warmed putting the car into 'sport' keeps the flap in the left tailpipe open so just enough burble/noise for me, for now.
Performance wise I find the B58 to be in and around the sweet spot for acceleration without always running out of road too quickly... which is to say you can let it go through most of the gears and enjoy the experience.
It's only when cornering, particularly long sweeping corners, that I'm finding the car a little... fidgety. At only 13K miles I'm sure that there's no wear/tiredness in the suspension components, so I've been considering aftermarket alternatives.
A popular route seems to be Bilstein shocks with Eibach springs, but I've read lots of favourable comments/reviews on Bilstein's B16 Coilover kit. Having never fit coil-overs to a car before, I'm somewhat undecided if the outlay is worth the improvement?
After a quick wash and wax... and in the sun showing a bit of colour!
Looks superb after that detail To this point I've only swapped the rear diffuser for a gloss black variant which matches the window trim etc quite nicely, all IMHO of course.
Thought I'd immediately want to swap the exhaust out for a REMUS but this precast judgment was based on the experience in my 540i. Once the engine's warmed putting the car into 'sport' keeps the flap in the left tailpipe open so just enough burble/noise for me, for now.
Performance wise I find the B58 to be in and around the sweet spot for acceleration without always running out of road too quickly... which is to say you can let it go through most of the gears and enjoy the experience.
It's only when cornering, particularly long sweeping corners, that I'm finding the car a little... fidgety. At only 13K miles I'm sure that there's no wear/tiredness in the suspension components, so I've been considering aftermarket alternatives.
A popular route seems to be Bilstein shocks with Eibach springs, but I've read lots of favourable comments/reviews on Bilstein's B16 Coilover kit. Having never fit coil-overs to a car before, I'm somewhat undecided if the outlay is worth the improvement?
After a quick wash and wax... and in the sun showing a bit of colour!
All I can say re coilovers is that I test drove an F31 with the B14 kit fitted and an F30 with the B16 kit fitted (and a 140i with the B12 kit fitted) and they were absolutely superb on the windy B roads local to me; throughly enjoyed the drives...
But when heading back; driving at normal speeds on the normal roads here in Preston, Lancs - they were simply too firm / too bouncy and the cars for me were affected to a point where I could not live with that on a every day car
But that's my preference...
They'd all been set up professionally/properly and fully dialled in with a decent fast road set up etc
Just not for me... I did enquire about the Birds set up too; but at close to £1400 it was a no from me, not for shocks & springs. Spending that amount IMO is best saved for a weekend car or the likes of B16 coilovers
My happy medium on my 2015 F31 RWD (non adaptive) was to fit Bilstein B4S shocks (correct ones for the M Sport) with Eibach pro kit springs as part of a FULL suspension overhaul and the car now drives superbly; takes fast roads/bends/B roads superbly but it's still smooth & compliant on every day driving roads and when cruising on the motorways etc
It was superb on the drive across from Dunkeld to Braemar back in Feb, even on the 'winter wheels' with Goodyear all season tyres - it just took the rough roads with aplomb and I never felt that it needs to be lower/stiffer etc
Hope that gives you a good insight into another poss suspension set up to think about
I really wouldn't bother fitting coil-overs to a road car.
My Z4M came with a set of H & R coil-overs already fitted, but they are only adjustable for ride height so lowering springs and new dampers would have been a cheaper option!
Quality coil-overs are also adjustable for compression and rebound, but when are you going to adjust the settings if you only ever use the car on the road?
My Z4M came with a set of H & R coil-overs already fitted, but they are only adjustable for ride height so lowering springs and new dampers would have been a cheaper option!
Quality coil-overs are also adjustable for compression and rebound, but when are you going to adjust the settings if you only ever use the car on the road?
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff