Individual BMW 440i M Sport Coupe
Discussion
I’ve had this car for what will be 3 years come January and I’ve covered around 22k miles (lower than usual due to Covid). It’s a 440i M Sport Coupe in Individual San Marino Blue along with Individual Opal White Merino leather interior. I bought this after having a wearisome couple of years with an Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce and I had a BMW E92 coupe 320d M Sport before that, so those are my most recent comparisons. It took a very long time to find as I wanted the LCI model and I wanted a colour/spec that was something slightly different in the sea of blacks/greys/Estoril blues – not that there’s anything wrong with them of course. These things are pretty well spec’d as standard but other additions to the standard spec on this car include:
BMW Icon Adaptive LED lights with High Beam Assist
Piano Black Wood inlays
Innovation Package which comprises of:
Head Up Display
Speed Limit Display
Driving Assistant with Lane Departure Warning & Frontal Collision Warning
Wi-Fi Hotspot
Black panel Display
Online Entertainment
Concierge Service
Remote Services
RTTI
M Sport Plus Package which comprises of:
M Sport Braking System
19” 704M wheels with a staggered set-up
Harman Kardon 16 speaker system
Sun-Protection glass
High gloss Shadowline trim
Pro Navigation with 20GB hard-drive
Enhanced Bluetooth
Wireless Charging
Reverse Camera
Exterior folding mirrors with anti-dazzle function
Extended storage
The good bits:
The B58 engine is simply brilliant all round. I can’t think of any situation where I’ve ever felt that the car needs more power (or torque) and it actually feels like it’s producing more than the 326 bhp specified. I’ve read/heard some people state that they feel this particular engine doesn’t like to rev but I couldn’t disagree more – I actually think that the ZF8 gearbox (also brilliant) is what gives that impression as I’m certain that it’s tuned/calibrated more towards efficiency rather than performance in Comfort mode. However, stick the car into Sport/Sport+ with the gearbox in manual mode and the engine will rush to the 7k redline in any gear till you run out of space/talent/guts. It is way faster than the Alfa which felt asthmatic anywhere beyond 5k rpm. There is of course also the super smooth characteristic of the straight 6 petrol which has a lovely woofle. It’s also really docile when just trundling around. At times, you need to be looking at the rev counter to notice a gear change. All this while returning a genuine average of 30.2mpg. I never use Stop/Start or Eco Pro mode and this average is from an equal 3-way mixture of city, A/B road & motorway use.
It's a great car for covering long distances in comfort and you can cover long distances while still feeling fresh as a daisy at the other end – it also has a genuine 500+ mile range on the motorway.
Head Up Display. I never felt that bothered about having this when I was looking for a 4 Series but I now wouldn’t be without it (well, I’d rather not be). I looked at cars with the digital dash, but didn’t think it looked anywhere near as good as the digital display that Audi do for example. So, I have the crisp, clear analogue dials (that BMW used to do so well) coupled with the HUD. It’s not just the ease of getting driving information, but being able to scroll through music tracks, the phone book or entertainment modes without looking away from the road is very good. You also get navigation prompts and road speed limits on there etc.
Adaptive LED’s – these are pure witchcraft. Fantastic lights just being switched on, but watching the adaptive system doing it’s work in illuminating around cars (either following or oncoming) is fascinating.
The bad/not so good:
It shouldn’t really be a complaint as it’s also a good thing depending on your perspective - the car sounds really good from the outside but you don’t really get to enjoy it as it’s is pretty hushed from within even in Sport/Sport+ where it will emit an exotic sounding Baarrp (not a VAG f*rt) on full throttle upshifts. I keep toying with the idea of adding the MPPSK as this car is pre-OPF. Prices for the upgrade vary wildly and the ones closest to me are the highest (plus, see my comment further on regarding dealers) – I don’t mind travelling but time has been against me recently.
The steering is rather numb – even in comparison with the E92 which also had an electric rack. This was the preceding Alfa’s strongest point.
It’s utterly useless to use as transport even with a light dusting of snow – but, I do now have a winter wheel & tyre set which transforms the car for use between January & April.
Servicing intervals feel too long to me (but what do I know?!) and I think I’m now going to switch to additional annual oil & filter changes between official service requirements
The BMW dealers closest to me are dire and untrustworthy in my experience returning the car with parts missing after service work and in a dirtier condition than it went into them. My nearest indy had the car recently for its brake fluid service and they were certain that some of the caliper bleed nipples had never been opened since it left the factory. You might think they would have a vested interest in saying that but I do trust them after using them many times previously with other BMW’s I’ve had.
The white leather is a bit of a pain to maintain and picks up marks very easily (hardly surprising, I know), but they do clean off and the soft merino leather is actually wearing well – it’s also lovely to sit in/look at and really lifts the interior.
Indicators in comparison to the E92 – hardly a complaint really, I just really liked the one touch system from previous.
Faults so far:
The high pitch horn failed which is quite a common problem on these – there’s a horn in each front wheel-arch and they are prone to water ingress. £50 and some skint knuckles rectified this.
The BMW roundel on the boot lid started to delaminate and had to be replaced.
I do have the car under BMW warranty which I haven’t actually used so far and could potentially feel like a waste of money, but it gives peace of mind if the car was to throw a big bill as I assume they’re pretty complicated underneath.
The only other problem that I foresee is that I genuinely don’t know what I’d replace it with when the time comes.
I hope I haven’t bored you.
BMW Icon Adaptive LED lights with High Beam Assist
Piano Black Wood inlays
Innovation Package which comprises of:
Head Up Display
Speed Limit Display
Driving Assistant with Lane Departure Warning & Frontal Collision Warning
Wi-Fi Hotspot
Black panel Display
Online Entertainment
Concierge Service
Remote Services
RTTI
M Sport Plus Package which comprises of:
M Sport Braking System
19” 704M wheels with a staggered set-up
Harman Kardon 16 speaker system
Sun-Protection glass
High gloss Shadowline trim
Pro Navigation with 20GB hard-drive
Enhanced Bluetooth
Wireless Charging
Reverse Camera
Exterior folding mirrors with anti-dazzle function
Extended storage
The good bits:
The B58 engine is simply brilliant all round. I can’t think of any situation where I’ve ever felt that the car needs more power (or torque) and it actually feels like it’s producing more than the 326 bhp specified. I’ve read/heard some people state that they feel this particular engine doesn’t like to rev but I couldn’t disagree more – I actually think that the ZF8 gearbox (also brilliant) is what gives that impression as I’m certain that it’s tuned/calibrated more towards efficiency rather than performance in Comfort mode. However, stick the car into Sport/Sport+ with the gearbox in manual mode and the engine will rush to the 7k redline in any gear till you run out of space/talent/guts. It is way faster than the Alfa which felt asthmatic anywhere beyond 5k rpm. There is of course also the super smooth characteristic of the straight 6 petrol which has a lovely woofle. It’s also really docile when just trundling around. At times, you need to be looking at the rev counter to notice a gear change. All this while returning a genuine average of 30.2mpg. I never use Stop/Start or Eco Pro mode and this average is from an equal 3-way mixture of city, A/B road & motorway use.
It's a great car for covering long distances in comfort and you can cover long distances while still feeling fresh as a daisy at the other end – it also has a genuine 500+ mile range on the motorway.
Head Up Display. I never felt that bothered about having this when I was looking for a 4 Series but I now wouldn’t be without it (well, I’d rather not be). I looked at cars with the digital dash, but didn’t think it looked anywhere near as good as the digital display that Audi do for example. So, I have the crisp, clear analogue dials (that BMW used to do so well) coupled with the HUD. It’s not just the ease of getting driving information, but being able to scroll through music tracks, the phone book or entertainment modes without looking away from the road is very good. You also get navigation prompts and road speed limits on there etc.
Adaptive LED’s – these are pure witchcraft. Fantastic lights just being switched on, but watching the adaptive system doing it’s work in illuminating around cars (either following or oncoming) is fascinating.
The bad/not so good:
It shouldn’t really be a complaint as it’s also a good thing depending on your perspective - the car sounds really good from the outside but you don’t really get to enjoy it as it’s is pretty hushed from within even in Sport/Sport+ where it will emit an exotic sounding Baarrp (not a VAG f*rt) on full throttle upshifts. I keep toying with the idea of adding the MPPSK as this car is pre-OPF. Prices for the upgrade vary wildly and the ones closest to me are the highest (plus, see my comment further on regarding dealers) – I don’t mind travelling but time has been against me recently.
The steering is rather numb – even in comparison with the E92 which also had an electric rack. This was the preceding Alfa’s strongest point.
It’s utterly useless to use as transport even with a light dusting of snow – but, I do now have a winter wheel & tyre set which transforms the car for use between January & April.
Servicing intervals feel too long to me (but what do I know?!) and I think I’m now going to switch to additional annual oil & filter changes between official service requirements
The BMW dealers closest to me are dire and untrustworthy in my experience returning the car with parts missing after service work and in a dirtier condition than it went into them. My nearest indy had the car recently for its brake fluid service and they were certain that some of the caliper bleed nipples had never been opened since it left the factory. You might think they would have a vested interest in saying that but I do trust them after using them many times previously with other BMW’s I’ve had.
The white leather is a bit of a pain to maintain and picks up marks very easily (hardly surprising, I know), but they do clean off and the soft merino leather is actually wearing well – it’s also lovely to sit in/look at and really lifts the interior.
Indicators in comparison to the E92 – hardly a complaint really, I just really liked the one touch system from previous.
Faults so far:
The high pitch horn failed which is quite a common problem on these – there’s a horn in each front wheel-arch and they are prone to water ingress. £50 and some skint knuckles rectified this.
The BMW roundel on the boot lid started to delaminate and had to be replaced.
I do have the car under BMW warranty which I haven’t actually used so far and could potentially feel like a waste of money, but it gives peace of mind if the car was to throw a big bill as I assume they’re pretty complicated underneath.
The only other problem that I foresee is that I genuinely don’t know what I’d replace it with when the time comes.
I hope I haven’t bored you.
That’s a cracking colour combo. SMB is one of BMW’s best modern colours; it really pops in the sun.
The B58 is indeed a very good engine and suits the ZF8. They were certainly the highlight of my M140i….the chassis and steering less so! I think the electric steering in the F series cars is worse than that of the E series cars having owned my M140i alongside with my other half’s E88 125i.
My 140i had an OPF so was very muted. I’d definitely be adding the MPPSK; they sound ace with them.
The B58 is indeed a very good engine and suits the ZF8. They were certainly the highlight of my M140i….the chassis and steering less so! I think the electric steering in the F series cars is worse than that of the E series cars having owned my M140i alongside with my other half’s E88 125i.
My 140i had an OPF so was very muted. I’d definitely be adding the MPPSK; they sound ace with them.
That's a great car in a stunning colour combination. 
When you mention the indicators do you mean the "3-flash" option? If so it can be programmed using Carly among other software - I really like it and have it on both my BMWs.
I know what you mean about steering feel. My Z4s were pretty poor, but my E87 123d was much better. Although to be fair my current E90 330i and Z4M with HPAS are way better! But sadly that's progress.
When you mention the indicators do you mean the "3-flash" option? If so it can be programmed using Carly among other software - I really like it and have it on both my BMWs.
I know what you mean about steering feel. My Z4s were pretty poor, but my E87 123d was much better. Although to be fair my current E90 330i and Z4M with HPAS are way better! But sadly that's progress.
That is a lovely looking car, I prefer the lighter blue - 'rocks' or something?
The white interior makes it so much more lighter inside, I really like that.
I'm getting a new car in the next few months, hoping to get either a 440i or 370Z Nismo.
I need to test drive both, but there not many near me.
Great write up, If I do go for a 440i, I'll make sure its got the HUD.
The white interior makes it so much more lighter inside, I really like that.
I'm getting a new car in the next few months, hoping to get either a 440i or 370Z Nismo.
I need to test drive both, but there not many near me.
Great write up, If I do go for a 440i, I'll make sure its got the HUD.
Edited by alisdairm on Wednesday 28th September 09:39
Lovely ! I am about to pull the trigger on a new car and want a 3.0t with the ZF8 and have narrowed it down the the Audi S5 2017 on or the 440i LCI…I was leaning towards the Audi but at the <30k price point they seem to be difficult to seek a good one. The 440i on the other hand seems to offer a similar package for less, or newer and lower mileage for the same.
I too want an interesting colour, snapper rocks blue has to be top of my list.
I too want an interesting colour, snapper rocks blue has to be top of my list.
alisdairm said:
That is a lovely looking car, I prefer the lighter blue - 'rocks' or something?
The white interior makes it so much more lighter inside, I really like that.
I'm getting a new car in the next few months, hoping to get either a 440i or 370Z Nismo.
I need to test drive both, but there not many near me.
Great write up, If I do go for a 440i, I'll make sure its got the HUD.
Snapper Rocks Blue is the colour that you’re thinking of.The white interior makes it so much more lighter inside, I really like that.
I'm getting a new car in the next few months, hoping to get either a 440i or 370Z Nismo.
I need to test drive both, but there not many near me.
Great write up, If I do go for a 440i, I'll make sure its got the HUD.
Edited by alisdairm on Wednesday 28th September 09:39
Tremendous car 
In terms of your leather seats, I can heartily recommend Dodo Juice Supernatural leather cleaner. It’s the only cleaner I’ve found that keeps the OEM Matt look, I kept my E92’s Oyster leather in superb condition for years using the Dodo juice.
Interestingly, I found it easier to live with than the black in my F82 M4 - the black just seems to mark so much easier, and constantly needs cleaning to stop it becoming shiny and awful looking.
In terms of your leather seats, I can heartily recommend Dodo Juice Supernatural leather cleaner. It’s the only cleaner I’ve found that keeps the OEM Matt look, I kept my E92’s Oyster leather in superb condition for years using the Dodo juice.
Interestingly, I found it easier to live with than the black in my F82 M4 - the black just seems to mark so much easier, and constantly needs cleaning to stop it becoming shiny and awful looking.
Cracking looking car!
The only thing I wish BMW had done differently on the 4 Series compared to the 3 Series that preceeded it is the useless storage 'hump' in the middle of the back seat. There's plenty of leg room and width across the rear seats for 3 people (young kids in my case) to sit, but because of the 'hump' and lack of central seat belt, you can only ever (legally) fit two in the back. I can't believe anyone who doesn't need to use the rear seats would either notice or care if the rear seat was set up for two or three, so why limit it to only two if you don't need to?
The only thing I wish BMW had done differently on the 4 Series compared to the 3 Series that preceeded it is the useless storage 'hump' in the middle of the back seat. There's plenty of leg room and width across the rear seats for 3 people (young kids in my case) to sit, but because of the 'hump' and lack of central seat belt, you can only ever (legally) fit two in the back. I can't believe anyone who doesn't need to use the rear seats would either notice or care if the rear seat was set up for two or three, so why limit it to only two if you don't need to?
Thanks very much for all of your kind comments
gtidriver said:
That is a lovely colour combo. My 430d is going in next month for a new steering rack, definitely keep the extended warranty.
Yes, I’ll definitely be keeping the warranty. I actually think its pretty good value considering that you also get breakdown recovery included (Europe-wide) and probably one of the best warranties out there when you actually need to use it.Mr Tidy said:
That's a great car in a stunning colour combination. thumbup
When you mention the indicators do you mean the "3-flash" option? If so it can be programmed using Carly among other software - I really like it and have it on both my BMWs.
I know what you mean about steering feel. My Z4s were pretty poor, but my E87 123d was much better. Although to be fair my current E90 330i and Z4M with HPAS are way better! But sadly that's progress.
I probably didn’t describe the indicators very well actually. They work perfectly fine and you do get the 3 flash indication with a light touch on the stalk – but in the E92, the indicator stalk always returned straight back to the neutral position once you’d used it (I remember certain Vauxhall’s being the same) – it’s a tiny, tiny thing but the action just felt nicer/of higher quality. It was probably a cost thing so they reverted to the usual system.When you mention the indicators do you mean the "3-flash" option? If so it can be programmed using Carly among other software - I really like it and have it on both my BMWs.
I know what you mean about steering feel. My Z4s were pretty poor, but my E87 123d was much better. Although to be fair my current E90 330i and Z4M with HPAS are way better! But sadly that's progress.
A small update on the 440i
After a 7.5 hour drive a couple weeks ago, I got a ‘Low Coolant’ warning the next morning when I started it up. Now I ashamedly admit that I very rarely check the coolant level but it needed around 800ml of fluid to bring the level back up to Max. I do know the B58 is known for leaky caps on the large coolant reservoir and I can see very small amounts of white residue around the filler neck. It’s been fine since, but I’ll need to keep an eye on that and maybe change the cap if I see the level dropping again.
The car has also now just been fitted with its winter wheels/tyres and it doesn’t look as good on the 18”s unfortunately. More importantly, the locking wheel nut key is now knackered (they’re made of rubbish) so it’ll be a trip to the dealers to get a replacement key (luckily the key hasn’t disintegrated within the wheel bolt head) and I think I’m going to remove the locking wheel bolts altogether and replace them with normal bolts for future peace of mind.
After a 7.5 hour drive a couple weeks ago, I got a ‘Low Coolant’ warning the next morning when I started it up. Now I ashamedly admit that I very rarely check the coolant level but it needed around 800ml of fluid to bring the level back up to Max. I do know the B58 is known for leaky caps on the large coolant reservoir and I can see very small amounts of white residue around the filler neck. It’s been fine since, but I’ll need to keep an eye on that and maybe change the cap if I see the level dropping again.
The car has also now just been fitted with its winter wheels/tyres and it doesn’t look as good on the 18”s unfortunately. More importantly, the locking wheel nut key is now knackered (they’re made of rubbish) so it’ll be a trip to the dealers to get a replacement key (luckily the key hasn’t disintegrated within the wheel bolt head) and I think I’m going to remove the locking wheel bolts altogether and replace them with normal bolts for future peace of mind.
Gotta say I'm a fan of the sleeper type look and whilst no modern BMW Dan really be a sleeper your winter wheels would lead me to think it's likely a 420d so I'd be surprised when you set off from the lights like a bat out of hell
Personally I'd run the winter wheels all year, remove the 440 badge and remove the shine from the exhaust tips.
Great car either way, just highlighting how different these things can be with minor tweaks and how different options suit different people
Does it ride any better on the smaller wheels / high profile tyres ?
Personally I'd run the winter wheels all year, remove the 440 badge and remove the shine from the exhaust tips.
Great car either way, just highlighting how different these things can be with minor tweaks and how different options suit different people
Does it ride any better on the smaller wheels / high profile tyres ?
Roboticarm said:
Gotta say I'm a fan of the sleeper type look and whilst no modern BMW Dan really be a sleeper your winter wheels would lead me to think it's likely a 420d so I'd be surprised when you set off from the lights like a bat out of hell
Personally I'd run the winter wheels all year, remove the 440 badge and remove the shine from the exhaust tips.
Great car either way, just highlighting how different these things can be with minor tweaks and how different options suit different people
Does it ride any better on the smaller wheels / high profile tyres ?
The drop from the 18” to the 19” wheel is almost imperceptible in terms of ride - nowhere near what you’d imagine. It is a tiny bit softer going over some ruts/road imperfections, but I think that is more to do with the winter tyre compound than the wheel size. It rides very well on both wheels but I did read somewhere that the LCI 4 Series received some suspension revisions over the older car which don’t ride quite as nicely. Personally I'd run the winter wheels all year, remove the 440 badge and remove the shine from the exhaust tips.
Great car either way, just highlighting how different these things can be with minor tweaks and how different options suit different people
Does it ride any better on the smaller wheels / high profile tyres ?
Lovely looking car, beautiful colour. I almost went for Grey but decided at the last moment to go for Orange and I’m so glad I did!
With regards to the MPPSK I bought mine on eBay of all places and got it fitted at a local-ish dealer. It wasn’t cheap but worth every penny, it really gives the car the sound to match the performance.
With regards to the MPPSK I bought mine on eBay of all places and got it fitted at a local-ish dealer. It wasn’t cheap but worth every penny, it really gives the car the sound to match the performance.
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