RE: 2021 BMW M440i xDrive | UK Review
Discussion
BMW have nailed the interior but have totally ballsed up the exterior...
There’s those grilles which look a wee bit less offensive with a dark paint, there is way to much metal above the rear wheels and it’s generally looks a bit heavy and slab sided. The rear wheel arches are weak (again). Rides a bit high too, but so do a lot of modern BMW’s these days.
The engine and gearbox are fab though having had a slightly less powerful version in my M140i.
There’s those grilles which look a wee bit less offensive with a dark paint, there is way to much metal above the rear wheels and it’s generally looks a bit heavy and slab sided. The rear wheel arches are weak (again). Rides a bit high too, but so do a lot of modern BMW’s these days.
The engine and gearbox are fab though having had a slightly less powerful version in my M140i.
Sidney Smut said:
I actually quite like the styling of the car. Problem is it's a BMW and that means it will do more miles with the AA than it will ever do with it's owner.
Really? Mikes been fine for the last 18 months (has a few niggles that were sorted under warranty) and me previous E90 was perfect for three years. Edited by Court_S on Saturday 24th October 21:20
carparkno1 said:
As a current F32 440i owner I'm struggling to see the upgrade potential.
I have the new BMW G20 M340i, unfortunately it's at BMW as a chap hit my front wheel and I've been waiting for a steering rack for weeks, I miss it so much. Whilst I agonisingly wait BMW have given me the last gen 430d to mooch around in. To answer the upgrade point above, I can give my opinion that the differences between the two generations are huge, I base this upon the following subjective points.The new M340i and M440i are a similar car, same engine but one is a bit lower, stiffer and obviously the body is different but it's still a similar car, so I can make an indirect comparison between the new and old 4 series, obviously taking out the engine differences between my loan car and my petrol variant.
Steering, the 430 feels odd, it seems to float and correct itself consonantly and whilst steering responses are ok after driving the new 3 series it is immediately obvious how much engineering has been put into the steering. The new 4 series (3 series) is excellent, feel is good and, albeit in a digital way, driver steering sends that input to the wheels with impeccable accuracy.
Damping: the new M440i will have adaptive as standard. The current 430 (non adaptive) is crashy and jolts in comparison to the 340i where that suspension is incredibly calm and magical in its ability to keep your fillings intact and not impede on the serenity of the journey, I'm sure it will be the same for the M440i.
Engine: old 440 to the new, more torque and power.
Chassis: The new platform is incredible, very stiff and much flatter through corners than the loan 430d
Interior: iDrive 7, improved seats, even the standard seats are excellent, much quieter interior, less wind noise (this may not differ in the new 4 series but in the 3 series compared with my loan car there is a huge reduction in wind noise), interior quality is a league ahead too between the generations.
Just my thoughts but the new 4 series is a leap ahead of the current, old, version.
Edited by knitware on Saturday 24th October 21:27
Terminator X said:
Can the writer confirm if we are on yet another iteration of nearly there near silent petrol cars? EU Regs, squashing the joy from life.
TX.
If it’s anything like my B58 with a PPF, it’ll be a bit muted but still sounds ok, just quieter than earlier cars without the PPF. TX.
This will be the sweet spot for the 4 series range. Yes the front end is challenging but the BMW will be better than the c43, audi etc. As per usual. That’s all that matters. Stop bleating about weight, all cars are heavier these days. It will be the benchmark all round package. And a very fine ownership proposition. It’s not a high point styling wise, like a Porsche 996, but it will still be the driver’s choice in this segment. I’m seriously interested.
I was surprised by the comments about the ride quality in this article. I have a cooking G20 M Sport as a daily and the ride is way too firm. I would have thought that the 440i would be even more “sporty” and thus even more uncomfortable than the G20. My car is on 19s with the adaptive suspension so it is a reasonable comparison.
Perhaps it is just me, but the ride on the previous gen 3/4 was much more suitable for everyday use.
Therefore, if you are thinking of getting a M Sport / MP 3/4, make sure you go over some crappy roads on your test drive. Most of the reviews (like this one) would have you believe the ride is very good. As mentioned, I think they are way too firm and I would not have bought the car if I had realised that beforehand.
Perhaps it is just me, but the ride on the previous gen 3/4 was much more suitable for everyday use.
Therefore, if you are thinking of getting a M Sport / MP 3/4, make sure you go over some crappy roads on your test drive. Most of the reviews (like this one) would have you believe the ride is very good. As mentioned, I think they are way too firm and I would not have bought the car if I had realised that beforehand.
carparkno1 said:
As a current F32 440i owner I'm struggling to see the upgrade potential. It's faster but not by much, the interior is better but isn't a huge upgrade (gesture control yuck), it's the same engine and superb gearbox and slightly faint steering feel so at close to 60k as a new car it's not grabbing me, and that's before we get to the styling. The grille, whilst controversial, probably will fade as "the shock of the new" normally does but I CANNOT get past the bulk and rear 3/4 of it.
No hoffmeister kink and they've gone down the tiny exhaust inside a massive housing route instead of the lovely exposed pipes on the outgoing model.
It'll sell well, it'll be a great success and in many respects it is a consummate all rounder, I just think its a case of waiting for the LCI in a couple of years to get the benefit of better deals and some style options.
But man, the B58 with the ZF8 is a work of art, it really is.
good post you know ur s***No hoffmeister kink and they've gone down the tiny exhaust inside a massive housing route instead of the lovely exposed pipes on the outgoing model.
It'll sell well, it'll be a great success and in many respects it is a consummate all rounder, I just think its a case of waiting for the LCI in a couple of years to get the benefit of better deals and some style options.
But man, the B58 with the ZF8 is a work of art, it really is.
chelme said:
Argleton said:
sidesauce said:
Business as usual then.
I'm doubtful sales will be impacted significantly, despite all of the crowing on the forums; I think people will buy the, and drive them, just as they've done before with all the previous models. In fact, I think that in time, people will get used to the front to the point it'll simply be 'meh'.
What is that opinion based on?I'm doubtful sales will be impacted significantly, despite all of the crowing on the forums; I think people will buy the, and drive them, just as they've done before with all the previous models. In fact, I think that in time, people will get used to the front to the point it'll simply be 'meh'.
You're telling me someone who would be prepared to buy this sort of car, but absolutely hates the looks, is going to say yeah okay I'll buy it then?
The reality is, aesthetic quality still goes a long way in selling cars, and in this instance too, BMW has alienated its buyers. I can't speak for the far east market, but in the west, the consensus is that having the face of a rodent with braces does not cut it, however "competent" the car may be on an A road.
Edited by chelme on Saturday 24th October 13:28
knitware said:
carparkno1 said:
As a current F32 440i owner I'm struggling to see the upgrade potential.
I have the new BMW G20 M340i, unfortunately it's at BMW as a chap hit my front wheel and I've been waiting for a steering rack for weeks, I miss it so much. Whilst I agonisingly wait BMW have given me the last gen 430d to mooch around in. To answer the upgrade point above, I can give my opinion that the differences between the two generations are huge, I base this upon the following subjective points.The new M340i and M440i are a similar car, same engine but one is a bit lower, stiffer and obviously the body is different but it's still a similar car, so I can make an indirect comparison between the new and old 4 series, obviously taking out the engine differences between my loan car and my petrol variant.
Steering, the 430 feels odd, it seems to float and correct itself consonantly and whilst steering responses are ok after driving the new 3 series it is immediately obvious how much engineering has been put into the steering. The new 4 series (3 series) is excellent, feel is good and, albeit in a digital way, driver steering sends that input to the wheels with impeccable accuracy.
Damping: the new M440i will have adaptive as standard. The current 430 (non adaptive) is crashy and jolts in comparison to the 340i where that suspension is incredibly calm and magical in its ability to keep your fillings intact and not impede on the serenity of the journey, I'm sure it will be the same for the M440i.
Engine: old 440 to the new, more torque and power.
Chassis: The new platform is incredible, very stiff and much flatter through corners than the loan 430d
Interior: iDrive 7, improved seats, even the standard seats are excellent, much quieter interior, less wind noise (this may not differ in the new 4 series but in the 3 series compared with my loan car there is a huge reduction in wind noise), interior quality is a league ahead too between the generations.
Just my thoughts but the new 4 series is a leap ahead of the current, old, version.
Edited by knitware on Saturday 24th October 21:27
Once the discounts start rolling in it'll be a different proposition, because it feels pitched one rung too high right now vs an M4, although I wonder just how much the new one will cost?!
Haltamer said:
jl4069 said:
Still trying to wrap my head around how this is about 750 Lbs more than a roomier, and pretty large Civic R. 750 lbs is a huge amount of weight to be lugging around for a near sports car.
I can't quite fathom that out either. I imagine mostly transmission / engine weight?Limpet said:
DonkeyApple said:
I’ve the estate version and sitting at a similar conclusion off the back of the article. The main gripe that I have is that every time you come down to 15mph the car’s tiny brain reveals itself to be no better than the office idiot who just can’t work basic stuff out and just needs to be left in the corner doing the same task, it cannot get its head around the fact that you might not be coming to halt but about to drive off and that having some power to do so rather than being left hanging while it’s litrle brain struggles to cope with reality outside a nerd’s laboratory.
In Sport / Sport + as well as Comfort modes? My M140i used to do this, but only in Comfort mode.Very annoying when slowing as you approach a roundabout, and a gap appears that you want to slot into, or if a red light you're approaching turns green before you come to a halt. You squeeze the throttle to accelerate again, and absolutely nothing happens for a good second or so. And then because you've inevitably pushed harder than you meant to due to the complete lack of response, you get more than you want or need when it does finally get its act together.
It was consistent and repeatable in Comfort, but the Sport modes seemed to fix it.
Edited by Limpet on Saturday 24th October 18:38
Ultimately the big problem with many modern cars is that they are thick as s
t but think they are super smart. They are like that office bellend that someone hired and no one can fire because they never actually do anything specifically wrong but they hinder everything they are involved in because they have no idea that they are the thickest person in the room, not the smartest. My BMW manifestly has Dunning Kruger and I would just be so happy if the stupid f
k would just do what it was asked to do, when it was asked to do it and nothing more. 
Max_Torque said:
2020 BMW 4 series
2012 Jaguar XK
And both cars have something of a wiff of "golf club special" about them too......
I assumed the idea was to make the 3 series look more like the Mustang than a Jag product if there was any deliberate thought being put into it? Isn’t the idea to try and be a classy version of a US performance product in Asia and the US?2012 Jaguar XK
And both cars have something of a wiff of "golf club special" about them too......
DonkeyApple said:
Limpet said:
DonkeyApple said:
I’ve the estate version and sitting at a similar conclusion off the back of the article. The main gripe that I have is that every time you come down to 15mph the car’s tiny brain reveals itself to be no better than the office idiot who just can’t work basic stuff out and just needs to be left in the corner doing the same task, it cannot get its head around the fact that you might not be coming to halt but about to drive off and that having some power to do so rather than being left hanging while it’s litrle brain struggles to cope with reality outside a nerd’s laboratory.
In Sport / Sport + as well as Comfort modes? My M140i used to do this, but only in Comfort mode.Very annoying when slowing as you approach a roundabout, and a gap appears that you want to slot into, or if a red light you're approaching turns green before you come to a halt. You squeeze the throttle to accelerate again, and absolutely nothing happens for a good second or so. And then because you've inevitably pushed harder than you meant to due to the complete lack of response, you get more than you want or need when it does finally get its act together.
It was consistent and repeatable in Comfort, but the Sport modes seemed to fix it.
Edited by Limpet on Saturday 24th October 18:38
Ultimately the big problem with many modern cars is that they are thick as s
t but think they are super smart. They are like that office bellend that someone hired and no one can fire because they never actually do anything specifically wrong but they hinder everything they are involved in because they have no idea that they are the thickest person in the room, not the smartest. My BMW manifestly has Dunning Kruger and I would just be so happy if the stupid f
k would just do what it was asked to do, when it was asked to do it and nothing more. You have to have somewhere to charge it through, to get the best experience, so not for everyone.
nicfaz said:
DonkeyApple said:
Limpet said:
DonkeyApple said:
I’ve the estate version and sitting at a similar conclusion off the back of the article. The main gripe that I have is that every time you come down to 15mph the car’s tiny brain reveals itself to be no better than the office idiot who just can’t work basic stuff out and just needs to be left in the corner doing the same task, it cannot get its head around the fact that you might not be coming to halt but about to drive off and that having some power to do so rather than being left hanging while it’s litrle brain struggles to cope with reality outside a nerd’s laboratory.
In Sport / Sport + as well as Comfort modes? My M140i used to do this, but only in Comfort mode.Very annoying when slowing as you approach a roundabout, and a gap appears that you want to slot into, or if a red light you're approaching turns green before you come to a halt. You squeeze the throttle to accelerate again, and absolutely nothing happens for a good second or so. And then because you've inevitably pushed harder than you meant to due to the complete lack of response, you get more than you want or need when it does finally get its act together.
It was consistent and repeatable in Comfort, but the Sport modes seemed to fix it.
Edited by Limpet on Saturday 24th October 18:38
Ultimately the big problem with many modern cars is that they are thick as s
t but think they are super smart. They are like that office bellend that someone hired and no one can fire because they never actually do anything specifically wrong but they hinder everything they are involved in because they have no idea that they are the thickest person in the room, not the smartest. My BMW manifestly has Dunning Kruger and I would just be so happy if the stupid f
k would just do what it was asked to do, when it was asked to do it and nothing more. You have to have somewhere to charge it through, to get the best experience, so not for everyone.
There’s a lot to be said for EVs. But things like this car are part of a ‘last hurrah’ and have many great things to relish. But it’s certainly an irritation to find annoying quirks that have been deliberately added for a reason that may be logical in a boggo edition but seem to lack logic in the version aimed much more at driving for fun than necessity.
DonkeyApple said:
Yup. It’s better than the 3L and ZF6 combo that went before. I dumped a 130i purely on the grounds that it was useless in London because it wouldn’t do anything when a gap appeared but then a couple of seconds later leap at the other car which had done something or given up waiting for you. But to find that level of stupidity still exists is depressing. The fact that you can rid of it by pressing a button that then does other things you don’t want happening at that time is just an infuriating, daily reminder of the fact that you’ve paid money to have a committee in your life. Only a German committee could draw the conclusion that everytime you are slowing down you must be coming to a halt and that there could be onother possible outcome. What exactly is ‘Comfort’ about suddenly finding your car won’t do anything when you push the throttle down and then a few moments later will over react and do more than it was ever asked.
Ultimately the big problem with many modern cars is that they are thick as st but think they are super smart. They are like that office bellend that someone hired and no one can fire because they never actually do anything specifically wrong but they hinder everything they are involved in because they have no idea that they are the thickest person in the room, not the smartest.
My BMW manifestly has Dunning Kruger and I would just be so happy if the stupid fk would just do what it was asked to do, when it was asked to do it and nothing more.
My 335d ZF8 never has these sort of problems.Ultimately the big problem with many modern cars is that they are thick as s
t but think they are super smart. They are like that office bellend that someone hired and no one can fire because they never actually do anything specifically wrong but they hinder everything they are involved in because they have no idea that they are the thickest person in the room, not the smartest. My BMW manifestly has Dunning Kruger and I would just be so happy if the stupid f
k would just do what it was asked to do, when it was asked to do it and nothing more. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff