"Once you get past the nose..." I'll let you know as soon as I do.
still trying
Sorry, nope.
The BMW 4 Series Coupe arrived late in 2020 with much fanfare for two big reasons: One, it’s a BMW coupe, always an important item; and, two, that nose. That grille takes up some serious real estate.
Since 2014, the 4 Series Coupe has basically picked up where the 3 Series coupe left off. Oddly, for whatever reason, BMW didn’t attach the 4 Series badge to the four-door car. Blame Canada
More numbers that might confuse the old guard. The current 430i is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four that makes 255 horsepower.
The M440i–there is no plain 440i–gets a turbo 3.0-liter inline-six.
What’s the M440i like to drive? Keep reading.
Once you get past the nose–sorry but you have to start there–the rest of the M440i delivers all kinds of awesome.
It reminds me of my E46 M3 except way more grunt off the line and way better fuel economy.
Let’s first run some numbers for the M440i:
• 382 horsepower at 5800-6500.
• 368 lb.-ft. of torque.
• Zero to 60 in 4.6 seconds.
• 188.0 inches long.
• Curb weight of 3858 pounds.
• EPA rating of 25 city/34 highway.
And the famed E46 M3:
• 333 horsepower at 7900 rpm.
• 262 lb.-ft. of torque at 4900 rpm.
• Zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds.
• 176.8 inches long.
• Curb weight of 3415 pounds.
• EPA rating of 15 city/22 highway.
So, on paper, it’s no contest: The newer car is faster and more efficient even though it’s bigger.
As a daily, it’s darn near perfect. No lag. Just the right size. Swallows a folding table.
The brakes feel solid and progressive. The autobox is quick in standard mode. Engage a sport mode, and it shifts faster than you ever will. Unless you’re putting it on track or between the pylons, do you really need the M4?
Despite all of the tech, it’s still rather intuitive. To make the cabin warmer or colder, there are still little rocker buttons. Need more radio volume? You get a knob.
Where’s the button for the hazards? Right where you’d expect, in the middle of the dash.
And back to those looks? Well, our tester wore San Remo Green Metallic, a stunning hue that did a decent job of hiding the beam that bisects the grille.
The M440i doesn’t look as good as the E46 M3 and, just my opinion, won’t age as gracefully. But it still looks like a BMW and, again in that darker color, manages to look okay.
But does it really beat the E46? It’s faster and more efficient, but it lacks that edge that has often separated the M3 from the rest. While the M440i makes a terrific daily, not sure I’d trade my E46 M3 for it.
"Once you get past the nose..." I'll let you know as soon as I do.
still trying
Sorry, nope.
BMW has managed to take cars that are arguably some of the best and then take them to a level of suck style wise that is just not understandable. They have taken an iconic styling que and instead of carrying it forward in a subtle way they have elevated it to the point where there cars are cartoons of their former greatness. It is sad really. I don't think any brand has managed to screw this up this well in the history of cars. Hell maybe in the history of brand identification of anything.
Wait Lexus may have done it better with there pinch grill design that got to cartoonish proportions on there SUVs.
For the first time in history, we have a vehicle in which the look is improved by a front license plate.
If you took the ridiculous grille of, would you know it was a BMW? I know I wouldn't, based on my mistaking them for other things out in the wild. I guess it probably achieves their goals of becoming as mainstream as possible, but gone are the days where a BMW looked like a BMW.
In reply to bludroptop :
Post of the year so far.
First BMW started ruining the driving experience with the numb steering. Then they ruined the names. Then they ruined the looks.
I guess it all makes sense.
dean1484 said:BMW has managed to take cars that are arguably some of the best and then take them to a level of suck style wise that is just not understandable. They have taken an iconic styling que and instead of carrying it forward in a subtle way have elevated it to the point where there cars are cartoons of their former greatness. It is sad really. I don't think any brand has managed to screw this up this well in the history of cars. Hell maybe in the history of brand identification of anything.
Except you and I are not their target demographic any more. BMW has done exactly what they intended to do - over-exaggerate their brand identity in pursuit of their new target demographic: Chinese new money. Iconic Western brand identity is everything to the Asian nouveau riche. Subtlety is no longer the desired image for BMW.
gearheadE30 said:If you took the ridiculous grille of, would you know it was a BMW? I know I wouldn't, based on my mistaking them for other things out in the wild. I guess it probably achieves their goals of becoming as mainstream as possible, but gone are the days where a BMW looked like a BMW.
If that had kidney grilles of, say, 60% that size, it would still be very recognizable as a BMW, and it would look better to Western eyes. But what BMW wants is to look better to Eastern eyes, which have different aesthetic preferences and different goals.
If that had kidney grilles of, say, 60% that size, it would still be very recognizable as a BMW, and it would look better to Western eyes. But what BMW wants is to look better to Eastern eyes, which have different aesthetic preferences and different goals.
This. An increasing number of cars being designed and built are meant to appeal to the Chinese market.
It's also worth mentioning that Buicks are really popular in China–pretty much why it's still around as a car maker.
They would be wise not to put all their eggs in the China market though. China is and has been moving towards a China centric economy. Hollywood is learning this now. They have made a few movies (people in tights type movies) recently clearly designed to appeal to the Chinese market (spending many millions of course) and the Chinese government has refused to allow them to be release in China. They want to make everything there. I suspect it only a mater of time before the start looking at cars.
There is also the potential for them to reinforce the idea that they are supposed to be communist, and "theoretically" that means everyone is equal, money wise. Not sure how that will go, but fancy German cars don't exactly scream "equality".
I saw a new M4 in a parking lot a few weeks ago... I thought it was a mustang at first glance :/
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