Chic design, smooth-running engine, hardly any weaknesses: the M440i xDrive is also an all-round successful car as a four-door Gran Coupé. Even the standard consumption of eight liters is at a level that would have looked good ten years ago to the smallest BMW entry-level petrol engine. But such progress pales next to the toughest competitor of the Munich-based company: the same body also makes its debut with a battery drive: the fully electric i4 M50i costs only 2700 euros more before funding and is even significantly cheaper than the fuel-guzzler with the bonus.
You have to look for the disadvantages of the Stromer with a magnifying glass. There are just as few compromises in terms of space and utility as in driving fun, not to mention the lower loss of value and lower operating costs. Only the long delivery time (we are currently talking about twelve months) and the slightly shorter range speak against the socket drive. The M440i xDrive has to stretch to keep up. With the 374 hp six-cylinder and all-wheel drive, the Gran Coupé costs 67,200 euros. A lot of money for a tightly tailored suit.
The 3-series sedan, which is 1700 euros cheaper, has long been available with the beefy and economical 340 hp diesel, which is only to be submitted later in the 4-series. But even the 3.0 liter gasoline engine can skimp on fuel as a mild hybrid. An 11 hp e-machine pushes gently when starting and can also support the kickdown acceleration when overtaking on the country road. It draws its energy from a small buffer battery, which is always recharged when it slows down.
Bad luck for the combustion engine: the low roof line of the coupé is also available with a battery drive
Not only the hybrid drive, but also the frameless doors are noticeable on the scales: not least because of the necessary body stiffening, the 4 Series Gran Coupé is 75 kilos heavier than its predecessor – more than a sedan, touring and even the discontinued 3 Series GT. Five percent more bacon on the ribs, that’s the equivalent of four well-filled suitcases. What you notice when you accelerate: When you sprint from 0-100 km / h, the Gran Coupé falls three-tenths behind the sedan in 4.7 seconds.
Peanuts? How you take it. On winding country roads, the extra portion of mass and moment makes the small but fine difference between agile and dynamic. The new four-door coupé drives more like a pepped up 3 Series GT without, of course, having nearly the same amount of space in the second row of seats. With 470 liters, the coupé trunk also ranks last in the internal model comparison. The designers have created a few millimeters more space here and there, but the sleek roof height and the tightly dimensioned rear door cutout degrade the rear passengers to backbenchers.
Sports seats at their best, but the integrated cooling, like so much in the BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupé, costs extra.
(Photo: Tom Kirkpatrick / BMW AG)
No question about it: you travel first class here in the first row, which ideally has heated and cooled sports seats with a massage function. The driver also benefits from a pleasantly intuitive and largely distraction-free operating system. The only weak point: As part of the digital over-the-air magic, the software developers failed to replace the somewhat artificial instrument graphics with easily legible displays.
The good news: Voice control that is increasingly capable of learning is reducing the mix of buttons with multiple assignments, rotary push-button controls plus touching and swiping on the screen. Even scraps of speech that are thrown down, such as “I am cold”, “My back hurts” or “I have bad steam” reliably trigger the hoped-for reaction. Alexa is now also part of the series as standard, and the higher-resolution navigation system is fed with real-time information. The wider adjustable chassis is also good, but you will still look in vain for a smoother Comfort-Plus set-up.
Back to the drive comparison: The i4 M50i mentioned at the beginning is even more powerful, more powerful and more experience-intensive than the M440i. Except perhaps the six-cylinder sound, which mimes the throaty, powerful baritone under full load. No question about it: the double-charged in-line engine with Bavarian characteristics, like the legendary Porsche Boxer or the Ferrari V12, deserves to be included in an unlimited species protection program using synthetic and CO2-neutral fuels. The sovereignty with which this silky-smooth and creamy unit sets its maximum torque of 500 Newton meters (Nm) over the wide speed range between 1900 and 5000 tours should be deliberately enjoyed before the petrol pumps wander from the petrol station to the museum.
If there is one core virtue that BMW has transferred from the combustion engine to the electric world with almost no offset, then that is the much-cited sheer driving pleasure. Despite its weight handicap, the i4 M50i immediately manages to fill the handlebars with adrenaline in almost all situations, and the classic Gran Coupé also follows the tried and tested motto “the journey is the goal”. Fascination at a high level is ensured here and there by the tactile and precise steering as the top interaction tool, the powerful brake as an absolutely reliable control instance between high spirits and the limit area, the subtle chassis as a faithful simultaneous translator of the force-times-distance theorem and the enormous propulsion as free Radically in the field of tension between physics and responsibility. This is how technology openness works.