From its 285kW/500Nm TwinPower turbocharged straight six, to its 11 cool exterior colours and luxury interior, the 2022 BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe might just deliver the perfect balance between family friendliness, performance and your abilities as a driver.
You see, the M4 and its Competition sibling are a pair of supremely wild two door coupes that will surpass the ability of most drivers to utilise their full capabilities, but this car is not those. It’s more composed, less on the edge, as it were, and it even has four doors.
That last part is a little confusing we know, because the 4 Series is the two-door version of the 3 Series, which is a four-door sedan. BMW scattered the jigsaw pieces all over the table a few years ago though, and created versions of most of their coupes, with rear doors.
It was then, that the Gran Coupe was born, and it can be found in a couple of model ranges. There’s a 2 Series version for example, and alongside the 4 Series four-door offering there’s also the epic beast that is the 8 Series Gran Coupe.
On the road, with its 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.7 seconds and a claimed average fuel economy of 8.2-litres/100kmm (we saw 10.9 in real world testing) the M440i is certainly impressive to drive, in any of its multiple driving modes.
It’s responsive when you put your foot down, decidedly so, and boy does it sound good. For the record, there’s a little aural enhancement going on, but in Sport or Sport Plus, it’s angry, and a tonne of fun in the wet.
Paired to an 8-speed auto, and with a mild-hybrid system supporting torque delivery, it shifts quickly and seamlessly. Paddles on the steering wheel let you cut loose and go manual, should the desire arise – and let’s face it, it will.
Comfort mode is beautifully smooth, with what can best be described as balanced and predictable ride and handling. It won’t make you crap your dacks, but it’s certainly a joy to drive. Flip to Sport or better yet, Sport Plus, and you might poop in your pants a little.
It’s here where things get sharp, and the 2022 BMW M440i Gran Coupe goes gladiator, ready to dig deep for power should you feel the need to unleash hell. It’s skittish in this mode for sure, with significantly stiffer suspension and a far harsher ride.
Such is the nature of this beast though, giving you the best of both worlds, in the form of everyday comfort, and pure performance, should you need it. Its all-wheel drive xDrive setup is rear-biased too, giving the car a real rear-wheel drive feel.
Thanks to that setup though, it’s almost impossible to break traction, which in our opinion, is a good thing. If you remember that this isn’t an M4, and is literally a step below on the ladder, you’ll have loads of fun, without putting yourself in a dangerous situation.
There’s plenty of M goodness on offer too, with an M Sport diff, variable sport steering and an impressive braking package. The niceties continue with an aero package, alloys, LED front and rear lighting, and an auto tailgate.
Sports seats, a leather steering wheel and automatic air conditioning all add to the feeling of sportiness and luxury combined, while a long list of driver assistance features, including the excellent lane management system, sports cruise control with braking.
Exterior styling features are M-specific and coloured in Cerium Grey, helping separate this sporty model from its lesser siblings, and anything not in that colour, is generally in gloss black. It makes for an almost sinister look.
Inside, you’ll find heated seats (an optional add-on), an abundance of technology, and lots of USB ports (mostly USB-C). It’s worth noting that the power charge port in the centre console storage will boost a laptop.
Rear leg and headroom are genuinely good and the seats are comfortable, at least for two adults, or three younger folk. Some will find the sloping coupe roof line a little claustrophobic, and we did, despite this car being longer than the standard 4 Series coupe.
There’s a 470-litre boot, out of the box, which expands to more than 1200-litres when you lay the rear seats down. Technology wise, BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional delivers wireless phone charging and similarly cordless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
A 10.25-inch infotainment system (for which there are multiple interaction options) and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster also feature. We did find that the steps required to alter some settings are a little like venturing down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland.
That said, if we were to own this car, we reckon you’d get used to skipping around the screens, eventually. You’ll also find the German car maker’s vastly improved personal assistant on hand.
It’s a voice command system that lets you communicate with the car at the push of a button. Once a little gimmicky, these now works quite naturally. Safety features include steering and lane control (as mentioned earlier), and lane keep assist.
The latter can be a little controlling, as it were, due to its side impact detection/protection setup. You’ll also find emergency stop assist. Any wonder the 4 Series has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. Parking assist is also a great feature.
Now about those colours we mentioned, the 2022 BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe is available in four BMW Individual paint schemes, all of which are metallic, including Aventurine Red III (as tested), and Frozen Pure Grey.
You can also choose from Tanzanite Blue and Dravit Grey, as well as standard colours like Alpine White (the only non-metallic option), Black Sapphire, Mineral White, Sunset Orange, Portimao Blue, Sanremo Green, and M Brooklyn Grey.
When you build your own on the BMW website, you’ll see there’s one 20-inch and two 19-inch wheel options (our tester had one of the latter choices), and an absolute plethora of interior upholstery options.
Among these are a cloth trim and six leather choices, including Vernasca leather in black, with contrasting blue stitching. There are also eight trims, including aluminium tetragon, piano black and carbon fibre.
In its standard form, the M440i Gran Coupe will cost you around $115,900 plus on-roads, but click all the options and that will blow out, as you might expect.
Our test vehicle was provided by BMW Australia. To find out more about the 2022 BMW M440i Gran Coupe, contact your local BMW dealer.
