Test Drive: 2022 BMW M440i Gran Coupe

2022 BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe

Class: Premium Compact Car

Miles pushed: 248

Fuel used: 10.5 gallons

Real-world gasoline economic system: 23.6 mpg

Driving combine: 55% metropolis, 45% freeway

EPA-estimated gasoline economic system: 22/29/25 (mpg metropolis/freeway/mixed)

Fuel sort: Premium fuel really useful

Base value: $58,200 (not together with $995 vacation spot cost)

Options on check automobile: San Remo Green Metallic paint ($550), Cooling and High Performance Tire Package ($2400), Driving Asssistance Professional Package ($1700), Parking Assistance Package ($700), Premium Package ($1750), SensaTec dashboard ($350), Harman Kardon surround-sound audio ($875)

Price as examined: $67,520

More 4-Series Gran Coupe value and availability info

Quick Hits

The nice: Gutsy acceleration and respectable gasoline economic system from turbocharged 6-cylinder engine; cargo versatility of hatchback sedan physique fashion

The good: Cool, stylish inside ambiance; properly balanced journey and dealing with

The not so good: Polarizing front-end styling; stingy rear-seat headroom and legroom; compromised rearward visibility; some options you’d count on to be commonplace on a luxury-brand automobile are extra-cost choices

Damon Bell

After skipping the 2021 mannequin 12 months, the BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe (the coupe that’s not truly a coupe) is again in redesigned kind for 2022, following within the footsteps of its BMW 4-Series sibling (the coupe that really IS a coupe), which was redesigned for 2021.

Got all that? No? OK—in a nutshell, BMW makes use of the “Gran Coupe” nomenclature to indicate a rakishly styled 4-door model of its “true” 2-door coupe fashions. In the case of BMW’s compact-car lineup, which means the 4-Series Gran Coupe is basically a sleeker, more-stylish model of the BMW 3-Series 4-door sedan, whereas the 4-Series (no suffix) is the “true” 2-door coupe model. All three of those mannequin lineups share the identical primary underpinnings and the identical turbocharged 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder powertrains. The 3-Series sedan additionally affords a plug-in-hybrid powertrain that the others don’t. The 4-Series and 4-Series Gran Coupe share a brashly styled entrance fascia with controversial plus-sized grille “nostrils;” the 3-Series sticks with a extra standard model of BMW’s trademark break up grille.

After taking a break for the 2021 mannequin 12 months, the BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe is redesigned for 2022. It’s a compact 4-door hatchback sedan that shares its primary chassis and powertrains with the 3-Series sedan and 4-Series coupe.

The 4-Series Gran Coupe seems like a modern, coupe-esque 4-door sedan, however its rakish rear roofline hides the truth that it’s truly a hatchback sedan—and BMW’s execution right here is kind of slick. We would possibly even name it a best-of-both-worlds situation. In addition to its swoopier seems, the 4-Series Gran Coupe is extra cargo-versatile than a 3-Series sedan. There’s 16.6 cubic toes of cargo house behind the Gran Coupe’s rear seats—a shade lower than the 3-Series sedan’s 17 cubic toes—however folding the rear seats down opens up a formidable 45.6 cubic toes of cargo house. That’s within the ballpark of the typical subcompact crossover SUV with its rear seats folded. Also, the hatchback association affords a way more beneficiant cargo opening than a standard trunk’s, and detachable cargo covers conceal the cargo space’s contents from prying eyes peering via the big rear window.

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The 4-Series’ clear, refined dashboard is highlighted by a totally digital gauge cluster and a ten.25-inch infotainment display screen. The console homes the engine begin/cease button, infotainment management interface, drive-mode selector buttons, and digital parking brake swap.

We bought our first style of the brand new 4-Series within the type of a M440i xDrive mannequin carrying dazzling (and extra-cost) San Remo Green paint. The M440i signifies BMW’s 382-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder and the xDrive signifies all-wheel drive (all M440i Gran Coupe fashions come commonplace with AWD). If you’re in search of one thing a bit much less racy and extra inexpensive, you possibly can decide the RWD-only 430i model, which will get BMW’s still-satisfying 255-hp turbo 2.0-liter 4-cylinder. The 430i begins at about $13K lower than the M440i, although it additionally comes with a decrease degree of ordinary tools in addition to the less-powerful engine. We examined a 430i coupe final 12 months; you possibly can try our evaluation right here.

Our check automobile was upgraded by way of a handful of choices and possibility packages. The Premium Package provides a heated steering wheel, heated entrance seats, and a head-up show. The Driving Assistance Professional Package provides adaptive cruise management, lane-keep help, and entrance cross-traffic alert. The Parking Assistance Package provides a useful 360-degree surround-view digicam show and an automatic parking system (the automobile steers itself into an open parking spot with little or no driver enter).

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There’s respectable house for the front-seat passengers on comfy, supportive seats, however the rear seat is cramped for adults when it comes to each headroom and legroom. Note the handbook seat-adjustment levers on the driving force’s seat, an anomaly on our check automobile attributable to COVID-related supply-chain points–energy entrance seats are usually commonplace.

The Cooling and High Performance Tire Package provides 19-inch wheels on summer season efficiency tires and an adaptive suspension system. The journey high quality is all the time on the agency aspect, although we discovered it nice sufficient for comfy each day commuting in Comfort mode. Choosing the Sport modes stiffens up the suspension for even sharper dealing with, with the penalty of harsher impacts over bumps.

Our check automobile’s engine notice sounded moderately coarse and growly on a chilly begin and at idle—extra so than we bear in mind different BMWs we’ve examined with the turbo 3.0 engine sounding. However, that sound rises to a muted, refined growl throughout quick acceleration, and it’s pure music to our ears. The engine provides clean, supple energy just about everytime you need it, and the 8-speed computerized transmission is a silky delight that all the time feels in sync with the engine—we by no means caught it flat-footed.

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Here’s the Gran Coupe’s parlor trick: a cleverly built-in “hidden” hatchback that gives an extra-large cargo aperture and a surprisingly spacious load flooring when the rear seat backs are folded down.

We’ve constantly been impressed with the real-world gasoline economic system our latest BMW check autos have delivered relative to the horsepower they’ve on faucet. Considering it boasts a wholesome 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, the M440i’s EPA fuel-economy numbers are fairly respectable: 22 mpg metropolis/29 freeway/25 mixed. Our noticed economic system numbers had been consistent with these estimates—we averaged 23.6 mpg in a check that included a slight majority of metropolis driving and a few gas-eating acceleration assessments.

Though the Gran Coupe’s modern seems don’t hinder its cargo quantity, you’ll pay a value when it comes to passenger house. The comparatively tight door apertures make entry/exit a bit more difficult for large and tall people, and the low-set seats are a drop-in/climb-out affair—which may be tedious for the long-limbed and people who aren’t as nimble as they was. Once we had been seated, we discovered enough headroom for our 6’6” body with the driving force’s seat adjusted all the best way down and again. However, like most premium compact sedans—fastback-roofed or in any other case—the 4-Series Gran Coupe’s back-seat house isn’t superb, particularly behind a tall front-seat occupant. The sloped rear roofline signifies that that headroom may be very tight, and legroom rapidly grows scarce because the entrance seats are adjusted rearward.

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BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine provides clean, assured acceleration in most any driving state of affairs. Nineteen-inch M double-spoke alloy wheels are commonplace; M sport brakes with crimson calipers are a no-cost possibility.

Another entry/exit quibble: We discovered the flush-mounted exterior door handles awkward to seize and function, and the inside front-door handles aren’t ergonomically best both. We additionally discovered the touch-sensitive door-handle lock buttons to be finicky—they continuously didn’t work on our first attempt.

Regarding the 4-Series’s, uh, hyper-assertive front-end design: Styling is a subjective factor, and we’ll notice that BMW is following a broader business development that apparently adheres to a philosophy of “polarizing is better than anonymous.” Looks apart, the M440i Gran Coupe is a formidable athletic luxurious sedan that is a little more sensible than its low-slung roofline suggests.

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Dynamically, the BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe is basically equivalent to a equally outfitted BMW 3-Series sedan. You’ll pay a big premium for the Gran Coupe’s racier seems, however achieve higher cargo versatility within the discount.

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2022 BMW M440i Gran Coupe Gallery

(Click under for enlarged photos)

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