M Sufficient for Most Drivers

If you wish to spend round $100,000 on a quick two-door BMW, you’re confronted with a dilemma: do you get the full-fat M4 in base trim, or do you as an alternative go for the extra tame 2025 BMW M440i and go loopy with the choices listing? Yes, the M440i is about $30,000 cheaper, permitting you so as to add that a lot in choices to achieve the $100,000 mark.

However it’s also possible to pocket the distinction and nonetheless get a wonderful dealing with BMW two-door that embodies the model’s finest qualities. The M440i isn’t as thrilling or extroverted because the M4, however after driving it for a number of days, I’ve concluded it’s an excellent every day driver and, on this position, a more sensible choice than the M4. Let me clarify.

A Lot Extra Costly in Europe

The 2025 BMW M440i begins at €73,300 right here in Romania, whereas an M4 coupe begins at €91,100 or €97,300 if you’d like the extra highly effective Competitors mannequin with an automated gearbox. Including xDrive, to present it the same configuration to the M440i (which you’ll be able to solely get as an automated with all-wheel drive in Europe), pushes the M4 coupe’s value to over €102,000.

My M440i tester was lent to me by BMW Romania. Being a part of the press fleet, it was well-equipped and had a price ticket of €91,600. The choices don’t outline the expertise, although; you may benefit from the base M440i simply as a lot. It’s not like the bottom automobile doesn’t include bells and whistles; it will get the M pack as commonplace, the big curved screens, heated sport seats, an M steering wheel, an electronically managed limited-slip differential and uprated brakes.

What introduced my tester’s value up have been the adaptive dampers, the M Sport Professional pack (which turns the calipers purple or blue and likewise provides the seatbelts the tricolor M stripes), a panoramic glass roof that opens, the Harman Kardon sound system (which is a must have choice in any new BMW), the Innovation pack and the Consolation pack. All of the choices add as much as round €17,000, VAT included.

Completely at House Round a Twisty Street

The very first thing I did was take it to a close-by twisty forest highway. I needed to see simply how energetic, playful and controllable the automobile was on the restrict, and it didn’t disappoint. Even with xDrive, the automobile doesn’t really feel prefer it’s sending energy to the entrance axle. It eagerly swings its tail out, permitting for some oversteer enjoyable.

Positive, you miss the management {that a} true M automobile provides you with its M Dynamic Mode (MDM), which lets you dial in precisely how a lot you need the again to step out. However disabling traction management and never your entire stability management system provides you an intermediate setting within the BMW M440i, which permits you some sideways slip within the again but additionally retains issues in test, and you may simply get better from any slide.

You may undoubtedly really feel the electronically managed limited-slip differential, making rear-end slides each enjoyable and predictable. When you get comfy with the automobile, which didn’t take lengthy in my case, it conjures up a number of confidence to not solely push into corners but additionally swing the tail out by making use of extra energy than wanted on nook exit.

Like all present BMW mannequin, the steering is sharp and direct however lacks really feel. It has a variable ratio within the M440i, so whereas it permits you to place the automobile with absolute precision, it feels a bit synthetic. It’s additionally a bit too gentle for my style, even in Sport mode when it corporations up.

Nevertheless it by no means feels pretty much as good because the steering in older BMWs, which required extra arm twirling to use extra lock, however it was in some way extra rewarding. BMW appears to be tailoring the steering in its newer automobiles for on a regular basis driving reasonably than pleasing lovers on a mountain highway blast. This additionally applies to the M4 convertible that I drove not too long ago.

The Inside Is A Mixture of Previous and New

We’ve coated what’s new within the G22 LCI on many events, so I’m not going to do it right here. Nonetheless, eliminating all bodily local weather controls and relocating them to the touchscreen makes the person expertise worse. Pretty much as good as iDrive 8.5 could also be (and it’s undoubtedly a giant enchancment over model 8), it’s by no means going to be superior to having buttons to press and dials to show to regulate the temperature to your liking.

I’m blissful that this automobile nonetheless has the older fashion buttons across the transmission selector. Having a “My Modes” button, which you press after which it’s a must to faucet on the touchscreen to pick your required driving mode, like it’s a must to do in most new BMWs, just isn’t nice. The G22 LCI nonetheless has devoted bodily buttons for its driving modes, and it’s undeniably a greater resolution.

BMW appears to be on a mission to get rid of the in depth ambient lighting that we’ve change into accustomed to within the final decade. That is evident within the M440i that I drove, which doesn’t have LED strips on the dashboard, and also you solely get some diffuse illumination within the new central air vents. It appears a bit much less fancy than earlier than, and it’s an indication of issues to return at BMW.

After driving the M4, most not too long ago with out the carbon bucket seats that go even decrease than the usual seats, the seating place within the M440i felt noticeably increased. It’s nonetheless low by business requirements, however it’s not fairly as little as in an M4, and in the event you’ve pushed one earlier than, you’ll discover the distinction.

The revised M steering wheel, which now has a flat backside and a purple heart marking, is incredible, although. It nonetheless feels thick and chunky whenever you maintain it, however you may grip it higher than the earlier helm, and it improves the driving expertise.

The B58 Is as Nice as Ever

BMW has tweaked the B58 turbocharged straight-six engine below the M440i’s hood in comparison with the pre-LCI mannequin. It’s nonetheless a gentle hybrid, and its specs on paper are unchanged, however to me it felt extra muscular and keen to tug than earlier than, with extra perceived oomph than the claimed 374 hp and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) output would have you ever count on.

The facelift has definitely improved the design, notably on the entrance, the place my tester’s blacked-out grille is now extra refined. A part of that impact comes by way of using horizontal reasonably than vertical bars, a design component that it borrowed from precise M fashions. My tester additionally had the elective laser hind lights, which look actually good from some angles, however from a distance all you see is the bigger half that lights up and never the fragile laser-lit strands that needs to be the focus.

The redesigned grille indicators a change in how BMW positions its sub-M efficiency fashions. They used to fall into the M Efficiency class, however BMW has performed away with that, and it now designates automobiles just like the M440i as M fashions. BMW now refers to automobiles just like the M4 as “M high-performance” fashions. Because of this you see an M emblem on the grille within the M440i, which wasn’t there on the pre-refresh mannequin.

The M440i LCI is certainly an achieved efficiency six-cylinder coupe, which has an ideal long-legged character that provides you the impression it might cross a continent with ease. It’s nice to drive, its inside oozes high quality and luxurious and to implement its continent-crossing character, it’s good on gas too. Cruise at 56 mph (90 km/h), and it’ll use below 33 mpg (7 l/100 km), which is incredible for a automobile that’s this highly effective and has everlasting all-wheel drive.

Is The M4 The Higher Purchase?

I’d nonetheless choose the M4 for its extra hardcore character. The M4 additionally comes with a guide gearbox, which can make it a bit slower, however it elevates the extent of engagement to heights that the M440i merely can’t match. The eight-speed automated transmission is simply as nice as ever in each autos, although, and it matches the M440i’s muscular cruiser character higher.

Whereas I haven’t pushed the 2025 BMW M440i with out xDrive (because it’s solely obtainable with all-wheel drive in Europe), I’d say it’s the setup to have on this automobile. When driving spiritedly with the nannies turned down or disabled, the M440i nonetheless seems like an oversteery BMW. Nonetheless, it additionally accelerates with exceptional gusto even in decrease grip circumstances. The addition of xDrive enhances the automobile’s usability year-round, notably in the event you plan to take it to the Alps in winter for snowboarding.