By Dan Neil
WHEN BMW shows you this ink blot, what do you see? Buck teeth?
Butterfly wings? Kevin Bacon? When I step back from the new M440i
xDrive Coupe's visually insistent grille to take in the whole car,
I see one of those green piggies from "Angry Birds" -- the rounded
nostrils, the lidded eyes (laser headlamps), the broom mustache
(lower grille). Is that just me?
I know a few Vulcans out there think matters of exterior styling
are a waste of words, especially when there are slightly revised
torque curves to talk about. They are so wrong. Fresher, younger,
bolder styling is pivotal to BMW's global product initiative; the
großer grilles of the M440i and other new cars -- signaling
endowment, privilege, mammon -- put a face on Munich's edgier mood.
Call it Swaggerfreude.
The thing about controversial BMW styling is it doesn't stay
controversial for long. The shock of the new quickly gives way to
something like inevitability. When the first iteration of the mega-
grille appeared -- the X7 SUV, in concept and production form -- it
just seemed bonkers. Now, after a brief period of renormalization,
it looks about right. BMW product design has frequently ventured
just slightly ahead of public taste. Besides, if any aspect of the
M440i should be controversial, it's the rear aspect, not the
front.
First, a bit of housekeeping: BMW names its sedan models
starting with odd numbers (e.g., the 330i four-door) and coupes
with even. Our specimen was a second-generation 4 Series coupe,
sharing architecture with the 3 Series, with a big sloppy kiss from
the M performance division. That includes sportier algorithms for
the eight-speed transmission/AWD; the M Sport rear differential;
the adaptive multi-mode M suspension; the M Variable Sport
steering; the M Sport brakes. Thus the M prefix. Since all-wheel
drive comes standard on M440i, I will dispense with the pleasure of
the "xDrive" suffix.
Behind those nostrils breathes a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline
six (382 hp, 369 lb-ft), with an uber-fancy computerized valvetrain
-- fully variable valve timing and cam phasing -- and high-pressure
fuel injection. Lusty and gusty, with a 7,000 redline and an
effectively flat torque curve from 1,800-5,000 rpm, the turbo six
is an all-star, a rupturing hydrant of twist. Zero-to-60 mph is
clocked at 4.3 seconds, and then it's a brisk Bavarian elevator up
to where they take your fingerprints and picture.
And it's a hybrid, mildly. New for 2021 is a 48-volt
starter/generator system providing regenerative braking; on-demand
boost (a maximum of about 11 hp); and high-torque, low-vibration
start-stop cycling. The latter aim -- quelling the momentary
rocking of the engine as the crankshaft spools up and down -- was
likely at the top of the honey-do list.
The M440i's juicier powertrain also allows it to coast to a stop
under regenerative braking, as you might in traffic, with the
engine pausing below 9 mph. I like that.
None of this saves fuel, exactly -- the average mpg of the M440i
is unchanged from the previous model -- but it does throw a blanket
of refinement over the works, as the power electronics smooth off
the rough edges of friction braking, gear changing and fire making.
Yet I wouldn't say the system zeros out engine shake. That crank is
a huge hunk of metal to set spinning. Even if the starting event
lasts only a fraction of a second, you can still feel the Jell-O
wobble of the engine.
The hybridizing does seem to help defray the tonnage. Our test
car was one Popeyes biscuit away from two tons (3,977 pounds) and
yet it somehow manages to outrun lighter, more powerful cars, both
0-60 mph and 1/4 -mile (a brawny 12.3 seconds, according to Car and
Driver). Between the hybrid e-boost, the triphammer gearshifts, the
AWD and the fat tires, the M440i is unusually efficient in torque
transfer, he said with his hair ablaze.
The 4's unit-body is a super-stiff mosaic of stamped steel,
aluminum extrusions and diecasts, providing a place to hang the
suspension, comprising a double-joint spring and shock setup in
front and five-link suspension in the rear, with front and rear
anti-roll bars. The M Sport option sets all of this to "Leathery":
firmer springs and anti-roll bars, stiffer bushings and mounts.
These upgrades can be hard to discern individually. But one
tweak does stand out: The increased negative camber (the inward
lean of the front wheels) has the effect of sharpening and
quickening the car's steering response. Entering a 35-mph curve at
about twice that, the BMW corners real nicely: quick to turn in,
easy to settle, eager to load up, effortless to unwind. No drama.
Point and shoot.
E-steering systems can approximate the sensations of increased
negative camber -- higher steering effort, for example -- but they
don't provide the corresponding bite and grip at the front end. The
M440i's liveliness is the result of changed suspension geometry, a
real mechanical effect, a bigger rudder. I like that too.
At its maximum, going hard on rough roads in Sport+, the
suspension can feel pretty rigid. But the truth is, there is so
much range in the car's multi-mode suspension, you can dial out
starch as easily as you can dial it in.
In sum, the BMW M440i is a terribly smooth, horribly quick car,
a luxurious punch in the head. See? The grille starts to make
sense, doesn't it?
I guess I've grown accustomed to its face. But the rear quarters
and silhouette are kind of a mess. The new coupe is 5.2 inches
longer over a wheelbase stretched only 1.6 inches. The added
overhang, mostly at the rear, looks lax and untucked; the roofline
now lands gently, generically, Toyota-esquely, at the decklid
spoiler. And where the hell is the Hofmeister kink, the signature
notch in the C-pillar?
How will people ever know it's a BMW?
2021 BMW M440i xDrive
Base Price: $58,500
Price, as Tested: $70,470
Powertrain: 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline 6 cylinder with variable
valve timing; integrated mild-hybrid assist; eight-speed automatic
transmission multi-plate clutch transfer case, rear-biased
all-wheel drive
Power/Torque: 382@5,800-6,500/369 lb-ft at 1,800-5,000 rpm
Length/Width/Height/Wheelbas: 188.0/72.9/54.8/112.2 inches
Curb Weight: 3,977 pounds
0-60 mph: 4.3 seconds
EPA Fuel Economy: 22/31/25 mpg, city/highway/combined
Luggage Space: 12 cubic feet
The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed
in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers
frequently are not the sole retail outlets.
Write to Dan Neil at Dan.Neil@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 07, 2021 10:15 ET (15:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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