Caraganza First Drive Review 2022 BMW M440i: No diet needed

I’m terrible at dieting. There is a myriad of reasons for this; mainly because I like to eat. My wife, well-meaning as she might be, is constantly on me to lose weight, go on diet. This even though I tell her if I die sooner, she will get my life insurance money quicker. That argument falls on deaf ears, God bless her.

So, she puts me on these diets, and of course I always cheat a bit here and there, though I never admit that to her of course.

Truth is everyone cheats a bit in some form or fashion; we cheat on our taxes (not me though IRS, please take note), cheat on tests in school (sometimes), and on diets or course.

What the heck does this have to do with cars? Well, I’m getting to that.

BMW sent me another beauty for a recent week. This was the 2022 M4401 xDrive. Any BMW is a good thing to me, and with some sort of “M” designation it’s usually even better. In July I had a week with 2022 M4 Competition, and oh what a week it was. The 500 plus horsepower combined with extra torque, a specially tuned suspension, and the ability to dial it in to suit your style gave me a glorious week that I hated to see end.

I was pretty fired up then to get another M model, the 440i.

Only, there was one little, tiny, itty bitty, issue.

The M440i Coupe is the two-door version of BMW’s M340i sedan. The BMW 4 Series lineup is available as either a two-door coupe, a convertible and as a 430i, 430i xDrive, M440i and M440i xDrive. The 430i versions have a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 255 horsepower, 295 lb-ft of torque and the M440i has a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder with 382 horses, and 369 lb-ft torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard for all 4 Series versions.

My tester was the top-of-the-line M440i xDrive which, surprise, had a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that can provide additional thrust during hard acceleration, and at other times can power the electronics to reduce load on the engine.

Interesting.

Yes, there was all the goodies on the M440i you’d expect: the M Sport and Performance package, a     Dynamic Handling package (though minus the adaptive dampers), adaptive LED headlights and adaptive suspension, 19-inch wheels, high-performance brake and drivetrain cooling systems, M Carbon Exterior package, carbon-fiber mirror caps and rear spoiler, and an upgraded air inlet and rear diffuser panel trim.

This was all in addition to an 8.8-inch display screen, a 10-speaker audio system, navigation system, leather upholstery and a head-up display, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats and steering wheel, and of course all the safety stuff like forward collision and lane keeping mitigation, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors.

The interior, like the M4, was a very nice place to be. However, this isn’t actually an “M” model BMW. There’s 200 less horses under the hood and a few less of the sportier addons the M4 had.

Turns out, that’s okay.

On the road the M440i is just as fun to drive as the M4, not as powerful maybe, but still a nice little rocket ship that, thanks in part to the all-wheel drive that keeps it stuck to the road, puts the joy back in driving.

And it’s $14,000 less than the full on M4, so there’s that.

With the “M” designation, I felt like BMW may be sort of cheating a bit. But at the end of the day that’s fine by me.

I need to go now and make sure my wife hasn’t found my stash of Twinkies.

The 2022 M440i xDrive
MSRP: $56,700
MSRP (as tested): $67,320
Engine: 3.0-liter mild hybrid, inline 6-cylinder, 382 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm, 368 lb-ft torque @ 1,800 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed shiftable automatic
Fuel Mileage (EPA): 25 city, 34 highway, 28 combined
Fuel Mileage (as tested, mixed conditions): 29 mpg
Base curb weight: 4,292 lbs.
Exterior Dimensions
Length: 188.0 in.
Overall width with mirrors: 81.9 in.
Overall width without mirrors: 72.9 in.
Height: 54.9 in.
Wheelbase: 112.2 in.
Cargo capacity, all seats in place 10.6 cu.ft.

Interior Dimensions
Front head room: 40.6 in.
Front leg room: 41.8 in.
Front shoulder room: 55.1 in.
Rear head room: 36.1 in.
Rear leg room: 32.5 in.
Rear shoulder room: 43.9 in.

Warranty
Basic: 4 yr./ 50,000 mi.
Drivetrain: 4 yr./ 50,000 mi.
Rust: 12 yr./ unlimited mi.
Roadside: 4 yr./ unlimited mi.

Greg Engle

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