Test Drive: 2022 BMW M440i Gran Coupe

2022 BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe

Class: Premium Compact Car

Miles driven: 248

Fuel used: 10.5 gallons

Real-world fuel economy: 23.6 mpg

Driving mix: 55% city, 45% highway

EPA-estimated fuel economy: 22/29/25 (mpg city/highway/combined)

Fuel type: Premium gas recommended

Base price: $58,200 (not including $995 destination charge)

Options on test vehicle: 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 tested: $67,520

More 4-Series Gran Coupe price and availability information

Quick Hits

The great: Gutsy acceleration and respectable fuel economy from turbocharged 6-cylinder engine; cargo versatility of hatchback sedan body style

The good: Cool, classy interior ambiance; nicely balanced ride and handling

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

Damon Bell

After skipping the 2021 model year, the BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe (the coupe that’s not actually a coupe) is back in redesigned form for 2022, following in the footsteps of its BMW 4-Series sibling (the coupe that actually IS a coupe), which was redesigned for 2021.

Got all that? No? OK—in a nutshell, BMW uses the “Gran Coupe” nomenclature to denote a rakishly styled 4-door version of its “true” 2-door coupe models. In the case of BMW’s compact-car lineup, that means the 4-Series Gran Coupe is essentially a sleeker, more-stylish version of the BMW 3-Series 4-door sedan, while the 4-Series (no suffix) is the “true” 2-door coupe version. All three of these model lineups share the same basic underpinnings and the same turbocharged 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder powertrains. The 3-Series sedan also offers a plug-in-hybrid powertrain that the others don’t. The 4-Series and 4-Series Gran Coupe share a brashly styled front fascia with controversial plus-sized grille “nostrils;” the 3-Series sticks with a more conventional version of BMW’s trademark split grille.

The 4-Series Gran Coupe looks like a sleek, coupe-esque 4-door sedan, but its rakish rear roofline hides the fact that it’s actually a hatchback sedan—and BMW’s execution here is quite slick. We might even call it a best-of-both-worlds scenario. In addition to its swoopier looks, the 4-Series Gran Coupe is more cargo-versatile than a 3-Series sedan. There’s 16.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the Gran Coupe’s rear seats—a shade less than the 3-Series sedan’s 17 cubic feet—but folding the rear seats down opens up an impressive 45.6 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s in the ballpark of the average subcompact crossover SUV with its rear seats folded. Also, the hatchback arrangement offers a much more generous cargo opening than a traditional trunk’s, and removable cargo covers hide the cargo area’s contents from prying eyes peering through the large rear window.

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We got our first taste of the new 4-Series in the form of a M440i xDrive model wearing dazzling (and extra-cost) San Remo Green paint. The M440i indicates BMW’s 382-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder and the xDrive indicates all-wheel drive (all M440i Gran Coupe models come standard with AWD). If you’re looking for something a bit less racy and more affordable, you can pick the RWD-only 430i version, which gets BMW’s still-satisfying 255-hp turbo 2.0-liter 4-cylinder. The 430i starts at about $13K less than the M440i, though it also comes with a lower level of standard equipment as well as the less-powerful engine. We tested a 430i coupe last year; you can check out our review here.

Our test vehicle was upgraded via a handful of options and option packages. The Premium Package adds a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, and a head-up display. The Driving Assistance Professional Package adds adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and front cross-traffic alert. The Parking Assistance Package adds a helpful 360-degree surround-view camera display and an automated parking system (the vehicle steers itself into an open parking spot with little or no driver input).

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The Cooling and High Performance Tire Package adds 19-inch wheels on summer performance tires and an adaptive suspension system. The ride quality is always on the firm side, though we found it pleasant enough for comfortable daily commuting in Comfort mode. Choosing the Sport modes stiffens up the suspension for even sharper handling, with the penalty of harsher impacts over bumps.

Our test vehicle’s engine note sounded rather coarse and growly on a cold start and at idle—more so than we remember other BMWs we’ve tested with the turbo 3.0 engine sounding. However, that sound rises to a muted, sophisticated growl during fast acceleration, and it’s pure music to our ears. The engine supplies smooth, supple power pretty much whenever you want it, and the 8-speed automatic transmission is a silky delight that always feels in sync with the engine—we never caught it flat-footed.

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We’ve consistently been impressed with the real-world fuel economy our recent BMW test vehicles have delivered relative to the horsepower they have on tap. Considering it boasts a healthy 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, the M440i’s EPA fuel-economy numbers are quite respectable: 22 mpg city/29 highway/25 combined. Our observed economy numbers were in line with those estimates—we averaged 23.6 mpg in a test that included a slight majority of city driving and some gas-eating acceleration tests.

Though the Gran Coupe’s sleek looks don’t hinder its cargo volume, you will pay a price in terms of passenger space. The relatively tight door apertures make entry/exit a bit more challenging for big and tall folks, and the low-set seats are a drop-in/climb-out affair—which can be tedious for the long-limbed and those who aren’t as nimble as they used to be. Once we were seated, we found adequate headroom for our 6’6” frame with the driver’s seat adjusted all the way down and back. However, like most premium compact sedans—fastback-roofed or otherwise—the 4-Series Gran Coupe’s back-seat space isn’t very good, especially behind a tall front-seat occupant. The sloped rear roofline means that that headroom is very tight, and legroom quickly grows scarce as the front seats are adjusted rearward.

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Another entry/exit quibble: We found the flush-mounted exterior door handles awkward to grab and operate, and the interior front-door handles aren’t ergonomically ideal either. We also found the touch-sensitive door-handle lock buttons to be finicky—they frequently didn’t work on our first try.

Regarding the 4-Series’s, uh, hyper-assertive front-end design: Styling is a subjective thing, and we’ll note that BMW is following a broader industry trend that apparently adheres to a philosophy of “polarizing is better than anonymous.” Looks aside, the M440i Gran Coupe is an impressively athletic luxury sedan that is a bit more practical than its low-slung roofline suggests.

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2022 BMW M440i Gran Coupe Gallery

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