BMW M440i xDrive Cabrio | Test Drive

11 April 2022 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Deactivating traction control and having a few bends at your disposal brings the set of tires to the end of their life in a matter of seconds, but that’s not the point. At least not this time.

Words Andrea Albertazzi / Photos Bruno Serra

I can already figure out all those criticizing the subject here. That grill is huge, with winter tires you can’t have fun, don’t like the color, the convertible weighs more. Stop it, come on! First of all, in this article you will not find any mention ìbout the infamous XL size kidney grille that now stands out in front of the new 3 Series and 4 Series. We are a magazine that talks about driving emotions and as far as I’m concerned, the most important time you spend with a car is when you are behind the wheel, not criticizing what ultimately is a subjective aspect, its aesthetics. Regardless of what I might say about it, I think that everyone has their own idea and it would be neither correct nor useful to try to change your opinion by saying if I like it or not. Let’s consider the car with which I am about to leave in search of some road solitude, where I can unleash the performance baggage of a model that is placed immediately before the step called M4.

Let’s start by taking a few steps back, refreshing the memory of those who are now used to categorizing the 3 Series 4-door sedan and the 4 Series 2-door coupe. In 2013 and with the F32 it’s actually time for the first generation of what we now know as the 4 Series, or the former 3 Series Coupe or Cabrio. Aesthetically disarming, it is overturned by the new G22 introduced in 2020 and which opens a new stylistic language to the entire brand, increasingly projected into the future with what will later come as the latest hybrid and especially all-electric models. M3 and M4 are here as well, standard-bearers of driving fun thanks to a chassis with extraterrestrial feedbacks, even more power than before and a traction management that also take care of less experienced drivers, using an active sport differential.

Our test model sits immediately before the actual M4, so much so that it deserves an authentic M badge in its name. M440i or the meeting point between comfort and driving dynamics, without compromising on the more massive look of the M4, but without for this reason renouncing the performance qualities granted by an chassis/engine marriage perfectly worthy of wearing that much coveted M. Actually, I’m not just here to figure out if the M440i is a fun car, but above all I want to see if it’s really capable of finding its place on the list. In this regard, it would be necessary to immediately remove the elephant in the room and quickly review two numbers that we could define as key figures in terms of characterization of the respective models. The M4 Cabrio has a power of 510 horsepower and starts at € 113,000, while the step below the M440i is represented by the 430i with 258 horsepower and prices starting at € 73,200. With an attack price of around 88,000 Euros, the M440i Convertible is economically closer to the 430i than to the M4 Convertible, but once behind the wheel all the numbers and considerations immediately vanish away.

Under the hood we have a humanitarian heritage icon of the Munich propeller: an in-line Twin-Power Turbo 6-cylinder which in this specific case is combined with mild-hybrid technology for a total power of 374 horses. The 3-liter has an impressive delivery and manages to climb linearly throughout the revs curve, making use of a maximum torque of 500 Nm already available at just 1,900 rpm. Then, keep pressing you to the seat up to 5,000 rpm, the moment in which the fingers loosen their grip on the steering looking for the next gear. In Sport Plus, what until a few minutes before was one of the most relaxing cars I have ever experienced, stiffens the response of the suspension, steering and makes the throttle pedal as sensitive as the blade of a scalpel that traces its own path along the mountain road towards Val Casotto. Even the exhaust becomes more present and despite the canvas top, the soundproofing of the passenger compartment is so perfect that you forget having the extra kilograms involved in the complex opening mechanism.

Another aspect that emphasizes the driving experience here is the width of the steering wheel to the point that you would never want to let it go. The tuning of the steering itself is sublime and allows you to tackle even the tightest curves without ever taking your hands off. At the precise moment in which you are biting the apex and decide to step on the gas, the rear widens, accompanied by the roar of the 6 cylinders and the screeching of the winter tires, which bite the damp asphalt just enough to convey the presence of an intelligent all-wheel drive system which by virtue of an excellent road safety never sells off the fun to any type of understeer. With such a precise front-end you would drive like a maniac all day and rest assured that the M440i is really able in doing that, while also achieving a respectable average consumption of about 7.9 / 8 liters per 100 km. The fact is that when the asphalt shows the scars left by the winter and the situation involves lightening your right foot, driving smoothly is just as engaging, an aspect that on the M4 is undoubtedly put aside in favor of a more dynamic attitude.

Exactly, the secret of the M440i is precisely its ability to combine its grand touring nature with the dynamic skills of a convertible with nearly four hundred horsepower. A power output that is delivered with violence, but at the same time without wanting to pass for a tire killer. And then, by deactivating traction control and having a few bends at your disposal, bringing the set of tires to the end of its life is a matter of seconds, but that’s not the point here. At least not this time. Established that the M badge is well deserved, it is never just about its 4.9 seconds for 0-100 kph, or the 80-120 kph in just 2.8 seconds, but rather for that feeling of completeness that rarely happens to find in a single car. The Steptronic 8-speed gearbox takes care of bringing you to your destination by adopting both a purely comfortable ride and a sportier one, where the sound of the engine is never invasive, yet it makes its presence felt when necessary as the chassis reads and filters every kind of road’s imperfection, granting a grip limit that shows more consistent gaps as you become familiar with it.

Inside, as it should be, there is the usual plethora of technology, with driver assistance devices that can be partialized or completely excluded, a sat-navigator among the most precise around and a digital display in front of the eyes of a driver who holds the power to transform the car with a simple snap of fingers. There is no brutality for its own sake, there is no mere search for performance, but a package that really ticks all the fateful boxes useful for defining a car of a certain level and with great expectations. And I must say that I really expected a lot from this M440i Convertible, but if I initially thought I had to face some compromises, accepting some edges caused by a power that is more than enough in most everyday driving situations, I am happily surprised by the fact that the spirit of a car that is really able to wear the M badge suits something a bit more civilized than the very next step in the list.

So you still have the M then, but unlike muscles and that look that leaves no room for doubts, this one wears an evening suit that reveals its abilities only to a keen eye. With the roof folded down, which sacrifices a few liters in terms of baggage capacity, the M440i xDrive Convertible is the perfect grand tourer for enjoying the first breeze of spring. And with the sun on your forehead and the wind in your hair, the intimate relationship of confidence that is established with the road below is even more accentuated, enhancing all those situations in which 374 horses are more than enough and especially all you need to mess up the hairstyle and draw a beautiful smile on your face. So yes, I’m having a lot of fun and as I look for other curves to unleash my personal definition of driving pleasure, I realize that this M440i is by no means a compromise, but rather the best expression in terms of relationship between comfort and on demand performance.