Review: BMW 440i Coupe

For private buyers spending their own money, the theory goes, 4 series coupe, cabriolet and four-door coupe, are sufficiently distanced from the fleet-discounted, company-car-dominated 3 series market to persuade them to put their hands in their pockets. A look at last year's sales figures gives you a picture: 3 series saloon sold 24,855, the estate 9,788 and the unloved GT hatchback 2,089, while 4 series coupe sold 9,136, the convertible version 4,258 and the Gran Coupe 10,085.

How close are the 3 and 4 series? They share a similar underbody design of largely steel bodyshell with aluminium wings and a MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension using aluminium links. The coachwork designs are unique apart from the shared bonnet with the 4 series having lowered and stiffened suspension, but strangely cheap single-piston calliper brakes unless you opt for the bigger-engined derivatives. At 4.64 metres long, 4 series is 7mm shorter that the 3 series, 14mm wider, about 65mm lower depending on the model, and runs on the same 2,810mm wheelbase.

With its heavily sloped roof line and blown-out rear wheel arches, the coupe is purposeful rather than beautiful. The folding hard-top cabrio isn't attractive with its Webasto-built roof up, but it does look good when it's down, with a flat, chiselled door line. Neither car is particularly practical, though, once you are past the seat-belt delivery arms and into the coupe's rear seats, there's leg room enough, but not a lot of headroom. The cabrio is worse in every aspect and even its 370-litre boot is smaller than the 445-litre coupe's. If you carry rear-seat passengers, then you'll need the four-door grand coupe, which is surprisingly commodious and almost as good looking as the standard two-door coupe.

This refresh/facelift has had a rolling introduction this spring with the grand coupe already on sale and the coupe and cabrio slated for late May. There's a new front and rear valance, new optional LED headlamps with octagon running light shapes, LED rear lamps, and a new bit of trim around the front. All the cars get revised suspension with a 14mm wider track at the front and 22mm wider at the rear, which has the effect of lowering the centre of gravity by up to 40mm on the coupe. In addition, the springing and damping on the coupe and grand coupe are even stiffer.

There's a new steering wheel and cabin embellishment, including a new metal trim edges and finishers, and a strange new door card material that looks cut out of a burlesque dancer's basque. You'd be hard pressed to recognise the coupe’s cabin from that of any other high-end 3 series and that's the point. The 4 series model range simply starts from higher up the 3 series scale. So the Sport spec includes 18-inch wheels, twin-zone air con, BMW's Connected Drive connectivity pack including real-time traffic info, heated front seats and sports seats. The option pack includes 19-inch wheels, another set of wheels and trim, and (strangely) parking sensors, and radar and camera-based safety systems such as city automatic braking and forward collision control which surely should be standard equipment – as should the optional Apple Car Play system.

All 4 series come with a choice of three petrol engines: a turbocharged four-cylinder delivering 181bhp (420i) and 248bhp (430i), and the top-model six-cylinder 326bhp in the 440i. There are three turbodiesels: the frugal and tax-efficient 187bhp four-cylinder 420d, which is the most popular 4 series model; and two six-cylinder engines, the 258bhp 430d and the 308bhp 435d, which comes with four-wheel drive, an option on most of the other models.

Transmission is a choice a six-speed manual gearbox or a ZF eight-speed full automatic, the latter being standard on most of the six-pot diesel and petrol models.

Prices start at £32,580, although the two-litre turbodiesels start at £35,055. We drove the £43,430 440i coupe, with its 321bhp/332lb ft three-litre, six-cylinder turbo petrol engine, and the eight-speed auto, which is capable of 155mph, 0-62mph in 5 seconds, 41.5mpg and 159g/km. This car isn't a popular model, but it should be as it harks back to the great days of the six-pot, Claus Luthe-designed E30 models, which set the style for BMW's pocket rockets.

The cabin is traditional and comfortable, but there are some jarring notes, including the unpleasantly abrasive steering wheel, and the fiddly access controls for some of the dynamic options. BMW's conservative cabin style doesn't sit well with some of the latest connectivity and in-car entertainment, and it's starting to show its age. The sports seats are comfortable, however, and supportive without being ostentatious.

The three-litre six cylinder whines into life, refined and purposeful. Almost perfectly balanced with a howling top end. Naturally aspirated straight sixes tend to lack low down torque, but this BMW has a twin-scroll turbo twist to fill in the lower reaches of the rev counter. Coupled with the smooth-changing, but positive-feeling ZF automatic, it's a cultivated and powerful combination.

Heavy snow on the launch route in Berchtesgaden, Germany on the Alpine border with Austria meant the cars were forced onto Continental winter tyres which, while very effective at keeping you on the road, also introduced a vibration-filled secondary ride and a softer turn in. Even so, the quality of the 440i's chassis shone through, with a lovely fluid turn into corners and supple body control. You can push at the limits with plenty of feedback to the wheel rim and overall this is a balanced and pleasingly old-fashioned chassis, which is relaxing to drive briskly and fun to drive fast.

And while the low-speed ride fizz was noisy and noticeable, the ride wasn't at all bad, soft enough to iron out the worst bumps. There's clearly a balance of ride and low-profile tyres here, but as usual with BMW, you can spend your way into a quite unpleasant car and the standard car is quite often the best.

Yes, it drives like a 3 series, but that driveline is its making. That long-legged and gorgeous-sounding six pot exploits the quality of the chassis and the ZF 'box makes it a practical as well as a sporting prospect. So eschew an option-laden diesel and buy the standard three-litre six petrol. It's a heroically great car and I've got a feeling that's because it reminds you of what made BMW so great in the first place.