It might not have the panache of the M4, let alone the CSL, but the M440i still offers plenty of performance for the vast majority of people. You still get an inline-six engine in a world where nearly all cars are being bitten by the downsizing bug. The 3.0-liter B58 unit is widely regarded as one of BMW’s best, and well-suited for the 4 Series Coupe.
German magazine Sport Auto decided to take the rear-wheel-drive version of the M440i to the famous Hockenheim track for a hot lap. Riding on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires, the M Performance version of the G22 held its own on the Grand Prix Circuit configuration with its 17 turns. This layout is 2.84 miles (4.57 kilometers) long and is technical enough for a driver to assess a car’s performance.
Uwe Sener is the name of the skilled driver, and we can see him pushing the car quite hard. He needed 2 minutes and 1.5 seconds to complete the lap, which isn’t saying much unless we compare it to other lap times recorded by Sport Auto in the past. A couple of months ago, he drove a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS to a 1:52.7 lap while at the end of last year he crossed the finish line in 1:55.8 behind the wheel of a Jaguar F-Type R.
A more relevant lap time is the M4 Competition’s, an xDrive model that completed a lap of the Hockenheim in 1 minute and 53.9 seconds. Sure, the M440i is much slower, but that’s to be expected given the power (and price) discrepancy between the two cars. Other BMWs driven by the German publication at the same track in the last couple of years were the 128ti (2:07.2), M4 Coupe (1:55.6), M5 CS (1:53.6), M850i (1:57), and even an X5 M (1:58.8).
The pinnacle of the 4 Series Coupe will undoubtedly be the modern-day 3.0 CSL arriving before the end of the year. It should be the fastest of the lot, although that will greatly depend on the driver since BMW will sell the car exclusively with a manual gearbox.
Source: sport auto / YouTube
