Gran Sleeper
BMW, like some other manufacturers have recently been blurring the lines between SUVs, Coupes and even sedans, to appeal to a wider audience. The 440i Gran Coupe is the product of one of these.
I remember a golden time when almost all Beemer engines had 6-cylinders or more, and they all sounded like they were full of activity, burbling along even at idle. Amongst a sea of current-day tamed 4-cylinder BMWs, this one does remind me of the older cars. No, it is not one of their M models, but the turbocharged 3.0 straight six bellows out 326bhp with monster torque of 450Nm from as low as 1,380rpm. Mated to a very effective 8-speed ZF gearbox, in normal driving situations, the Gran Coupe revs little with the 8-speeder switching cogs upward quickly. Together with their Start-Stop function, this provides optimum fuel economy. Combined fuel figures of 14.7km/l are impressive for something that is also able to produce whoop-ass performance.
There is plenty of torque on tap from the straight-6. Foot-on floor in “Sport” mode, sends you back into the bucket seats, and yeah, those side bolsters are adjustable and are able to keep you where you are supposed to be, while you busy yourself feeding steering and power inputs. The gears hold on to the revs longer, and the engine shows no sign of strain being pushed past 6,000rpm. Using the paddle shifters to change cogs manually gives you more confidence around corners. Lifting of the throttle and dropping a gear or two induces a few muted exhaust pops and thumps. Turn-in is accurate, and while powering your way out from a corner, the chassis communicates rear-wheel activity extremely well.
There is just a little bit of sideslip under very heavy straight-line acceleration, and you will only need minor inputs to the steering to correct it.
In “Sport” mode, the firmer steering and suspension aid in precision of the drive, and at speed, the head up display makes focusing on the road much easier. I personally liked how the car responded overall in “Sport” mode. There is sufficient suspension dampening overall for you to use this as a daily driver, even in “Sport” mode. Notice I keep harping on “Sport” mode? This thing is addictive!
Most of us would be used to the sequence of P, R, N, D etc. format when engaging gears. The “Park” selector comes in the form of a button, which takes some time getting used to. New drivers may not be used to this and have themselves engaging the car in “Reverse” instead.
There are just a few cars in this segment which can offer coupe styling with four doors, and this much fun. At the front end of it, we have the Volkswagen CC, and then all the other German luxo-brands. The Gran Coupe is one of them. But what defines this car, is how understated it is, that it is able to pass by without most noticing it, only offering a slight hint with the burble from that engine. Why would someone justify spending almost $300K on a 440i Gran Coupe, when an equivalent BMW 340i costs about $20k less? There is the practicality of a more easily accessible boot to begin with. The way that the Gran Coupe gets you involved in the drive is definitely way more intense than how a 3-Series is able deliver it. The grown-up sleeper looks of the car makes it such a fine performer.
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