[paul_andthatsall]

Hello guys,

This is my first post but I've been roaming the forums for quite a while

My current lease is coming to an end in a couple of months and I'm thinking about ordering the new G22 430i.

I've already spent way to much time thinking about the color of the car but damn... it's hard to reach a conclusion

I've seen hundreds of pictures and watched tens of videos about the G22 in many different versions. Lately I've been leaning towards Arctic Race but I've only seen it at a local dealership, all shiny and under very bright lights [below is a photo I took, the car looked stunning live]


For any owners of the Arctic Blue G22 - could you please let me know about your experience with car so far? Does it get dirty easily? How does the color look most of the time - does it change significantly depending on the lighting conditions?

Thanks,
P

[VetteGuy]

Hey Paul,

I have an ARB M440iX. I love the color, but it is a matter of, to each their own. It definitely looks different in different lighting. In bright sunlight it is like a deep medium metallic blue with lots of pop and it shows off the lines of the car very well. Under an overcast sky it appears more like a nonmetallic medium gray blue with much less pop. Mine is ceramic coated and doesn’t look too bad when dirty and I’ve been hand washing it every other week with an occasional detail spray in between if needed.

If I was ordering the car today I would order ARB again.

[paul_andthatsall]

Thanks for your feedback VetteGuy!

I've checked out the photos of your G22, it looks great!
How do you like the chrome grille? If you were to order again, would you still take it or order the blacked-out one?

I haven't seen any ARB 4-series with non-chrome grille yet but guessing from the pictures I've seen of it, they probably don't do it any justice. In general, my whole experience with the 4 series is that it's not the most photogenic car in the world but it really grows on you tremendously when you see it in the flesh.

As for me, I think I'm leaning more towards a blacked-out one with 19'' black rims and performance tires - kinda like the one from the picture I posted earlier.

[VetteGuy]

The extended Shadowline package is only $300 amd it gets you the gloss black grille surround, air curtains, mirror caps and exhaust tips. With your gloss black wheels all you would need to swap out would be the cerium M440i emblem on the rear ended. I wish I had gone that route. I’m really not in love with the cerium gray trim. I’ll keep it awaited and then swap it out.

Nothing had to grow on me. I really like the overall design of the car, including the grille which isn’t nearly as big or tall as haters profess, especially since the surround is so much narrower and cleaner than the surround on the 3 cars.

[BVF]

I was all-in on ARB...until I saw it in person. It was sitting outside at the dealership and while it was a nice color, it went really gray in shade and shadows. It was parked next to the Portimao blue, which immediately pulled me off the ARB. I was tempted by the Portimao for a while, but ended up with the more subdued Tanzanite.

[VetteGuy]

TBII is an excellent choice as well.

[cowymo]

I went with Tanzanite blue as well. It just look very classy in the showroom. And when under the sun, the color shift and really pop the contour of the car.

[VetteGuy]

We’ll need pictures!

So far I’ve see four others on the road in the St. Louis area lately, two white and two black. Three local dealers have a total of 8 in stock or enroute and they are all black or white with the exception of one ARB. We need more colors! Hopefully BMW offers a couple new ones in ‘22.

[Smiller155]

I have an Artic Race Blue 430i. I've had my car for 3 months now and I personally love the color. My wife and friends love it too. Its a grey blue and looks like a deep metallic light blue in sunlight like you'll see in many youtube videos but more greyish on overcast days. It doesn't look dirty even when it is compared to darker colors, like Tanzanite Blue (my last car was TB). Before that, I had Carbon Black that always looked dirty within a day of washing it!

I chose ARB because it was different from the other colors BMW offers. For some reason, I just don't like the other blues they use other than Phytonic Blue. Which, of course, is not an option if you want the MSport package or a 4 series.

I never liked Portimao Blue because of the purple hue in a lot of different lighting situations. While mostly in pictures its a beautiful blue, every time I see it in person, I cannot get over this purple color tint it has. I think PB looks particularly bad with black accents--that's obviously just my opinion.

Tanzanite is an absolutely beautiful color and I enjoyed having it on my 2018 440GC, but it looked very dark blue in most light and even sometimes, had a slight purple hue as well.

In addition, I'd highly recommend getting the shadow-lined option for $300. I regret not getting this as it makes the front grill look mean and sleek. I am planning on buying a replacement black grill once the performance parts become available.

Here is my build...

2021 430i Coupe (G22)
Artic Race Blue Metallic (C4F)
19" M Lt/Aly wheels Double-spoke 797 M Bicolour (1R0/1R2)
Oyster Vernasca Leather Stitching(MAOI)
Fine Wood trim w/Ash Grey high gloss (4KC)
M Sport Package (ZMP)
Parking Assistance Package (ZPK)
Premium Package (ZPP)
Driving Assistance Package (ZDY)
Power tailgate (316)
Harman Kardon surround sound system (688)
Drive Recorder (6DR)

[paul_andthatsall]

Thank you for your comments guys!

Yesterday I sent my updated build to get a final quotation on the lease

At this point I've pretty much already decided that I'm going with ARB + Shadowline trim, 19" black M Double-spoke 791 wheels with non run-flat performance tires (225F/255R) and Vernasca Mocha leather.

I'm salivating over the way it's turning out to look, lol (screenshots attached)

By any chance did any of you go for the Sensatec dashboard? Is it worth it?

[paul_andthatsall]

Originally Posted by Smiller155

I have an Artic Race Blue 430i. I've had my car for 3 months now and I personally love the color. My wife and friends love it too. Its a grey blue and looks like a deep metallic light blue in sunlight like you'll see in many youtube videos but more greyish on overcast days. It doesn't look dirty even when it is compared to darker colors, like Tanzanite Blue (my last car was TB). Before that, I had Carbon Black that always looked dirty within a day of washing it!

I chose ARB because it was different from the other colors BMW offers. For some reason, I just don't like the other blues they use other than Phytonic Blue. Which, of course, is not an option if you want the MSport package or a 4 series.

I never liked Portimao Blue because of the purple hue in a lot of different lighting situations. While mostly in pictures its a beautiful blue, every time I see it in person, I cannot get over this purple color tint it has. I think PB looks particularly bad with black accents--that's obviously just my opinion.

Tanzanite is an absolutely beautiful color and I enjoyed having it on my 2018 440GC, but it looked very dark blue in most light and even sometimes, had a slight purple hue as well.

In addition, I'd highly recommend getting the shadow-lined option for $300. I regret not getting this as it makes the front grill look mean and sleek. I am planning on buying a replacement black grill once the performance parts become available.

Here is my build...

2021 430i Coupe (G22)
Artic Race Blue Metallic (C4F)
19" M Lt/Aly wheels Double-spoke 797 M Bicolour (1R0/1R2)
Oyster Vernasca Leather Stitching(MAOI)
Fine Wood trim w/Ash Grey high gloss (4KC)
M Sport Package (ZMP)
Parking Assistance Package (ZPK)
Premium Package (ZPP)
Driving Assistance Package (ZDY)
Power tailgate (316)
Harman Kardon surround sound system (688)
Drive Recorder (6DR)

How do you like the G22 430i vs your old 440GC when it comes to performance and acceleration?

[VetteGuy]

The SensaTec was standard on my M440i. I like it. It definitely does not feel like real leather but it matches the look of the Vernasca leather seating and the faux door panels.