[radarguy]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

My observations after one month and 700 miles.

It’s a near-perfect car for me. It’s even better than the E-39 that I owned. I am just a regular run-of-the-mill driver. I don’t track it, do doughnuts or drift, or engage in stoplight drag races. It has every option except the Cooling and High Performance Tire Package, personal eSIM, and leather. It has 19” non-runflat staggered tires and a limited-slip differential. It is a real pleasure to drive.

The things that stand out are:

1. The vehicle size is perfect for me. About the same size as an E-39 5 series.
2. Steering response and feel is the best I’ve experienced in the many BMWs and an Audi that I’ve owned since the E-39. I attribute this not only to the way the car is designed and set up but also to the 19” go-flat staggered tires. It’s at least as good as the E-39 which was excellent although the E-39's 50/50 weight distribution (6-cyl) gives it a slight edge.
3. The brakes are excellent. Easy to modulate and a good bite. I couldn’t ask for more on a street machine.
4. The throttle response is phenomenal and the transmission is well-matched to it. The B58 TU is perfection.
5. The adaptive M-Sport suspension operates perfectly for my needs. The comfort suspension setting on the highway makes this a great GT machine.
6. The fuel consumption is good considering #4. I’ve achieved 34 mpg on the freeway at 80 mph and it isn’t even broken in.
7. The climate control is remarkably good when on automatic. Set and forget. The exception is the lack of separate front seat fan and air distribution controls and then only when my wife is the passenger. LOL.
8. The stubby transmission control is a good idea because it doesn’t interfere with other functions on the central console. Easy to get accustomed to especially if you have owned other BMWs with a similar electronic shift pattern. Much better than the rotary control used by some other manufacturers.
9. If you have to have an Auto Start/Stop, the mild hybrid is a good solution. It is unobtrusive and works exceptionally well. I would not code ASS out as I have on two other cars that I have owned.
10. The head-up display is the best I’ve experienced out of three other cars that I’ve owned with it. Not that the others were not good, this one is better. I wouldn’t buy a car without one.
11. Very quiet. No rattles or squeaks and wind noise is minimal.
12. Engine warm-up is exceptionally fast due to the adaptive shutters in front of the radiator and the cooling system design. Much appreciated in the 15°F weather we’ve had recently.

The things that I expected to function well and do for the most part:

1. Driving Assistance Professional – The Emergency Stop Assistant should have an aural warning in addition to the flashing symbol. Same thing regarding cross-traffic warning. The adaptive cruise control is the smoothest and best I’ve experienced and I’ve had it on three other cars.
2. Backup assistant is useful and works as expected. It’s not a must-have.
3. The ID8 curved display takes time to get familiar with. It does the job as well as ID7. The lack of physical push buttons is not a big deal since it takes only one motion of the controller to get to the electronic equivalent push buttons. Physical buttons might be better, but that is debatable. Not a deal breaker by any means.
4. The voice control is the best I’ve seen in any car.
5. I thought the “backward” tachometer display would be hard to get acclimated to, but it isn’t. It is much better than ID7 and I like it. Overall, the instrument panel is a good design.
6. The unlock-on approach feature works perfectly. The lock by touching the door handle works perfectly and is more convenient than the three other cars that I have owned with that locking feature.
7. The exhaust sound could be more subdued but it is not too obtrusive.

Some things are not as good as I would like but I knew that going in:

1. Electric steering column position adjustment is not available and I find that it is a bother because the car has another driver.
2. Seat comfort is OK even on long trips (7-8 hours based on experience with our 2023 X3 that has similar Sensatec seats.) I would have preferred to have an M-Sport Seat option. Easy entry, where they slide back, would be ideal.
3. The back seat room and comfort is similar to the E-39 and is OK.

The car is not perfect. A few things could be better. None are deal breakers:

1. Lack of a spare tire option. This bothers me more than anything else on the car and I will probably strap a doughnut spare to the trunk floor using the existing hooks.
2. Cross-traffic warning could be more sensitive and include an aural warning. I would not want the automatic braking to be more sensitive. I find the use of the panoramic view is a reasonable alternative.
3. The map in the head-up display when approaching a turn could be improved although it is acceptable. It is better on ID7.
4. There is no front passenger seat memory.
5. There is no front passenger grab handle.
6. The delete of the anti-dazzle mode on the headlights is unfortunate. I will probably code it back in. I do find that the Laserlight headlights are very good though.
7. I would have liked an acoustic glass option to reduce tire noise although the Goodyear Eagle Sport tires are pretty quiet.
8. I would like to be able to select a daytime control display at night instead of being forced to use a black nighttime display. Perhaps it can be coded?

I have not tried to use the automatic parking control and may not ever. I had it on two other cars and never even tried it on them. I may get brave some day. We’ll see.

[335aw]

i am close to buying an M440i. i really enjoyed this thorough review. I seriously cannot wait!

[Montaver]

Nice! Enjoy. Can’t go wrong with any of the G series cars, they really grow on you. I look forward to driving my M340i every time.

[peelerec]

Well said! The G series really are a great all around platform.

[Cammy440iGC]

Fully agree. I likewise have a 2024 G26 M440i X-Drive:
Portimao Blue
Cognac Sensatec
Driver Pro
Laser Lights
M Adaptive Suspension
Premium Package
Parking Asst Package
M adaptive Suspension
Sensatec Dashboard
19 inch wheels with Go Flats All Seasons

The car is a fabulous GT car and I get several compliments a week. Especially on the Portimao Blue Paint with Cognac interior.

I did not get the black optics package because I wanted blue brake calipers...I have had several people comment on how the Portimao Blue matches the brakes.

My last two cars were a 2016 F30 340i X-Drive (Black) and a 2019 LCI C43 (Red) and the Portimao Blue G26 M440i X-Drive gets so much more attention.

Just last night a lady stopped me at kroger and said..Sir that is the most beautiful blue car I have ever seen...she said it was "Candy Apple Blue".

Maybe BMW should change it from Portimao Blue to "Candy Apple Blue" I think the women nailed it.

[srbs73]

8. I would like to be able to select a daytime control display at night instead of being forced to use a black nighttime display. Perhaps it can be coded?

Can-t you change this in the Displays app under Control Display?

[madpistol]

It is an incredible car. It had its flaws, but as a package, they are super hard to beat.

[Dan B]

Great review.

#7 - The exhaust note, do you still have Iconic Sounds turned on? I turned it off and it makes a difference.

#8 - Stubby shifter. At 1st I was unsure if I would like it, but after 10K miles I really like it.

#15 - Engine warmup. I have the Cooling and High Performance Tire Package. The car takes a long time to warm up compared to my other cars. I have to time it but if feels like 7-8 minutes.

#5. grab handle. My wife agrees.

[radarguy]

Originally Posted by srbs73

Can-t you change this in the Displays app under Control Display?

If you can I couldn't find it. It's there on my ID7 car. Can you select it on your i4? BTW I've driven an i4 M50 in AutoCross a few times and it's a great car. I just couldn't bring myself to buy an electric car just yet.

[radarguy]

Originally Posted by Dan B

Great review.
#7 - The exhaust note, do you still have Iconic Sounds turned on? I turned it off and it makes a difference.

Iconic sounds are turned off in I-Drive. I doubt coding ASD off would make a difference, but I will try. The sound is tolerable but sometimes I get a slight drone when cruising. When I was 18 I enjoyed my V-8 Ford with dual glass pack mufflers, but not anymore.

[Dan B]

Originally Posted by radarguy

Iconic sounds are turned off in I-Drive. I doubt coding ASD off would make a difference, but I will try. The sound is tolerable but sometimes I get a slight drone when cruising. When I was 18 I enjoyed my V-8 Ford with dual glass pack mufflers, but not anymore.

I turned Iconic Sounds off in the standard iDrive 8 menu. Made a big difference. No drone at any speed.

I had a 90 LX with a 347 and Flowmaster 2 chambers. It was LOUD.

[phileaglesbmw]

I agree with you. I have 24 G26 xdrive Portimao Blue, Oyster leather, everything except the cooling package. I love it. I use sport individual setting because I like a tighter steering. Start stop is off also. I tried eco plus on a 2 hour drive I take often and I get better MPG in sport individual mode. I love everything about the car. 2nd BMW but the other one was a 78 316 over in Germany. That was a basic but fun car to drive. I dont know why I didn't buy BMWs in between.

[tkim91321]

My wife recently got a fully loaded m440i GC. Beautiful car and fun to drive!

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by tkim91321

My wife recently got a fully loaded m440i GC. Beautiful car and fun to drive!

You (or her) didn't just get back from the dentist, did you?

[tkim91321]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

You didn't just get back from the dentist, did you?

toddwalton haha interestingly enough, my wife was at the dentist yesterday evening!

Not today though

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by tkim91321

toddwalton haha interestingly enough, my wife was at the dentist yesterday evening!

Not today though

LOL, I just saw your car at my dentist 30 minutes ago.

[chutoy]

Personal customizations will make you love it even more

[Gryph8n]

I have a 2023 M440i xdrive coupe and chose that model since it has physical controls in addition to the dual displays. I’m not a huge fan of the single wrap around display without the physical controls. At least to me it looks too much like a Tesla, if I wanted a Tesla I won’t have bought a BMW.

[Rawhide]

Great car congrats!

Originally Posted by radarguy

The delete of the anti-dazzle mode on the headlights is unfortunate. I will probably code it back in.

Maybe something has changed with the LCI ID8 models, but I've done some digging around on re-enabling this - including chatting with a BMW tech. While it CAN be done, it's not as easy as cracking open Bimmercode and changing some values. And even if you go through all the headache it can still be difficult to get working correctly and is hard to troubleshoot. So I gave up on this quest.

If I'm wrong someone chime in because I'd love to enable this too.

[diablo2112]

Originally Posted by Rawhide

Great car congrats!



Maybe something has changed with the LCI ID8 models, but I've done some digging around on re-enabling this - including chatting with a BMW tech. While it CAN be done, it's not as easy as cracking open Bimmercode and changing some values. And even if you go through all the headache it can still be difficult to get working correctly and is hard to troubleshoot. So I gave up on this quest.

If I'm wrong someone chime in because I'd love to enable this too.

Actually it *is* as easy as cracking open Bimmer code and changing values. I have a 2024 G26 w/ ID8, and it took all of 10 minutes to code back the antidazzle. Works great, no issues.

[Rawhide]

Originally Posted by diablo2112

Actually it *is* as easy as cracking open Bimmer code and changing values. I have a 2024 G26 w/ ID8, and it took all of 10 minutes to code back the antidazzle. Works great, no issues.

Sweet thanks! When I get the time I'll try this on my id7 model and see if it works.

[radarguy]

Originally Posted by diablo2112

Actually it *is* as easy as cracking open Bimmer code and changing values.

Thank you. I needed that.