What's the difference?
Life comes at you fast, especially in the automotive industry, where model lifecycles are becoming shorter as each new generation comes and goes.
Take the BMW 4 Series for instance. It’s been a segment stalwart since 2013, but the current model’s time in the sun is finally coming to an end a little later this year.
And that got us thinking whether or not the old saying rings true in this context. So, we put the flagship 440i coupe to test to find out if the older you get, the wiser you are.
Without a whole lot of fanfare BMW has slipped yet another model into its Australian line-up.
Sitting alongside existing coupe and convertible variants, the new 4 Series Gran Coupe follows the template established by the previous gen version.
A sports luxury four-door with a sleek, fastback twist, it provides a more adventurous alternative to its close 3 Series cousin.
Offered in three grades, this is the M440i xDrive, the 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, all-wheel drive 4 Series Gran Coupe flagship.
It competes with premium all-wheel drive four-doors like Audi’s S5 Sportback, the Jaguar XF P300 R-Dynamic HSE, and the Mercedes-AMG C 43.
Is now the right time to buy a 4 Series coupe? With the next-generation model a matter of months away, probably not.
That said, those buyers who decide to park a new ‘old’ 4 Series coupe in their driveway will be very pleased with their purchase.
At the end of the day, the current-generation model is still a cracking sports-luxury coupe, and more so when in 440i form. It’s just that good.
The BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe manages to combine sleek design with a fun-to-drive personality and surprising practicality. It’s a rapid premium, four-door, five-seater offering extra flair, and in this part of the market, good value. But more than anything else it’s got a cracking in-line six under the bonnet.