BMW M440I vs Suzuki Fronx

What's the difference?

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.

If you’re considering a small car, particularly if an SUV is the goal, a Suzuki should in most cases be on the shopping list. Back-to-basics motoring is key to the brand’s identity. Its most popular model is a tiny ladder-frame 4X4, for example. Hi Jimny.

The Fronx doesn’t break new ground in any practical sense, but it does come in with a decent price and list of features that should sway plenty of small-car fans in the showroom.

It’s decent to look at, comfortable for the segment, and easy to get used to and drive. The numerical rating on this review betrays just how likeable the car is.

It’s not extremely refined and it starts to lose its dynamic shine on rough roads, but in an urban setting the Fronx should excel.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

So, how does this four-door 4 Series differ from a four-door 3 Series? The answer is as plain as the nose on this car’s face.

BMW’s head of design, Adrian van Hooydonk, has been expanding the brand’s signature ‘kidney grille’ in every conceivable direction, and this is the much talked about interpretation adorning all 4 Series models (petrol, hybrid and electric) as well as the M3 sedan.

The new Gran Coupe is longer, wider, and taller than the outgoing model, and the track is broader, front and rear. The wheelbase has also been extended, now a whole 5.0mm longer than the 3 Series.

The DRLs and headlight main beams are LED with laser high beams, immense gills square up the edges of the front clip, while a vent and the strake attached to it stand the car apart. Plus, of course, the doors are frameless. 

One niggle, though. I’m not in love with the slender door handles. It’s hard to get a good grip on them, especially in the wet. 

Standard 19-inch alloy rims are shod with Pirelli P Zero rubber 245/40 fr / 255/40 rr), the roofline slopes distinctly towards the rear, a lip spoiler on the trailing edge of the tailgate is classic BMW, darkened LED tail-lights wrap around the rear corner, and a diffuser-type panel is flanked by large exhaust apertures.

Our car’s ‘Aventurine Red’ finish is a $3850 option, but to my eyes anyway it looks superb.

Exterior trim including the grille frame, front air intake inserts, mirror upper housing, model designation badges, and tailpipe are finished in ‘Cerium Grey’, which I reckon 99.9 per cent of people will see as black. 

The interior will be familiar territory for any current BMW owner, the 12.3-inch digital instrument screen sitting in a compact, hooded binnacle, and partnering with a 10.25-inch multimedia display standing proud of the dash above the broad centre stack. 

The seats are trimmed in top-shelf leather with blue contrast stitching, plus the grippy sports wheel is also wrapped in genuine hide.

BMW calls the finish on the main buttons and controls ‘Galvanic’ which translates to a slick silver metallic look and feel. Configurable ambient interior lighting is a nice touch, and the broad console enhances the driver-focused feel, with a sprinkling of carbon-fibre around the centre console and dash lifting the sense of occasion.

Overall, the interior feels clean and classy with an obvious attention to detail.  

‘Fronx’ as a name doesn’t exactly scream ‘cute’, but the little SUV has a pretty classically Suzuki design. This is not a complaint at all.

The Fronx is 3995mm long, 1765mm wide and 1550mm tall, but despite its diminutive dimensions the brand has opted to lean into a ‘coupe’ style with a sloping roofline that creates a relatively sporty look, especially for something with a two-digit power figure.

So while some of Suzuki’s designs have been divisive in Australia (Ignis, anyone?) the Fronx takes a slightly more conservative approach by leaning into more design trends than just the coupe-back SUV shape. 

For example, its tail-lights span the width of the tailgate rather than simply flanking the boot as was standard for decades.

The LED daytime running lights at the front are also arranged in a slim, high-up position with a set of headlights below.

Inside is arguably more conservative than out, as the Fronx goes with a fairly standard formula in terms of its layout, with few premium materials (the synthetic leather on the seats feels cheap for example) or adventurous design elements to be found.

But that’s not such a bad thing.

At close to 4.8m long the 4 Series Gran Coupe is a sizeable machine. Up front, the feeling is airy and comfortable, and the rear is surprisingly spacious, especially in light of the car's sloping roofline.

At 183cm I have to fold myself tightly to fit under the low roof, but once inside I have enough room to sit behind the driver’s seat set for my position with more than enough legroom and adequate headroom. Put three full-size adults across the back row, though, and there will be breathing difficulties.

Kids will be fine, however, and individual vents with adjustable temp in the rear was a big plus during a particularly hot test week.

For storage there are generous door bins in the front with room for large bottles, a decent glove box, dual cupholders in the centre console, a reasonable lidded bin (which doubles as a centre armrest), and the wireless device charging bay (forward of the gearshift) makes a handy oddments space when not in use.

In the rear, again the doors feature pockets with room for (medium-size) bottles, there’s a fold down centre armrest with two cupholders, but thanks to the one-piece shells on our test car’s optional M Sport front seats there are no map pockets.

Power and connectivity runs to a USB-A socket and a 12V outlet in the front centre console, as well a USB-C port in the front storage bin, a pair of USB-Cs in the rear, and a 12V outlet in the boot.

Speaking of which, lift the tailgate and with the rear seat upright we were able to fit all three of our suitcases or the beefy CarsGuide pram into the healthy 470-litre (VDA) boot space.

Lower the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat down and 1290 litres of volume is at your disposal. Plus there are handy bag hooks and tie-down anchors to help secure loose loads.

You can also tow a braked trailer up to 1.8 tonnes (750kg unbraked), but don’t bother looking for a spare of any description, a repair/inflator kit is your only option.

Because for all the conservative, even outdated, styling in the cabin, the fact is it’ll be refreshingly familiar to someone who’s getting out of a car from perhaps even before the year 2000.

Suzuki’s place at the budget end of the new-car market means its customers are likely either quite young and buying their first new car, or relatively old and looking for a cheap, rarely used runabout as the ‘last car’.

For the former, a lack of techy distractions is paramount. For the latter, ease of use wins over cutting-edge tech in most cases. Which is why it’s probably okay that the Fronx’s multimedia touchscreen and software wouldn’t feel out of place almost a decade ago.

It can be a tad fiddly to use at speed, but it’s still more straightforward than the ‘iPad-like’ systems Tesla has made popular, and there are physical controls for important functions like climate control.

There’s also a row of ever-present haptic buttons for volume controls and navigation shortcuts.

The ergonomics of the interior are quite basic, but there are no red flags in terms of visibility, reach, or placement. 

The head-up display is a bonus, but the physical dials on the dash rather than a digital driver display are clear enough, despite again feeling nabbed from a time before head-up displays even existed. 

Space for the front passengers is decent, it’s not cavernous but it’s far from cramped. Elbow rests and seating positions allow for a relaxed ride.

The back seat is a slightly less comfortable place, but at 178cm I can sit behind my own seating position without my knees touching the seat in front, and my head has just enough space above to accommodate the top of a mullet.

Behind that, luggage capacity in the boot is 304 litres, or 605 litres with the rear 60/40 split seats folded.

There’s also no space-saver spare tyre, just a repair kit as standard.

There’s only one variant of the Fronx, and it lands at $28,990 before on-road costs. It’s also relatively stacked when it comes to features, and Suzuki is even working on a sub-$30K drive-away offer for its on-sale date in September this year. We’d expect that means about $29,990 DA, though that’s to be confirmed down the track.

For something at that price point, features aren’t lacking. While things like wireless phone charging and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have become almost expected for even entry-level cars in Australia, the Fronx also features heated synthetic leather seats and a leather steering wheel.

It’s the first Suzuki in Australia to feature a head-up display, and there’s also a standard surround-view parking display thanks to a set of cameras.

The Fronx’s 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen is joined by a small 4.2-inch driver display nestled between physical dials for the speedometer and tachometer. Exterior lighting is LED front and rear, with auto headlights and manual levelling.

The only extra-cost option for the Fronx is a choice of ‘premium’ single- or two-tone paint - Arctic White Pearl is the standard no-cost colour. Single-tone paint is $745 extra, while two-tone options are $1345, which is a lot pricier than many premium paint options in the market.

The Fronx comes in at the same price as a mid-to-high spec Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic or Chery Tiggo 4, but some rivals like the Mazda CX-3 or Toyota Yaris Cross (with its Hybrid drivetrain) are more expensive even in their lower variants.

Under the bonnet is BMW’s (B58) all-alloy 3.0-litre twin-scroll turbo intercooled, in-line six-cylinder engine, driving all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and electronically controlled clutch pack, as well as an electronic limited-slip differential at the rear.

It features high-pressure direct-injection and BMW’s ‘Valvetronic’ system managing air flow to the intake side, to produce 285kW at a relatively high 5800-6500rpm. But the big punch is 500Nm of peak torque from just 1900rpm all the way to 5000rpm.

The M440i is also a mild-hybrid with a 48-volt starter motor-generator and supplementary battery able to give an 8.0kW kick at low engine speeds.

The Fronx is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with mild-hybrid assistance, driving the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. 

Its outputs are quoted at 76kW and 137Nm, not exactly high-grade stuff and part of the reason the Fronx feels like it takes more than 10 seconds to hit 100km/h.

BMW’s official fuel economy figure for the M440i xDrive Gran Coupe, on the ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban cycle, is 8.2L/100km, the 3.0-litre turbo six-cylinder emitting 187g/km of C02 in the process.

Stop/start is standard, and we saw an average of 11.1L/100km over city, B-road and freeway running during a week with the car.

With the 59-litre tank brimmed (with minimum 95RON premium unleaded) that real-world test number translates to a range of around 530km.  

Suzuki claims fuel consumption at 4.9L/100km. With its 37-litre fuel tank, the Fronx should be able to manage more than 600km on a single tank, though theoretically its maximum range given its claimed fuel efficiency is 755km.

BMW says the M440i xDrive Gran Coupe will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.7sec, and I reckon the threshold for a properly quick car is sub-five seconds.

The 3.0-litre turbo six develops its peak power of 285kW between a relatively lofty 5800-6500rpm, but the big number is a solid 500Nm punch of pulling power delivered between 1900-5000rpm.

Squeeze the throttle pedal pretty much anywhere in the rev range and the response is glorious. Rapid acceleration accompanied by raucous engine noise and rorty exhaust note (albeit with some synthetic support). Various pops and bangs in the Sport settings add extra entertainment.. 

The eight-speed auto gets some electric support from the mild-hybrid system to fill the torque gap on up shifts, and the result is a conventional torque-converter transmission that behaves like a dual-clutch.

Shifts are seamless in general driving, and satisfyingly quick in a more aggressive mode, the wheel-mounted paddles dialing up the fun in manual changes. 

Suspension is double wishbone front and multi-link rear with the standard ‘Adaptive M Suspension’ built around an adaptive damper set-up.

The change between the ‘Comfort’ setting to the ‘Sport’ or ‘Sport+’ calibration is close to instant and makes a discernible difference, especially in terms of ride comfort.

I found the best ‘Individual Sport’ arrangement to be damping in Comfort, with the steering engine and transmission in Sport. The car flows so beautifully through corners with urgent response from the powertrain.

By all means dial up the suspension if you’re having a real crack, but the car feels superbly balanced, stable and predictable in Comfort (front to rear weight distribution is 50:50).

The electrically-assisted variable-ratio steering is nicely weighted with good road feel, and the grippy sports steering wheel is a nice point of contact.

The xDrive AWD system’s default setting is rear-biased, although it will push most of the drive forward when required. But the RWD feel is unmistakable. 

The M440i weighs in at around 1.9 tonnes but feels lighter and more nimble than that figure would typically indicate.  

A standard electronically-controlled M Sport limited-slip differential puts the power down confidently. I have a favourite LSD test corner on my regular evaluation drive, a sharply twisting and rising left-hander.

Rolling into it in a low gear before planting the throttle mid-corner, the car simply hunkers down without a hint of fuss (or traction loss) as it rockets out the other side.

Optional M Sport front seats ($2000) provide comfort and firm location in equal measure and in terms of ergonomics BMW knows how to focus on the driver and set-up an efficient environment. Key controls are perfectly positioned and simple to operate.

I have an issue with the ‘Lane Departure Warning’ function, however, which is too quick to intervene and overly intrusive when it does so. I turned the ‘Steering Intervention’ function off. You can dial down steering wheel vibration warnings, too.

The standard M Sport brakes feature big vented rotors front and rear, with fixed four-piston front calipers doing the bulk of the work. They’re strong but don’t bite or release too aggressively. It’s easy to grease in a smooth application. 

How you plan to use the Fronx will make a big difference in whether what you’re about to read is a good thing or not. 

The Fronx is a light SUV for a start, so expecting brilliant handling, effortless acceleration and a dead-quiet cabin is going to mean you’re disappointed.

But if you want something easy, engaging and fun, the Fronx might work for you.

Our brief test loop wasn’t entirely indicative of what the Fronx is likely to face day-to-day. With limited time and no preset drive program, the roads within a 20-or-so minute drive of Nagambie, Victoria had to suffice.

The Fronx fared well on the average road, it turned out, with the 1064kg Suzuki managing to feel planted enough to hurl along 100km/h back-roads without complaints. It rides on the same platform used recently by the Suzuki Baleno, something I’ll admit to not having driven.

The rougher roads didn’t faze the light SUV too much, though consistently uneven surfaces made it feel unsettled in some cornering.

Its steering and suspension give enough feedback to make the right inputs easily, though the nature of its light weight and minimal accoutrement in terms of driver assistance make the Fronx feel very rudimentary from the driver’s seat.

At low speeds around the centre of town, the Fronx manages the state’s terrible roads well, though taking off from intersections can be laborious. Much like overtaking, the drivetrain will complain.

And don’t expect its mild hybrid system to do a lot in the way of hard work - or any work at all, really. You could take the hybrid badge off the car, let someone have a drive, and they’d be none the wiser.

From the limited observations on the launch, the Fronx would feel best at home in suburbia or a metropolitan centre more so than on the Hume Highway or the towns dotted alongside it.

Essentially, this is not a refined road trip car for the highway, but its no-fuss approach to getting around means you shouldn’t be surprised if you start seeing them in the car parks at universities or bowls clubs.

A big part of many buyers’ decisions about a new car is safety, and the Fronx is pretty basic on this front.

Six airbags cover front and sides for the front passengers, and there are curtains down the sides of the car, but there’s no front centre airbag and no ANCAP rating has been applied to the Fronx as yet.

In terms of active safety, the Fronx has listed among its standard features auto emergency braking (AEB), ABS and brake assist, lane departure warning, hill hold control, weaving alert, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, rear cross traffic alert and a surround-view parking camera with front and rear sensors.

There are also outboard ISOFIX seat fastenings in the second row.

The only safety system that activated during the test was a lane departure warning, but only when (under normal conditions) it would have been necessary as the car approached the road’s centre line.

The M440i Gran Coupe is covered by BMW’s three-year/unlimited km warranty (including paintwork), as well as 12-year/unlimited km anti-corrosion (perforation) cover. 

That’s off the premium market pace now with Genesis, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz at five years/unlimited km and Lexus set to join them from January 1st, 2022. 

That said, roadside assistance is provided for the duration of the main warranty, but it’s worth noting “rattles and squeaks” are only covered for one year.

Service is condition-based, the car telling you when maintenance is required, and a range of service packages are available. The basic plan covering a 4 Series for five years/80,000km comes in at $1750. 

Suzuki has a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty for its new cars, which is a little behind the curve compared to many budget-friendly brands these days. 

Suzuki does have a five-year servicing schedule, with intervals every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. Total cost is $2005 over the five years, with services averaging $401, which is not particularly cheap.