New 2021 BMW 4 Series M440i Coupe - What's not to like?

We get behind the wheel (and grille) of the all new 2021 BMW 4 Series M440i Coupé.
The new BMW 4 series caused a bit of a stir when it was revealed earlier this year, but until now we've only had photos to base our opinions on. Now though, we've had a chance to drive the M440i variant and see what it's actually like behind the wheel. With a clever AWD system, punchy engine, and the latest in BMW's tech, it should be a brilliant package. But what does Paul think? Find out in this video!
Thank you to Joe - if you like BMWs you need to check his channel! / @joeachilles1
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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[@lovecarsTV]

If you watched to the end. Let us know what you think on the final question!

[@robcraighill6315]

Less is definitely more!

[@jamesr8897]

I think the grills look good

[@danishmirza7482]

Bigger is better!

[@marcnobel3938]

I have no problem with the grill itself but the C-Pillar and the shape of the rear window of 4series has no definition anymore. The M3 with the same grill looks way better because of the different angle at the front and actually a definied shape of the side-profile like you would expect of a BMW.

[@davecroden9793]

Artificial exhaust note through the speakers....? - no thanks, I’ll stick to the busso

[@slsamg8223]

The answer to the title: the grill

[@johncarlofernandez2698]

Designer wise, the overall look.

[@Gorbyrev]

As Frank Stephenson said black is the colour you order a car in that you don't like the look of.

[@gregrsvr3947]

That grill is awful, regardless of what Audi are doing, BMWs have always been some of the best looking cars on the roads, this is a backwards step.

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

People aren't angry about the *size* of the grills, the front end is just FUGLY. It honestly looks like someone took the previous car, made small tweaks to every panel, then ripped the front end off and replaced it with the fever dream of a 14 year old Chinese boy, it's horrible and unfortunately its a deal breaker for many.

[@JoeAchilles1]

Great video guys, thanks for the metion 🙌❤️👊

[@lovecarsTV]

Thanks Joe, and thank you for running the test and letting us reference 🙂

[@lovecarsTV]

Cheers Joe 🙌🙌

[@15october91]

Hey Joe! :)

[@drea177cha5er]

I guess can only get it in black. To hide the details...

[@dimiper9393]

They went too far with the size of the grill this time.

[@ALMX5DP]

Perfect in black to hide the front grill!

[@lovecarsTV]

Works quite well 👍🏻

[@Dave-qk6wn]

The grill isn’t that ugly with a plate on it.

[@ericpisch2732]

@@lovecarsTV with your back to the car

[@indiebekonn]

And that hideous surfacing and the lack of clear design direction.

[@Zain_Ali_.]

The way it looks is what's not to like

[@dhamwarich1876]

Exactly

[@TimPettman]

“A proper grilling” ;-)

[@lovecarsTV]

😉

[@Tomoyo0827]

I just ordered a M440i I love the grill, it’s easily the most attention grabbing car in today’s road by far.

[@lovecarsTV]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@edrcozonoking]

"What's not to like?"....ummmm THE STYLING?

[@davidhall7744]

Unfortunately though BMW have turned the question to “what does it look like?” 😬 The black model disguises the snout better, but it is still a bad design overall.

[@jhaabhishek]

What's not to like? The way it looks.

[@gr8foru376]

I’m not a BMW fan but I’m think the new front end looks good, the previous models where looking dated IMO?

[@_Chev_Chelios]

“Artificial noise from these speakers here”. Hard Nope. Next video.

[@rage12345678]

The Audi grille was never this despised when it debuted in both the A8 and A6 back in the mid-2000s. I had a 2006 A6 4.2L and it was beautiful. Later on went on to own a few BMWs, including an E92 M3, E60 M5, E63 M6...and this is just horrendous. BMW was at its best when it wasn't trying to follow the hive and making genuinely unique cars with unique engines. The M cars were FAR more interesting in the late 90s up until the 2000s. They're all bland today, despite being rocketships.

[@jimmymccain4580]

Alright dits.

[@Radiation580]

No this looks.way better

[@eLKaymusic]

I love that grille. In the metal it looks far more convincing and this was on a white 420i.

[@bobstarr]

I put my 240i beside the new 4 and after looking at them for about ten minutes I started getting grill envy. I still think the sharp line on the side of my car looks better than the new smooth look.

[@matthamilton33]

It’s hideous from the front, hideous. Shame. I guess we need to wait for the inevitable facelift fix.

[@selldivision]

The Audi grille has had 20 years of evolution to get where it is. The BMW's grille isn't the only problem. If you de badged the car it could be from almost any manufacturer. BMW chucked the baby out with the bathwater.

[@revmedia8108]

What’s not to like? It’s a BMW. All jokes, your friends at Rev Media!!

[@lovecarsTV]

😮

[@revmedia8108]

@@lovecarsTV 🤭

[@alber.a1232]

Everybody whining because of the grill… 🤷🏻‍♂️ in actuality, it’s a great, quality and gorgeous car. The grill “issue” is irrelevant at the end…

[@homiixide]

0:24 that angle with the license plate is beautiful

[@TD1237]

Fr, it's a gorgeous car!

[@abdch14hhhh]

The look to start with

[@stuart5064]

Get my M440i next week in Brooklyn grey love the new grill it’s a change for the better really suits the car

[@SmartMass]

"Less is more" in this case, no question in my mind.

[@jeffmeyer3600]

But that beaver tooth grille...no, no, no!!!

[@ericpisch2732]

The S8 front grill is not acceptable, it looks like a clowns car. The new BMW grill looked bloody awful on the leaked prototype shots and it still looks bloody awful over a year later. I have bought new German RS / M and AMG cars for the last 25 years. Last year was the first time I didn’t buy one, the comedy oversized grills was a big part of that decision (along with fake engine sounds, and that there all boring to drive unless your doing ‘jail time’ over the speed limit). Oh to have a car that looked as good as my B5 RS4. The worst thing is all the die hard fans told BMW it looked bloody awful and in their arrogance they ignored the fan base and insulted them on Twitter (now deleted).

[@samcourt6228]

That face for a start! 😂 BMW haven’t made a good looking coupe since the last 6 series. The side proportions are a bit odd, too much metal above the rear wheel making it look rather under wheeled. It reminds me of the original A5....not a good thing. They’ve nailed the interior on their latest cars and the B58 is a cracking engine that suits the ZF8. It’s a shame BMW have adopted the stupid shaped trim in the bumper though. A pair of nice round pipes looks so much nicer. The BMW grille looks far less integrated than those of Audi.

[@Wooooosaaaaaa]

Lol ahhh bmw, should have saved all these wasted marketing dollars on a cleaner design. And you knew that. Everyone’s been telling you since the 7 came out. Who wants to bet those grills disappear by the 2023 model year.

[@silvermovermedia9737]

Had several BMW’s this new 4 is the most disappointing design so far.

[@MAINEiac06]

BMW, I implore you..... please go back and look at past designs from the 80's - 90's. I get you have to advance, but the car literally does not look special. And that grill is NOT the tea

[@jamiefulton918]

I think this wears its big grille so much better than the new 1 series. Every time I see one - even if it’s an m135i - my spine shudders😢

[@RichardFanders]

That grill is too big.

[@MrJdp1968]

Tweak that grill and that car is a world beater 👊🏻

[@GaryDownes]

Absolutely love the front grille. When you look at the like to dislike ratio on these new BMW'S, its pretty obvious that only a small (but very vocal) amount of people don't like it. These individuals were already BMW haters anyway, so they were going to hate whatever BMW did, so I really don't care what they think regardless

[@franburke]

It looks like bugs bunny. Hideous.

[@nickdegroot1866]

The grille would be a dealbreaker for me (if i was in the market for these kind of cars😉).

[@dockami9546]

Nice grill, very stylish

[@TH-du8nc]

In this spec the grill is tolerable and dare i say it even has an allure to it.

[@Ansmo87]

I think it’s actually fair to say that BMW’s ‘kidney grills’ have experienced more than one iteration since the 1930 with both vertical and horizontal layouts... Just because the recent past has featured more of the horizontal layouts doesn’t mean to say they must follow this path forever (indeed, how much longer will cars even need to breathe... beyond the 2030s anyway?). That said, who else thinks this is just goppingly awful, ugly, and pandering to what Asian markets allegedly want. PS, although this comes from a BMW fanboy, Audi of the 1990s/2000s was struggling for a visual identity (prior to TT, R8 etc) and was somehow ahead of the curve with their giant awful grills as a solution to this problem.

[@jh5kl]

then you factually give a proper look to grills in american trucks and grills in english bentleys, rolls royce and jaguares, and you understand that some out there, have been having far worse cases of grill itis

[@mikediazArtist]

The grill is a chess move from BMW. They know that the rest of the world doesn’t like it but over the course of this design cycle they will have gained ground in an entirely new market even if the rest of the world doesn’t buy many vehicles or buys less than before. Once they go back to the core values of their design language in the next one or two 4-6 year design cycles the original bmw fans/customers will once again be pleased with the design and the newly gained markets will remain. I’m not a fan of the grills but I can understand the business strategy behind the styling decisions. BMW is thinking 10-20 years ahead of where they are now. Time will tell though.

[@cristiandemirel1918]

In the late 90s and early 2000s I used to look at BMW and Mercedes coupes and I would see myself driving one, when I would be able to afford it. Now that I can afford them, I see myself looking for something else. There's just too much "made in China" in their design and quality!

[@reggie861]

Pretty soon the car will be all grill.

[@golfbuddy1969]

A really enjoyable review. I really liked the grill from the beginning, and I’m usually the less is more guy. We criticize these manufacturers for lookalike design, but then they branch out and get roasted.

[@lovecarsTV]

Thanks for watching!

[@lukejohnson3755]

As the saying goes regards the grille, "the only constant is change". We'll get used to it! Some tuners are actually doing packs to make them smaller I hear....

[@kiickinballistics]

Yes, my mate said the same at a BBQ recently. After market tuners selling a half-height front grill that makes it look immeasurably better.

[@Homerlovesbeer2]

What's not to like you ask? The flapping horrible grill! 😭

[@howardahhon7600]

Less is more but if it's for your performance, BMW needs to design it better. Aesthetically...

[@kostasangisoulaki912]

My favorite 2020s BMW 1. 5 series LCI G30 2. X7 3. 4 series

[@lovecarsTV]

Great choices! 😎

[@richardw5375]

Don't think it matters about the grill really. I'd love to own a BMW never had one before, if you've never had it you don't miss it !

[@DonFather]

Wow, an extra 11 horsepower. I better put on my seatbelt in this thing, coz I may fall asleep at the wheel.

[@mockngbrdy]

I hated it until I saw it for real. Then I kinda liked it. The grill is not that much of a focal point when you see the car in its entirety, which is imo a rather good looking thing. But of course, the right color helps. There are some bits I dislike, the generic hoffmeister kink redesign, the lack of a shoulder line, and not mounting the license plates on the side instead.

[@summitdetailing6697]

Black grille on a black car...just about acceptable, shame black does the rest of the cars design no favours. Also how small do those wheels look in gloss black - almost makes the car look top heavy. On the flip side the interior looks great and nice to see they've kept the idrive controller and actual buttons for the hvac. Cheers. Chris

[@darrenthomson9428]

I don’t think it’s to bad, but probably some one will give it a grilling.👍

[@RobManser77]

As far as I know, BMW 0-60 and weight is always quoted with passengers and luggage, thus the differences. It’s not a conservative estimate, it’s just how they test.

[@mbarn]

Orange peel paint is pretty bad in the early shots. A lot of performance for an M lite model. New M4 is going to be epic.

[@lovecarsTV]

Looking forward to it!

[@robbrailsford636]

Great looking car 👍

[@georgesoni]

Honestly, very boring review 😕 Presenter misses character, charisma!

[@resnonverba137]

For me, the grill is simply different. Quite like the car, like the fact it still has buttons, dislike the daft gesture control.

[@ingopaul67]

Black disguises it well, but bright colours, no thanks.

[@Robert-yh7cf]

I have had 4 BMW coupe's in a row. Loved all of them. One i have now is the 440 2017 silver. April 2021 i am due for another car. Because of the unattractive front grill, i will not be a repeat customer.

[@PixelVogue]

People will have to get used to the grill, BMW don't care what you think, they are like Apple either buy it or don't!

[@23Piccolina]

Its taken for granted 'how does it drive'. BMW's drive exceptionally well. They tend to come with all the latest tech as well. So, that leaves the styling and appearance. Sadly, that's where these new GRILLS fail. I said GRILL, because it dominates the entire style of the car. BMW wants to generate controversy, in order to 'grow' market share. But I don't believe negative chatter on the internet is a positive thing, in the long run. People don't like this new trend. So, we'll see how many they end up selling.

[@joaoluistavares6046]

Well, to me is not about the size. It's about the way it's done. Being larger doesn't mean everything it's ruined. For example, when Audi came with that A3 having a full grid with the registration plate inside, that was great. I even said, "They did it because Fiat had almost a similar face with the Tipo (advertised by Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher)...". Then yes, they progressively changed it to the face we have nowadays. As for the grid of this 4 Series, for those who like it, no problem. I don't see myself liking it in 10 years. Of course, I'm not going to hate it either.

[@fdmc2278]

Big is better. I love it and the grill especially. It is better and the most beautiful BMW currently makes. Driving dynamic will not comment. It us absolutely better than Audi and Mercedes in all segments!!!!

[@mdpmph]

Love the car!! I think it's a sexy beast

[@lovecarsTV]

Glad you liked it Harry 😁👌

[@olifilipe]

The grill, people will get used to and it’s their design. What I cannot understand or accept is the design from the B pillar back, it’s a straightforward blueprint of the Audi A5, the BMW lost it’s famous “kink” where the rear quarter window lines meet. From the side it’s an Audi, period.

[@Tefloncoated]

Found out years ago that most manufacturers 0-60 time is tested with 2 people and half a tank of fuel.

[@fskof]

It’s obvious that BMW is now catering to the Chinese market. If you want the Ultimate Driving Machine... Look elsewhere

[@palbrekke9455]

Less is more. And with rapid electrification, those big grilles are quickly becoming irrelevant and even an aero challenge. Too much and too late from BMW.

[@Gez492]

Sorry but that grill even in black is hideous and the overall shape is a boring facsimile of the itself aging S5/ RS5. This won't age well.

[@jdstarek]

Grill is obviously an issue. Overall styling is generic...without the logo it looks like it could be from several Japanese makers. Not saying that’s bad, it’s just not very distinctive or “BMW.” Interior materials are not as good as they should be at this price. I think it was a big swing and a miss.

[@mikev3999]

I was planning on buying the coupe but I needed the car last year and couldn't wait for it... so I opted for the 2020 M340. Not sorry! It is a rocket, the ultimate winter-beater with it's AWD (which gets me off the line faster than M3/4), and looks much better IMHO. And being in Canada I get the more powerful engine with full volume sound with all the pops and burbles. Best car I've ever owned.

[@thepixelated]

As long as it's proportionately wright.. it's fine.. plus BMW of old had those types of grills.. it's befitting

[@frankcastle1578]

What's not to like? Easy THE GRILL

[@Jordan-ql8pv]

The grille is hideous. Not just because its big, but because the design is not cohesive with that grille. It sticks out, and comes across as vulgar while not even looking good doing it.

[@zedd722]

About the grill , one big large grill is way better than 2 big elongated grills ... Audi's still look way better , plus the detail between the grill and the hood is hideous .. its not just about size

[@WestfieldFreshAir]

That paint finish looks awful. At least the black masks THAT GRILL a little.

[@Kaizen-Zen-Zen]

2021 Bmw M4 A dramatic change

[@Pistonjockey]

Big grill is good but why licence plate within it?? There’s the issue for enthusiasts...

[@davidyates6546]

It's probably just a way to save money, Big Grill.

[@stablegenious]

Oh you guys are brilliant. The next British reviewer shall test 0-100 again and @~5sec. mention you, Joe who did you and Matt who did Joe in 0-100 times. Very entertained ;)

[@cupidstunt22]

I think I’m gonna hurl

[@ebbuf9250]

Why does bmw take away passenger memory seat for 4, 3, 2, 1 series?

[@MauricetePas]

Less is more. I think with the big grille, BMW loses its signature look.

[@sergeantsqueaker]

Black car and black grille it's alright. Probably anything else it would look awful. P. S. Really enjoying On The Road on ITV4. 👍

[@lovecarsTV]

Thank you 🙏

[@darylgraham679]

The M4 is 🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️

[@richbrock9876]

It’s in the eye of the beholder, I think they look good, which is a shame for BMW because it should look awesome

[@hughjass2745]

Does it come with an elephant man style sack to cover its face?

[@Lifeguruonafence]

What’s not to like?... errm the Grille 😄

[@AlbertMamsto]

Less is more. Small kidney grill is more distinctive.

[@tarricknicholson6300]

I drove one view days ago and it couldn't restart after 15 minutes drive 🙃

[@henryhol8538]

Though I'm not a fan of the large grill now, I know that in a years time we will all be wondering what the fuss is about. Remember what we all thought about the Senna the first time we saw it?

[@lovecarsTV]

This is very true!

[@aconfusedazn]

Great review! I personally hate the grill though.

[@lovecarsTV]

Thank you 🙏

[@jamdc2000]

Is there a possibility to have a mashup between Lovecars and CarWow in a drag race???

[@kadedone]

Automatic only, that's something not to like.

[@Wergrun]

The new buck teeth are really growing on me, more specifically the green m3 wagon 😬 but the plates from the look. Good thing I live in Indiana where only rear plates are mandated

[@andyhopton]

Gopping just like the Audis grill, i suppose its represents an angry person shouting get out of my way when you see it in the rear view

[@sideshowbobcbr]

In terms of the grill, when debuted on the concept, it was outrageous, but with the number plate I think it looks fine. It's certainly grown on me! Great video! 👍

[@gregmurray1255]

The grill .... Change is as good as a holiday 😉

[@lovecarsTV]

It's growing on us!