[gr4z]

So, after 6 months ownership and 11000 miles I thought it was time to jot down my thoughts on my F36 440i. These are just my ramblings, some will agree, others will not!

Background
Some of you might remember the background to getting this car, my previous F30 330d was stolen from my driveway back in March 2016. 3 weeks later it was later found in Market Harborough and it had been clocked and the VINs changed. After long discussions with my local dealer who quoted on the repair for my insurer it was decided to write it off and pay out. Luckily I had gap insurance which was paid very quickly (thanks to the recommendations on this forum!) so set about finding a replacement.

I had seen a 4 series GC on the road when they first came out and remarked how much I liked it. But my previous F30 was such a fantastic car I decided to test both. The dealer initially tried to sell me a 430d/330d but this forum had whipped up the x40i so much I decided to try one. After a brief test in a 340i and a 435dGC (they couldn’t get a 440i to test at the time) I placed an order for the 440i GC. Luck would have it I nicked the dealer’s build slot for their test 440i GC and the car arrived 4 weeks later!

Now I am not a car expert. I love them don’t get me wrong, hence why I am on here, but I don’t know how they work, why they work like they do, what to do when they break etc. I just like driving! These thoughts are from someone is uneducated in the way cars really work and drive.

Looks
As mentioned I love the looks of the F36. I believe it’s one of the best looking cars from BMW at the moment. I really can’t fault it. In 6 months ownership, I have yet to see another 440i GC which suits me fine! 5*

Engine
In a word, sublime. Responsive, smooth, quiet when you want it to be, a snarl when you push on. In comfort mode I find the throttle response somewhat ‘spongy’ when at a standstill, limp almost. It’s a weird sensation and I don’t like it. Sport mode makes a massive difference and I use it all the time. Boy does it fly when you floor it – bloody hell. In 6 months I have yet to use Sport+ or the paddles! Really don’t see the need. I have averaged 32MPG which is crazy considering the engine. 5*

Handling
Having been used to a F30 I find the F36 good but not as good as the F30 which was perfect. Maybe it’s due to its size or width compared to the F30 I don’t know I just find it not as good as my 330d. A bit ‘wallowy’ if you ask me. Fine margins though! 4*

Interior
Love BMW interiors. Simple, effective and not overburdened with stupid buttons and useless features. The F series is not quite as good as my S4 but still very good. My only gripe is the interior plastics build quality – the worst thing about this car. Rattles everywhere. It’s like a 1970s taxi sometimes. I live in the countryside and the roads are not the best, but when you are driving on a bumpy road I have to turn up the radio to drown out the rattles and noises. A disappointment and this will be high on the list for a fix during its first service. 3*

Practicality
Brilliant. The 5 doors adds so much flexibility. We have used it to its full capacity many times over the summer, if we had been in the F30 we would have struggled. 5*

Options
OK so I ordered quite a few options mainly based on feedback on here. Here is what I think:

M Sport Plus
A no brainer. Simple. 5*

ACC
Honestly…a total waste of money. For £620 I never use it. I find it infuriating. An ‘automatic’ system that demands you still interact with it to get the most out of it. I know some people on here love it, but I don’t. Would never spec this again. 1*

HUD w/Speed Limit display
It’s a great feature and makes checking your speed and directions very easy. Is it worth £825? Just. Would I spec it again? Probably but it wouldn’t be top of the list. 3*

Limiter
I am not sure if this an option or not or part of the ACC but I have the limit button on my steering wheel and I use this daily. This restricts your speed to the limit you tell it. It’s brilliant for average speed camera zones which are everywhere nowadays and stops you creeping over without noticing. Well worth it. 5*

Heated steering wheel
Added to my spec list at the last minute and honestly the best option I have for £155. I suffer from cold hands and during the colder months I use it every day. I love it. Maybe it’s my age?? The first thing I would tick again 5*

SatNav
Put aside the HUD as the HUD is pointless without the Satnav I find the BMW system poor. The routing algorithms used are a joke. RTTI is a waste of time as it only tracks main A roads and motorways. It will continually try and take you off these roads if there is a problem onto roads that are not monitored which can be 100x worse. It tells you about incidents that don’t exist or tells you about a new delay when you are already in it. I know some of these criticisms are the same on other systems, just think BMW need to up their game here. Look at the new Audi A4 system for example! Waze is much better and free! 2*

ConnectedDrive & Idrive
I find both of these OK. Nothing special, I don’t find the UI of Idrive that good to be honest. Sometimes very fiddly and an over burden on continually pressing the button to select things. Audi once again trump BMW here. 3*

Sunroof
I love sunroofs, always have. Some people don’t like them or find them pointless. I love the extra light you get through them and on a nice sunny day in the Autumn and Spring nothing better than having the roof open. Would definitely spec this again. 5*

Non-adaptive Headlights
I know this is not an option but I decided not to spec the Adaptive headlights. I don’t miss them. These standard lights are fine for me.

Carbon Black colour with black leather
I went for the Carbon Black after seeing it in the dealership. I had Black on my F30. Honestly wish I had gone for a lighter colour like Silver or even White. It is a pain to keep clean and you only see the fantastic blue-ish tinge when its spotless and on a sunny day (a rarity in this country!). Interior is good but I really wanted red leather and for some silly reason, BMW decided to make the bottom of the dash read as well in the 4 and not in the 3! It's too much for me and stuck with black. 3*

Other extras
I fitted the BMW OEM black exhaust tips and black grille and like the way it makes the car look. Must better than the chrome ones.
I also got a 3rd party rear spoiler from eBay. Love the way it finishes off the rear of the car.

Overall
I guess the big question is would I buy this F36 again given the chance? It’s very tough choice between the 340i and 440i. The 4 is £4k more and possibly if I was doing this all again I would jump on a F30 340i and get the MPPK exhaust system with the money I saved.

As I said these are just my thoughts and sorry for the long post.

[Twenty2Three]

Great review.. even though I have a F30 agree with likes and dislikes

[mcoops]

Good review and beautiful car! With some regret, I recently changed my order from CB to Glacier Silver. On its best day (as per your photos), the CB is just stunning, and would make most of the other colours look ordinary. But in the end my reasoning was the same as yours - I worried that most days, it would look a bit flat.

[225]

Good review.
How you cannot have used sport plus and the paddles though is beyond me! Being in proper control of the x40 lump is great fun.
Agree about comfort mode and I need to do a gearbox reset again as its really quite annoying.

It was a gc that got be interested in a bmw and if I didnt need the estate would certainly look to a gc.

[badgerbrock72]

This gearbox reset thing... I've heard it can be done 'quickly' on the fly by simply stick left for a minute or so then back to normal, or there's the 'longer' method of start button/floored gas pedal/2 min wait etc.

Mine too suffers with the limp comfort mode, and I've tried the stick left which didn't seem to make any difference?

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Cheers

[NotGotABimmer23]

Nice looking motor, time to add some m performance bits!

[Riffs]

That's a great review! Thanks

[NorthEastX5]

nice review.

totally agree with you on the carbon black. after having had an F11 530D in CB and then the Cayenne in metallic black i was done. black cars awesome when clean but after 24hrs usually aren't and worst cars for showing swirls, holograms no matter how careful you are with wash technique.

Mineral Grey on our F36 and Mineral White on the F15 and yes white unbelievably looks better for longer covered in dirt and road grime than black does...who knew.

another vote for heated steering wheel. love it. especially at this time of year. have it in the F15 not in F36 though

[Blacktemplar]

Good review, very honest & objective.

Have to say I agree with your comments about the SatNav/HUD to a degree.

The HUD is witchcraft, but the novelty of having the speed projected wears off quite quickly. I've only done a couple of journeys with route guidance active so far, and I do like the clarity of the projected directions. It comes as standard with the Pro Nav, but I wouldn't spend the £800+ on it as an add-on.

Completely agree about the route guidance and RTTI function on the Nav though. I came from a 2009-build A6 and the guidance is - pardon the pun - streets ahead of the BMW setup. For example, at the weekend, we were driving from Glasgow to Kenmore in Perthshire, a route I know very well, but I put the Nav on just to see what it came up with. We generally go up the A9 and cut across to Aberfeldy, but the guidance constantly wanted us to take turns off the main road to go cross-country on small B-roads. I can only presume there is some setting that directs it to take the shortest distance possible (will have to investigate), but it was persistent to the point of annoyance that I should do a U-turn on the A9 rather than get the message and recalculate the route. The Audi nav used to do this pretty much first time, so I see the BMW system as a backward step in terms of intuitive use. It also strikes me that someone who is unfamiliar with a particular area could be led along a much more challenging - and in some parts of the country - dangerous driving route.

I appreciate I'm still getting used to a very different system than the one I've used over the past 4 years, but the Audi MMI setup was/is much more natural and easy to use.

[MashinBenzin]

Great review and very honest about the pluses and minuses.

I'm loving the carbon black so far, even when grubby - but I'm a low mileage driver so it doesn't accumulate road grime the way my former motorway commuters did. Oddly, I see the blue all the time, even on overcast days weeks after washing the car. Of course, clean and sunny is still the best.

The practicality of the F36 shape is working really well for me, the access being so much better than the saloon.

Not looking forward to the interior rattles emerging as she gets older though!

[225]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

Good review, very honest & objective.

Have to say I agree with your comments about the SatNav/HUD to a degree.

The HUD is witchcraft, but the novelty of having the speed projected wears off quite quickly. I've only done a couple of journeys with route guidance active so far, and I do like the clarity of the projected directions. It comes as standard with the Pro Nav, but I wouldn't spend the £800+ on it as an add-on.

Completely agree about the route guidance and RTTI function on the Nav though. I came from a 2009-build A6 and the guidance is - pardon the pun - streets ahead of the BMW setup. For example, at the weekend, we were driving from Glasgow to Kenmore in Perthshire, a route I know very well, but I put the Nav on just to see what it came up with. We generally go up the A9 and cut across to Aberfeldy, but the guidance constantly wanted us to take turns off the main road to go cross-country on small B-roads. I can only presume there is some setting that directs it to take the shortest distance possible (will have to investigate), but it was persistent to the point of annoyance that I should do a U-turn on the A9 rather than get the message and recalculate the route. The Audi nav used to do this pretty much first time, so I see the BMW system as a backward step in terms of intuitive use. It also strikes me that someone who is unfamiliar with a particular area could be led along a much more challenging - and in some parts of the country - dangerous driving route.

I appreciate I'm still getting used to a very different system than the one I've used over the past 4 years, but the Audi MMI setup was/is much more natural and easy to use.

No that sums up rtti. It does not recognise a farm track from a decent a or b road so often tries to send you down lanes, I can not see a setting to see only use a and m roads for example.

[Torque of the Devil]

Is it set to fastest route instead of shortest route ?

[JD6]

Great to read a well-balanced review.

My F30 has gained a few more squeaks as the miles pile on, but then my F10 with its 'legendary build quality' was exactly the same.

[MashinBenzin]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

It also strikes me that someone who is unfamiliar with a particular area could be led along a much more challenging - and in some parts of the country - dangerous driving route.

This reminds me of a very challenging journey suggested by the nav in my E90.

I actually know the Scottish A-roads pretty well but once when driving from Glencoe to Oban (iirc), I got tempted by a much shorter route suggested by the pro-nav. Instead of sticking to the A82, I went off onto a B road.

Cue an hour or two of sweaty-palmed hustling down what was mainly a single track road. That wouldn't have been a problem, I just passed one or two Land Rovers going the other way, but it was a bit green in the middle for long sections My car (SE) was just about high enough riding, but I wouldn't have fancied it in an MSport.

I've gone back to old school now, if the nav is suggesting a significant detour in rural areas, a quick check of the atlas is necessary or stick to what you know/pre-planned.

[Chrismac13]

Good review informative read

[CazuaLLUK]

Awesome, good read!

[dopper99]

That's a really good honest review.
I'd far rather read that than the "this car is fantastic in every way" reviews. No car is perfect.

Good job.

[scotgc]

Nice one, really good write up!

Great to hear what others think of the cars.

[Rich9600]

A decent thorough review, thanks for sharing.

[asif03]

Good review! I think I can agree with all of your points where I have the same options, and with the ones I don't have I think I'd feel the same way if I had spec'd them.

Thanks for sharing!

[djcowlin]

Originally Posted by badgerbrock72

This gearbox reset thing... I've heard it can be done 'quickly' on the fly by simply stick left for a minute or so then back to normal, or there's the 'longer' method of start button/floored gas pedal/2 min wait etc.

Mine too suffers with the limp comfort mode, and I've tried the stick left which didn't seem to make any difference?

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Cheers

This worked for me. Did it about 300 miles ago, and the limpness (ahem) has not returned.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&postcount=591

[gr4z]

Originally Posted by djcowlin

This worked for me. Did it about 300 miles ago, and the limpness (ahem) has not returned.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&postcount=591

Will give that a go later today thanks