[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by SANK_CH

Thank you ggalanis for those videos.

Two guys on a german forum did a test drive. They stated that the exhaust was loud, very loud for their taste. Cold start in a garage in sport mode is a head turner or a claim effect. Can you comment on that point? Do your neightbours still like you?

On a cold start, I find it barely louder than what my stock 335 was. In a closed garage, it will be on the noisy side until the revs drop.

When driving in comfort mode, and a light foot, it is a very comfortable ride. You hear the exhaust but it is not intrusive.

In sport mode, the exhaust is loud when accelerating, especially when you put your foot into it... but then when you are cruising, it is not bad especially if you manually force it to go down a gear or two to get the transmission to use the gear it would have in comfort mode. If you leave the transmission decide, it will always be a gear or two lower and the sound becomes a bit too drony for my taste.

Now in comfort mode, the suspension is very good at dealing with rough, cracked pavement. Even on bumpy roads, it is really good. On the firm side of comfortable, but it is how I personally like it.

In sport, you can feel the cracks a bit more but it is still very good. I don't find myself switching it back to comfort even with the wife and kids in the car. On bumpy roads, I did not find it very harsh in sport mode, but comfort deals with this type of road much better The adaptive suspension is worth every penny. Compared to my 335, which had xdrive and thus the softest suspension setup of the 3 series, this one is more comfortable on bad pavement and bumpy roads.

So here are a 3 videos to help show what I mean...

Bumpy road in comfort

Bumpy road in sport

Exhaust sound from rear seat when accelerating moderately quick. I admit that the bumpy roads may not really be helpful, but I filmed them while holding my phone on the dashboard with one finger. You can see that I had a lot more trouble keeping it steady in sport mode.

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by Midwest M235i

PS - wash your car

I actually wanted to but my normal place is closed on Sundays.
I am luckily not OCD about it.
But it will be done during the week.



GG

[SANK_CH]

Many Thx for your reply ggalanis, and nice videos. I like the title of the 3rd video "moderate acceleration". Listening to the engine it's sound like a nice acceleration

about the suspension DDC which has been tweaked on the m40i, i m quite curious to see if there is a big difference with my x4 35i. But it is a feature that I really like.

Now it's is time for me to update my Phantom 3 with the latest software, so I will be able to use the Follow-Me mode.

Countings hours before delivery

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by SANK_CH

Many Thx for your reply ggalanis, and nice videos. I like the title of the 3rd video "moderate acceleration". Listening to the engine it's sound like a nice acceleration

about the suspension DDC which has been tweaked on the m40i, i m quite curious to see if there is a big difference with my x4 35i. But it is a feature that I really like.

Now it's is time for me to update my Phantom 3 with the latest software, so I will be able to use the Follow-Me mode.

Countings hours before delivery

I cant wait to compare my DHP X3 28i M-Sport to my M40i in less than 2 weeks

[SANK_CH]

Originally Posted by ROBNYC

I cant wait to compare my DHP X3 28i M-Sport to my M40i in less than 2 weeks

Hi Robnyc,

If I noticed it correctly you have the pre-facelift version of the X3, correct?

If so you will notice the following improvements in your X4, at least this is what I found out when I traded my X3 for the X4.
+ A lot less noise from outside.
+ improvement in the rain sensor, it react better and quicker to Weather (Rain) changes.
+ Auto Light with Led works really really well. Very quick to react a detect other cars. Detection of other cars/truck/bus on opposite way of the highway far better. And when you follow a car, yours will highlight both sides of the car you follow. Quite fun.
+ improvement in the Gearbox. In the X3, after having driven the car already x0'000 km at cold starts the box was a bit hesitant, between 1st and 2nd. At each maintenance the issue was away for a few weeks, and then starting again. On the X4, I never had this issue.
+ The driving assistant plus (which I didn't had on the X3) is brillant, truely brillant.
+ head up display very usefull, and even more when associated with Speed limit info, which remains very reliable.

- too much silent, I can't hear my 35i breathing... and I missed the sound of my X3.
- consumming a bit more oil than the X3
- driving assistant plus use more your back brakes!!!

Enjoy

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by SANK_CH

Hi Robnyc,

If I noticed it correctly you have the pre-facelift version of the X3, correct?

If so you will notice the following improvements in your X4, at least this is what I found out when I traded my X3 for the X4.
+ A lot less noise from outside.
+ improvement in the rain sensor, it react better and quicker to Weather (Rain) changes.
+ Auto Light with Led works really really well. Very quick to react a detect other cars. Detection of other cars/truck/bus on opposite way of the highway far better. And when you follow a car, yours will highlight both sides of the car you follow. Quite fun.
+ improvement in the Gearbox. In the X3, after having driven the car already x0'000 km at cold starts the box was a bit hesitant, between 1st and 2nd. At each maintenance the issue was away for a few weeks, and then starting again. On the X4, I never had this issue.
+ The driving assistant plus (which I didn't had on the X3) is brillant, truely brillant.
+ head up display very usefull, and even more when associated with Speed limit info, which remains very reliable.

- too much silent, I can't hear my 35i breathing... and I missed the sound of my X3.
- consumming a bit more oil than the X3
- driving assistant plus use more your back brakes!!!

Enjoy

I have 2014 X3 with every option except Lane Departure Warning =D
- I have Technology pkg (Heads Up Display)
- I have Xenons (Looking forward to the LED lightning pkg now)
- I don't have drivers assistant (hope it works good)
- My X3 is alive thanks to the BMC AirFilter and Catless Downpipes =D (Always tuned too)

I should take delivery of my M40i this end of week hopefully

[analogue]

Originally Posted by ROBNYC

- I have Xenons (Looking forward to the LED lightning pkg now)

Just FYI, the features @SANK_CH mention about the LEDs are disabled in the US market. You would need to do some coding to re-enable automatic high beams and the variable light distribution.

[SANK_CH]

Originally Posted by analogue

Just FYI, the features @SANK_CH mention about the LEDs are disabled in the US market. You would need to do some coding to re-enable automatic high beams and the variable light distribution.

sorry for my judgment but S**t law/regulation. The variable light distribution (thx Analogue to improve my knowledge of English) is really a safety feature that is usefull. The light sensor has been improved over the years and it react very quickly. I will said that it is 95% accurate, for the 5%left, there is still a driver behind the steering Wheel.

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by ROBNYC

ggalanis post-ownership review on your week we're anxious to hear!

Here is my review. It is a little all over the place but whatever... I don't feel like restructuring it.



Outside appearance
------------------
I have to admit that I did not like the X4 at first. Just like when the X6 was released, in pictures I really found it odd looking.
And yet here I am now, a X4 M40i owner. Just like when the X6 was released, once I saw one in person, the X4 looked good to me. Looks are subjective so some people will not like it no matter what.
The M40i version looks even better. The 20" wheels look better in person, the Long Beach Blue color is also better in person and away from spotlights which make it look lighter than it really is.
Other colors will look fine too. But other than the LBB and different wheels, the rest of the differences between this and all other X4s are hard to notice.
The ferric grey mirrors and accents on the front grill and rear bumper look OK, but personally I would have wanted a different color for these and really prefer the front bumper without these accents. This is again something that does look better in person than in pictures.
There are many exterior ///M badges.... and I always find myself explaining to people that it is not a "real ///M car", but to all but the people reading up on it, that is what it will appear to be. Good for status seekers, somewhat annoying to the rest.






Inside
------------------
I have read loads of comments talking about the dated interior... how it absolutely needs to be redone.... etc. Well coming from a 2013 3 series, I find the interior of the M40i very nice.
I personally like the simplicity of BMW interiors and the like the look. Now it is pretty much the exact same as all other X4s I believe so it is nothing new to those who already drive a X3 or X4.
So those owners might be looking for something different. Everything on the inside looks good. I took the ivory leather with red stitching and this combination looks really good. The one part that I would have wanted a change is the passenger side of the dash... the soft touch plastic is nice but there is nothing to breakup the monotony... it could have used a little splash of color there.
The ///M shifter for the automatic transmission looks good (and of course has a ///M badge on it) and the ///M steering wheel with another badge is really nice. Nice, soft feeling leather with a thick rim (not too thick, even for my wife) and just feels amazing. If you have the choice to get this wheel, GET IT. So many people think it will be an easy retrofit.... it is doable, but cost prohibitive.
The steering wheel heats up nicely and more evenly than the one in my 3 series (non m-sport wheel). I could once again do without the clown nose light for the alarm system, like seriously, that can't be made smaller?
The instrument cluster is crisp and easy to read although with the HUD, you will not look at it very often. It also has another badge...

The room up front is plenty comfortable and the seats fit oversized people like myself as well as people in better shape. Even after long drives, the seat still feels great. You dont find yourself fidgiting around to get a better position.
In the rear, like all X4s, the room is surprisingly good. The effect of lowering the seat a bit works wonders despite the lower roof line. I have had 6' tall passengers in back, behind my seating position (i am 5'11") and they had plenty of headroom and leg room.
Even though there are 3 seat belts back there, I would only put 3 adults back there in a pinch. Because of the angle of the rear seat, tall passengers may not be comfortable over long drives, but young kids will be more than happy back there (they get to hear more of the real exhaust sounds coming out the back).
Rear visibility is atrocious for parking, and it should be illegal to sell a X4 without a backup camera. It is fine on the road.

There are 2 cigarette lighter plugs in front and another in back. Very useful for ensuring that the kids stay in the zombie mode they get into when playing on tablets/phones/other plugged in toys.


Engine
-------
The engine is, like all the other N55 variants I have driven, perfectly smooth, very powerful for it's displacement and delivers more than acceptable gas mileage given it's power. Torque is plentiful from very down low and pulls well up to red-line ( you may want to up-shift a little before if trying to squeeze out the best performance as the power does taper off ever so slightly near the top of the rev range)
Admittedly, I have not been pushing my M40i a lot due to a combination of break in, bad road conditions in my neck of the woods and having the rest of the family in the car 90% of the time, but even so, it feels noticeably quicker than my 335 despite the extra weight it has to push around.
Also, I have noticed that the engine warms up significantly quicker than the n55 in the 335 I had. I vaguely remember reading/hearing something about this, and i guess whatever they did really works.


Transmission
------------
Coming from a manual transmission car, I was worried that I would hate the automatic in this car.
Although it is a really good one, it does not deliver the same amount of enjoyment as a true manual even when you are shifting yourself using the paddles.
The transmission delivers smooth shifts when driving normally, and as I've heard many times before, it blips the throttle on downshifts.
In comfort everything is smooth and people accustomed to an automatic transmission will love it. Cruising down at highway speeds is effortless and the transmission is quite good at finding the right gear depending on how deep you push the throttle in.
In sport the transmission gets aggressive and is very fun, but it is not perfect. For one, when cruising on the expressway at non suicidal speed, it refuses to shift into 8th gear automatically. Might be more about me being anal about the shifting because by staying in 7th, it does do its job of providing a sporty ride.
One other thing I would prefer they change is that the car gets a kick from behind (jerky) on up-shifts and a bit on downshifts too. Although this feels "sporty" to some, I would much prefer smoother shifts like in comfort mode, not jerky ones. I think they did the same in the M3/M4 cars and I just see no need for it.
Perhaps that will get smoother after the break in period but I would not count on it.



Suspension
-----------
I have not driven the car very aggressively so far, so my comments are more for normal soccer mom driving than racetrack driving.
This is an easy one. The suspension is excellent.
Smoother than a soft BMW static suspension (i.e. my 335i Xdrive) when in comfort. It handles road imperfections really well. Like when I was driving to the US and went through the Lacolle border crossing, there are stripes cutout in the pavement to warn drivers that they need to slow down... well in comfort, I did not feel anything and barely heard anything when going over them.
In sport, you barely feel them but you do actually feel a bit of a disturbance, but if you are not paying attention, you could pass over them and not notice. So it is good, just not as smooth as in comfort. On this type of road, you can stay in sport and everyone will be comfortable.

On bumpy roads, comfort handles the bumps really well, whereas sport it a little harsh and I found myself switching back to comfort to keep my kids from puking in the back seats.


Cargo Space
------------
The cargo space is very comparable to a sedan with a decent trunk, with the added flexibility brought by the hatch back.
It is slightly bigger than what I had in my 335 but not by much. Someone coming from a x3 or x5, who fills it up to the brim will be disappointed.
But if you've never stacked your cargo to the point of blocking your view of the rear window, you'll be fine. In essence, that is where you sacrifice the space.


Exhaust
--------
Cold starts are noisy. A little little louder than my 335 was, and definitely on the loud side. If you park in an your garage, expect the rest of the family to be annoyed with your new car.
when driving, in comfort, you hear a somewhat muted exhaust note when accelerating which is pleasant but not overbearing.
I do not recall ever getting the car to "fart"(i don't know the proper word for that sound) on up-shifts in comfort, nor did I notice crackles, pops and bangs.
In sport mode is when the exhaust comes to life. During acceleration, it is loud. Very loud on the inside and must be (i have not checked) as loud on the outside.
Yes some of that is coming through the speakers. And although in principle I do not like the idea of doing this, the net result is very pleasing... so if this is what it needs to be due to better sound insulation from the outside, then so be it.
On aggressive up-shifts, you get the exhaust "farts" and each time you lift off you get pops and crackles. This sounds amazing to anyone who likes hearing exhaust sounds, and will be very annoying to everyone else.
In city driving, I was constantly rolling the windows down, going into manual mode and downshifting through all the gears each time I slowed down to a stop just to hear the exhaust.
But cruising on the highway in sport mode, the car does not go into 8th gear and I find 7th gear at 120 km/h is too loud and drony. I was constantly switching to manual mode and forcing it into 8th gear.
Same in city driving, because the transmission stays in a lower gear, once you get cruising, it is too loud for my taste. I found myself manually forcing the gears up to what the comfort setting would use at the same speed and that was acceptable.


Xdrive
-------
Every review I have read so far of the M40i says that BMW routes more power to the rear wheels than normal in this variant... but I have never seen specifics.
To me, it feels no different than my 335 when starting off on a slippery road. And it will easily over-steer if you stab the throttle mid corner.
Immediately after delivery, I swapped my 20" wheels with PSS tires for a winter set on 18" rims and Nokian Hakkapelitta winter tires. Xdrive is NOT a substitute for winter tires when you are on slippery winter roads.
Now this is a torque vectoring variant of the Xdrive system, and the first time I felt it's effect, it caught me off guard. Taking my usual exit off the expressway to go home, and of course taking the exit faster than most would, the car turned and when it got a little tighter, I felt the back rotate almost as if it over-steered. Now this was on a dry road, no traction control light, no tire squeal, no extra throttle application... i just felt the back rotate.
The next few times I took that exit I paid closer attention, turned the radio off, opened windows,etc just in case it was over-steering, but it was not. Just turned better than anything it's weight should be able to.... but it admittedly feels weird to me.


Other impressions
---------------------

The cabin is well insulated from the road, noticeably quieter than my 335 was. I found it to be a very comfortable long distance car.
I cannot say if it is harsher with the 20" wheels because I drove for all of 5 minutes on them.
It does drive car like, although the driving position is a little higher than i'd like. The lowest seat setting is just too high for my taste.
Shorter drivers or people accustomed to driving SUVs or minivans may not notice.
the car is quick and smooth regardless of the comfort/sport setting you are in.
The steering feels nicely weighted for each setting (i.e. comfort is great at parking lot speeds, sport is great at highway speeds).
I did find myself correcting the steering a little too often on the expressway when in comfort mode.
I had the same issue with my 335 and in that car, I always switched to sport to get on a highway/expressway. Looks like I will be doing the same with the M40i.


Eco-Pro Mode
--------

I once accidentally switched to Eco-Pro mode.... that was the worse 2 seconds of my life.
It annoyingly turned auto stop/start back on and I had to turn it back off again.... I admit that I have not even tried it in this car, but it was my most hated feature on my 335 but at least this one remembers the setting you used last. So the first time I started the car, I disabled it.
I never used Eco-pro in my 335. I tested it a bit and could not live with the castrated throttle response. I prefer just being light on the throttle if I want to be Eco-friendly but always having the possibility of going quicker by pressing on the gas as usual instead of having to push the pedal much more to get the response I want.
Yes if you floor it you get a decent response, but it does not come naturally.

Idrive
------
Much smoother than before. Works very much the same way as before. You either like it or hate it.
I like it because everything is where I expect it to be. Sure a setting may be buried several menu folders deep, but it is all logically laid out for me.
The nav with traffic is nice. Decent screen size but it could have been a bit bigger IMHO.


HK Sound system
-------------

Sounds a bit better than the HK in the 335, but I have not listened to it very loudly to compare. On the long road trip we took, we used the satellite radio most of the time, and that does not sound good when you start raising the volume.
I like that we actually get an indicator bar that shows the current sound level, which I did not have in the other car.

HUD
----

Still works great. In this car, the display is a little higher and further away than it was on my 335. Looks sharp and at night looks like they screen is able to produce a darker black and so you don't notice a rectangle around the HUD info at night.
They also did away with the reflective material used in the 3 series for the HUD casing that would reflect sunlight blocking the HUD information.
The speed limit indicator works well. It uses a combination of gps/nav information and actually reading speed signs but sometimes displays the incorrect speed limit. Still I like it and it should not have to be a few hundred dollars to get as an option (in Canada anyway).


Connected drive
---------------
This is somewhat useful, although I find that each time the car connects to do anything online, it is a bit slow. Like if it stays unconnected while not in use, and then when you try to use it, it has to connect from scratch and this is little slow.
I like the concierge service and will use it often myself. My wife feels differently and prefers looking up stuff on her phone.

There are some apps in there but I honestly don't think I will use them often.

LED lighting
-------------
The LED lights are noticeably brighter than the halogens.
The auto high beam feature works quickly, but we really should get the European version of this.



So in summary

Pros:
- Not too much more for a base M40i over a base Xdrive 35i (3700$ here in Canada)
- N55 Engine is as good as ever
- Exhaust sound very good
- Adaptive suspension is great
- Transmission reacts quickly in comfort and even quicker in sport mode. Manual mode using the paddles is very quick to react as well.

Cons:
- Costly options just like every other BMW
- Transmission is good but could do without the kick on up-shifts and it should go to higher gears when cruising (or at least be an option)
- too many ///M badges for my taste



Thanks for reading.
GG

[ahfa1987]

Thanks Ggalanis for putting together this review, so much time and effort man much appreciated.. Even tho im getting my car next month anyways, I read every last word of your post lol.

Thats good so our car can run a set of 18s winter to save a chunk of cash eh? Good to know, probably wont be able to find 18 steelies though right?

Another thing, when switching between comfort/sport etc, I haven't really asked this or heard the topic being raised but would it pose a risk to the vehicle overtime if we change from the different modes while the vehicle is in motion? It kind of make sense and safe for us to only switch modes when car is fully stopped right? Like, It doesn't seem logically safe to be switching from comfort to sport or vice versa when ur on the hwy doing 120..not like im going go do that all the time but just wondering. What do you think.

[ahfa1987]

Thanks Ggalanis for putting together this review, so much time and effort man much appreciated.. Even tho im getting my car next month anyways, I read every last word of your post lol.

Thats good so our car can run a set of 18s winter to save a chunk of cash eh? Good to know, probably wont be able to find 18 steelies though right?

Another thing, when switching between comfort/sport etc, I haven't really asked this or heard the topic being raised but would it pose a risk to the vehicle overtime if we change from the different modes while the vehicle is in motion? It kind of make sense and safe for us to only switch modes when car is fully stopped right? Like, It doesn't seem logically safe to be switching from comfort to sport or vice versa when ur on the hwy doing 120..not like im going go do that all the time but just wondering. What do you think.

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by ahfa1987

Thanks Ggalanis for putting together this review, so much time and effort man much appreciated.. Even tho im getting my car next month anyways, I read every last word of your post lol.

Thats good so our car can run a set of 18s winter to save a chunk of cash eh? Good to know, probably wont be able to find 18 steelies though right?

Another thing, when switching between comfort/sport etc, I haven't really asked this or heard the topic being raised but would it pose a risk to the vehicle overtime if we change from the different modes while the vehicle is in motion? It kind of make sense and safe for us to only switch modes when car is fully stopped right? Like, It doesn't seem logically safe to be switching from comfort to sport or vice versa when ur on the hwy doing 120..not like im going go do that all the time but just wondering. What do you think.

I didn't look for black steel rims.

No issue whatsoever switching driving modes while moving.
None whatsoever.

GG

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by ggalanis

Here is my review. It is a little all over the place but whatever... I don't feel like restructuring it.



Outside appearance
------------------
I have to admit that I did not like the X4 at first. Just like when the X6 was released, in pictures I really found it odd looking.
And yet here I am now, a X4 M40i owner. Just like when the X6 was released, once I saw one in person, the X4 looked good to me. Looks are subjective so some people will not like it no matter what.
The M40i version looks even better. The 20" wheels look better in person, the Long Beach Blue color is also better in person and away from spotlights which make it look lighter than it really is.
Other colors will look fine too. But other than the LBB and different wheels, the rest of the differences between this and all other X4s are hard to notice.
The ferric grey mirrors and accents on the front grill and rear bumper look OK, but personally I would have wanted a different color for these and really prefer the front bumper without these accents. This is again something that does look better in person than in pictures.
There are many exterior ///M badges.... and I always find myself explaining to people that it is not a "real ///M car", but to all but the people reading up on it, that is what it will appear to be. Good for status seekers, somewhat annoying to the rest.






Inside
------------------
I have read loads of comments talking about the dated interior... how it absolutely needs to be redone.... etc. Well coming from a 2013 3 series, I find the interior of the M40i very nice.
I personally like the simplicity of BMW interiors and the like the look. Now it is pretty much the exact same as all other X4s I believe so it is nothing new to those who already drive a X3 or X4.
So those owners might be looking for something different. Everything on the inside looks good. I took the ivory leather with red stitching and this combination looks really good. The one part that I would have wanted a change is the passenger side of the dash... the soft touch plastic is nice but there is nothing to breakup the monotony... it could have used a little splash of color there.
The ///M shifter for the automatic transmission looks good (and of course has a ///M badge on it) and the ///M steering wheel with another badge is really nice. Nice, soft feeling leather with a thick rim (not too thick, even for my wife) and just feels amazing. If you have the choice to get this wheel, GET IT. So many people think it will be an easy retrofit.... it is doable, but cost prohibitive.
The steering wheel heats up nicely and more evenly than the one in my 3 series (non m-sport wheel). I could once again do without the clown nose light for the alarm system, like seriously, that can't be made smaller?
The instrument cluster is crisp and easy to read although with the HUD, you will not look at it very often. It also has another badge...

The room up front is plenty comfortable and the seats fit oversized people like myself as well as people in better shape. Even after long drives, the seat still feels great. You dont find yourself fidgiting around to get a better position.
In the rear, like all X4s, the room is surprisingly good. The effect of lowering the seat a bit works wonders despite the lower roof line. I have had 6' tall passengers in back, behind my seating position (i am 5'11") and they had plenty of headroom and leg room.
Even though there are 3 seat belts back there, I would only put 3 adults back there in a pinch. Because of the angle of the rear seat, tall passengers may not be comfortable over long drives, but young kids will be more than happy back there (they get to hear more of the real exhaust sounds coming out the back).
Rear visibility is atrocious for parking, and it should be illegal to sell a X4 without a backup camera. It is fine on the road.

There are 2 cigarette lighter plugs in front and another in back. Very useful for ensuring that the kids stay in the zombie mode they get into when playing on tablets/phones/other plugged in toys.


Engine
-------
The engine is, like all the other N55 variants I have driven, perfectly smooth, very powerful for it's displacement and delivers more than acceptable gas mileage given it's power. Torque is plentiful from very down low and pulls well up to red-line ( you may want to up-shift a little before if trying to squeeze out the best performance as the power does taper off ever so slightly near the top of the rev range)
Admittedly, I have not been pushing my M40i a lot due to a combination of break in, bad road conditions in my neck of the woods and having the rest of the family in the car 90% of the time, but even so, it feels noticeably quicker than my 335 despite the extra weight it has to push around.
Also, I have noticed that the engine warms up significantly quicker than the n55 in the 335 I had. I vaguely remember reading/hearing something about this, and i guess whatever they did really works.


Transmission
------------
Coming from a manual transmission car, I was worried that I would hate the automatic in this car.
Although it is a really good one, it does not deliver the same amount of enjoyment as a true manual even when you are shifting yourself using the paddles.
The transmission delivers smooth shifts when driving normally, and as I've heard many times before, it blips the throttle on downshifts.
In comfort everything is smooth and people accustomed to an automatic transmission will love it. Cruising down at highway speeds is effortless and the transmission is quite good at finding the right gear depending on how deep you push the throttle in.
In sport the transmission gets aggressive and is very fun, but it is not perfect. For one, when cruising on the expressway at non suicidal speed, it refuses to shift into 8th gear automatically. Might be more about me being anal about the shifting because by staying in 7th, it does do its job of providing a sporty ride.
One other thing I would prefer they change is that the car gets a kick from behind (jerky) on up-shifts and a bit on downshifts too. Although this feels "sporty" to some, I would much prefer smoother shifts like in comfort mode, not jerky ones. I think they did the same in the M3/M4 cars and I just see no need for it.
Perhaps that will get smoother after the break in period but I would not count on it.



Suspension
-----------
I have not driven the car very aggressively so far, so my comments are more for normal soccer mom driving than racetrack driving.
This is an easy one. The suspension is excellent.
Smoother than a soft BMW static suspension (i.e. my 335i Xdrive) when in comfort. It handles road imperfections really well. Like when I was driving to the US and went through the Lacolle border crossing, there are stripes cutout in the pavement to warn drivers that they need to slow down... well in comfort, I did not feel anything and barely heard anything when going over them.
In sport, you barely feel them but you do actually feel a bit of a disturbance, but if you are not paying attention, you could pass over them and not notice. So it is good, just not as smooth as in comfort. On this type of road, you can stay in sport and everyone will be comfortable.

On bumpy roads, comfort handles the bumps really well, whereas sport it a little harsh and I found myself switching back to comfort to keep my kids from puking in the back seats.


Cargo Space
------------
The cargo space is very comparable to a sedan with a decent trunk, with the added flexibility brought by the hatch back.
It is slightly bigger than what I had in my 335 but not by much. Someone coming from a x3 or x5, who fills it up to the brim will be disappointed.
But if you've never stacked your cargo to the point of blocking your view of the rear window, you'll be fine. In essence, that is where you sacrifice the space.


Exhaust
--------
Cold starts are noisy. A little little louder than my 335 was, and definitely on the loud side. If you park in an your garage, expect the rest of the family to be annoyed with your new car.
when driving, in comfort, you hear a somewhat muted exhaust note when accelerating which is pleasant but not overbearing.
I do not recall ever getting the car to "fart"(i don't know the proper word for that sound) on up-shifts in comfort, nor did I notice crackles, pops and bangs.
In sport mode is when the exhaust comes to life. During acceleration, it is loud. Very loud on the inside and must be (i have not checked) as loud on the outside.
Yes some of that is coming through the speakers. And although in principle I do not like the idea of doing this, the net result is very pleasing... so if this is what it needs to be due to better sound insulation from the outside, then so be it.
On aggressive up-shifts, you get the exhaust "farts" and each time you lift off you get pops and crackles. This sounds amazing to anyone who likes hearing exhaust sounds, and will be very annoying to everyone else.
In city driving, I was constantly rolling the windows down, going into manual mode and downshifting through all the gears each time I slowed down to a stop just to hear the exhaust.
But cruising on the highway in sport mode, the car does not go into 8th gear and I find 7th gear at 120 km/h is too loud and drony. I was constantly switching to manual mode and forcing it into 8th gear.
Same in city driving, because the transmission stays in a lower gear, once you get cruising, it is too loud for my taste. I found myself manually forcing the gears up to what the comfort setting would use at the same speed and that was acceptable.


Xdrive
-------
Every review I have read so far of the M40i says that BMW routes more power to the rear wheels than normal in this variant... but I have never seen specifics.
To me, it feels no different than my 335 when starting off on a slippery road. And it will easily over-steer if you stab the throttle mid corner.
Immediately after delivery, I swapped my 20" wheels with PSS tires for a winter set on 18" rims and Nokian Hakkapelitta winter tires. Xdrive is NOT a substitute for winter tires when you are on slippery winter roads.
Now this is a torque vectoring variant of the Xdrive system, and the first time I felt it's effect, it caught me off guard. Taking my usual exit off the expressway to go home, and of course taking the exit faster than most would, the car turned and when it got a little tighter, I felt the back rotate almost as if it over-steered. Now this was on a dry road, no traction control light, no tire squeal, no extra throttle application... i just felt the back rotate.
The next few times I took that exit I paid closer attention, turned the radio off, opened windows,etc just in case it was over-steering, but it was not. Just turned better than anything it's weight should be able to.... but it admittedly feels weird to me.


Other impressions
---------------------

The cabin is well insulated from the road, noticeably quieter than my 335 was. I found it to be a very comfortable long distance car.
I cannot say if it is harsher with the 20" wheels because I drove for all of 5 minutes on them.
It does drive car like, although the driving position is a little higher than i'd like. The lowest seat setting is just too high for my taste.
Shorter drivers or people accustomed to driving SUVs or minivans may not notice.
the car is quick and smooth regardless of the comfort/sport setting you are in.
The steering feels nicely weighted for each setting (i.e. comfort is great at parking lot speeds, sport is great at highway speeds).
I did find myself correcting the steering a little too often on the expressway when in comfort mode.
I had the same issue with my 335 and in that car, I always switched to sport to get on a highway/expressway. Looks like I will be doing the same with the M40i.


Eco-Pro Mode
--------

I once accidentally switched to Eco-Pro mode.... that was the worse 2 seconds of my life.
It annoyingly turned auto stop/start back on and I had to turn it back off again.... I admit that I have not even tried it in this car, but it was my most hated feature on my 335 but at least this one remembers the setting you used last. So the first time I started the car, I disabled it.
I never used Eco-pro in my 335. I tested it a bit and could not live with the castrated throttle response. I prefer just being light on the throttle if I want to be Eco-friendly but always having the possibility of going quicker by pressing on the gas as usual instead of having to push the pedal much more to get the response I want.
Yes if you floor it you get a decent response, but it does not come naturally.

Idrive
------
Much smoother than before. Works very much the same way as before. You either like it or hate it.
I like it because everything is where I expect it to be. Sure a setting may be buried several menu folders deep, but it is all logically laid out for me.
The nav with traffic is nice. Decent screen size but it could have been a bit bigger IMHO.


HK Sound system
-------------

Sounds a bit better than the HK in the 335, but I have not listened to it very loudly to compare. On the long road trip we took, we used the satellite radio most of the time, and that does not sound good when you start raising the volume.
I like that we actually get an indicator bar that shows the current sound level, which I did not have in the other car.

HUD
----

Still works great. In this car, the display is a little higher and further away than it was on my 335. Looks sharp and at night looks like they screen is able to produce a darker black and so you don't notice a rectangle around the HUD info at night.
They also did away with the reflective material used in the 3 series for the HUD casing that would reflect sunlight blocking the HUD information.
The speed limit indicator works well. It uses a combination of gps/nav information and actually reading speed signs but sometimes displays the incorrect speed limit. Still I like it and it should not have to be a few hundred dollars to get as an option (in Canada anyway).


Connected drive
---------------
This is somewhat useful, although I find that each time the car connects to do anything online, it is a bit slow. Like if it stays unconnected while not in use, and then when you try to use it, it has to connect from scratch and this is little slow.
I like the concierge service and will use it often myself. My wife feels differently and prefers looking up stuff on her phone.

There are some apps in there but I honestly don't think I will use them often.

LED lighting
-------------
The LED lights are noticeably brighter than the halogens.
The auto high beam feature works quickly, but we really should get the European version of this.



So in summary

Pros:
- Not too much more for a base M40i over a base Xdrive 35i (3700$ here in Canada)
- N55 Engine is as good as ever
- Exhaust sound very good
- Adaptive suspension is great
- Transmission reacts quickly in comfort and even quicker in sport mode. Manual mode using the paddles is very quick to react as well.

Cons:
- Costly options just like every other BMW
- Transmission is good but could do without the kick on up-shifts and it should go to higher gears when cruising (or at least be an option)
- too many ///M badges for my taste



Thanks for reading.
GG

thank you for your honest and very well written 1 week review!

mine arrived today at the dealership, taking delivery on thursday 5pm

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by ROBNYC

thank you for your honest and very well written 1 week review!

mine arrived today at the dealership, taking delivery on thursday 5pm

Hey ROBNYC will you be sharing your general impressions after having the car now for about a week?

Thanks,
GG

[Timberwolf]

Hey ggalanis you can remove your M badges! I plan on taking off most if not all badges. The X4M40i is just ridiculous in my opinion.

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Hey ggalanis you can remove your M badges! I plan on taking off most if not all badges. The X4M40i is just ridiculous in my opinion.

Unfortunately, my wife does not share my opinion on the excessive badging of the car and so she doesn't want me to touch any of them.

Happy wife, happy life.

GG

[Timberwolf]

Originally Posted by ggalanis

Unfortunately, my wife does not share my opinion on the excessive badging of the car and so she doesn't want me to touch any of them.

Happy wife, happy life.

GG

Smart man. You have to pick your battles with the wives. That's a battle I'd gladly lose, in order to win the war.. Haha who am I kidding. The war is already lost!!

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by ggalanis

Hey ROBNYC will you be sharing your general impressions after having the car now for about a week?

Thanks,
GG

Yep just too excited but currently no time, its just an amazing car!
Feels better than every test-drive i've done before ordering it

- 340 M-Sport w/ Adaptive M Suspension
- 340 M-Sport w/o M Suspension
- 435 GC M-Sport
- 15' X3 35i M-Sport w/ DHP
- 16' X3 35 M-Sport w/o DHP
- 16' X4 35 M-Sport w/o DHP
- 16' MBenz C450 AMG (3 different test from 3 diff dealership)
- 15' MBenz GLA 45 AMG w/ Exhaust Upgrade (sounded very similar to ours in Sport+ =D its like twins but ours has the burble)

Last but not least my 14' X3 28i M-Sport w/ DHP as well that i owned preowned AUg 2014 with 11k miles and returned March 16 with 32k miles

So far what I can say is Comfort is like a Sport Comfort, much much more stable than my X3 Comfort w/ DHP (DHP cars handle better than non-DHP cars of course) we all know that right
Before I would have to switch to Sport (Chasis only was configured in my car) on tight curves / exit ramps now I leave it in Comfort =D

Cant wait to hit 900 so I can start redlining

[Tjalle]

GG, this is a personal thing, but after living with my 35i M for 18 months I have settled for this:
-city driving: auto/comfort - gives "nice" shifts and I don't have to think
-In Sport gears will hang in too long - annoying.

-open road: man/sport - gives me perfect control over gear and shifting.
-I save 0.5-1 sec when overtaking by pre-select gear for 3500-4000 rpm
-since I am used to stick, I prefer shiftstick prior to paddles.

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by Tjalle

-since I am used to stick, I prefer shiftstick prior to paddles.

I am also very used to driving manual, which is why I notice that the transmission in sport stays in a lower gear than I would use and it annoys me. But hey, at least we can override it whenever we feel like it. Unlike when it is the wife driving and she is not in the gear I would be....
GG