M440i Gran Coupe or i4 M50?
Discussion
I currently have a 2019 440i Gran Coupe which I've owned from new and still love. Great blend of pace and practicality in a handsome body, to my eyes...
I've owned F series BMW's for the past 10 years and fancy a change to something a bit more modern with some more up to date tech.
My annual mileage is very low at c.5k and my current car has only covered 26k in nearly 6 years. Usual driving is to and from the office most days, occasional longer work trips and weekend excursions with the family.
I love the B58 engine and the natural choice is to upgrade to a G series M440i Gran Coupe. My budget is up to £45k and I'm looking for an approved used car from 2022 onwards with less than 30k miles.
My driving profile is perfect for an EV, I rarely do over 200 miles in a single day and have the ability to charge at home. Head says I should go for an EV but heart is reluctant as I love ICE cars and the feel/sound. I've recently been looking at i4 M50's which are coming in a few £k less than an equivalent M440i and seem a lot of car for the money.
A couple of questions to help with my decision:
1. Crystal ball but will the EV continue to depreciate at a faster rate than the ICE equivalent? This will be a cash purchase so no protection of a PCP.
2. Has anyone got experience of both cars and can share their experience?
Thanks
I've owned F series BMW's for the past 10 years and fancy a change to something a bit more modern with some more up to date tech.
My annual mileage is very low at c.5k and my current car has only covered 26k in nearly 6 years. Usual driving is to and from the office most days, occasional longer work trips and weekend excursions with the family.
I love the B58 engine and the natural choice is to upgrade to a G series M440i Gran Coupe. My budget is up to £45k and I'm looking for an approved used car from 2022 onwards with less than 30k miles.
My driving profile is perfect for an EV, I rarely do over 200 miles in a single day and have the ability to charge at home. Head says I should go for an EV but heart is reluctant as I love ICE cars and the feel/sound. I've recently been looking at i4 M50's which are coming in a few £k less than an equivalent M440i and seem a lot of car for the money.
A couple of questions to help with my decision:
1. Crystal ball but will the EV continue to depreciate at a faster rate than the ICE equivalent? This will be a cash purchase so no protection of a PCP.
2. Has anyone got experience of both cars and can share their experience?
Thanks
dannyt331 said:
I currently have a 2019 440i Gran Coupe which I've owned from new and still love. Great blend of pace and practicality in a handsome body, to my eyes...
I've owned F series BMW's for the past 10 years and fancy a change to something a bit more modern with some more up to date tech.
My annual mileage is very low at c.5k and my current car has only covered 26k in nearly 6 years. Usual driving is to and from the office most days, occasional longer work trips and weekend excursions with the family.
I love the B58 engine and the natural choice is to upgrade to a G series M440i Gran Coupe. My budget is up to £45k and I'm looking for an approved used car from 2022 onwards with less than 30k miles.
My driving profile is perfect for an EV, I rarely do over 200 miles in a single day and have the ability to charge at home. Head says I should go for an EV but heart is reluctant as I love ICE cars and the feel/sound. I've recently been looking at i4 M50's which are coming in a few £k less than an equivalent M440i and seem a lot of car for the money.
A couple of questions to help with my decision:
1. Crystal ball but will the EV continue to depreciate at a faster rate than the ICE equivalent? This will be a cash purchase so no protection of a PCP.
2. Has anyone got experience of both cars and can share their experience?
Thanks
Definitely test drive a M440i as really only you can tell if the G is a leap ahead of your current F series. Looking at the numbers torque is now 500 nM up from 450 nM in your current car. Not a massive uptick and you can bet the car will be heavier too.I've owned F series BMW's for the past 10 years and fancy a change to something a bit more modern with some more up to date tech.
My annual mileage is very low at c.5k and my current car has only covered 26k in nearly 6 years. Usual driving is to and from the office most days, occasional longer work trips and weekend excursions with the family.
I love the B58 engine and the natural choice is to upgrade to a G series M440i Gran Coupe. My budget is up to £45k and I'm looking for an approved used car from 2022 onwards with less than 30k miles.
My driving profile is perfect for an EV, I rarely do over 200 miles in a single day and have the ability to charge at home. Head says I should go for an EV but heart is reluctant as I love ICE cars and the feel/sound. I've recently been looking at i4 M50's which are coming in a few £k less than an equivalent M440i and seem a lot of car for the money.
A couple of questions to help with my decision:
1. Crystal ball but will the EV continue to depreciate at a faster rate than the ICE equivalent? This will be a cash purchase so no protection of a PCP.
2. Has anyone got experience of both cars and can share their experience?
Thanks
You don't have to be Mystic Meg to predict that new EVs will depreciate faster than the equivalent ICE car.
If you still love the sound and feel of an ICE car, particularly a BMW straight six, surely there's only one answer. I've been in my brother's i4 (40) and whilst it's very smooth and quiet, there's nothing to engage you on a journey.
IMHO EVs will continue to depreciate heavily as the consumer market isn't embracing used EVs yet and, more importantly, the tech is evolving rapidly (energy density of batteries etc.).
IMHO EVs will continue to depreciate heavily as the consumer market isn't embracing used EVs yet and, more importantly, the tech is evolving rapidly (energy density of batteries etc.).
Drive both and make your mind up. I’ve got an i4 M50 and it is a very good car, it’s fun to drive, rides very well, feels like a high quality piece of kit, but it’s heavy and you can really feel it when driving hard.
Overall, it’s one of the best cars I’ve owned. Only you can decide if the straight six noise and lighter weight of the 440 swings your choice that way.
Overall, it’s one of the best cars I’ve owned. Only you can decide if the straight six noise and lighter weight of the 440 swings your choice that way.
I would stick with ICE personally, and yes probably go for an M4 (Biased as I have one).
That being said if I was to go for an EV I think that they are going to depreciate fairly heavily if nothing else because the technology is moving forward so quickly, so I would try and protect myself by either leasing or PCP with an option to hand back. Of course you will have to see how the figures stack up but normally I finance my cars through a personal loan, I wouldn’t do that with an EV.
That being said if I was to go for an EV I think that they are going to depreciate fairly heavily if nothing else because the technology is moving forward so quickly, so I would try and protect myself by either leasing or PCP with an option to hand back. Of course you will have to see how the figures stack up but normally I finance my cars through a personal loan, I wouldn’t do that with an EV.
I am in a similar boat. 2017 440i GC also with 28k miles and owned from new, also c. 4k miles / year with small journeys to / from the office.
Echo the comments above, I’d be crazy to buy an EV with my own money given the tech changing frequently which is impacting residuals. You’d want some come back if you chose that route eg lease or PCP where you can hand it back at and agreed price. I love the 440i noise too.
I am swaying between m440i GC vs convertible as my kids are a little older, I just can’t bring myself to swallow c. £68k on an optioned new convertible vs the £38k I dropped on my 440iGC albeit in 2017.
There are plenty of low mileage m440i GC AUCs from 2024 for £55k-ish if you can stretch to that. Just be careful with the new LCI ones as you’ll see from the New Configurator that standard spec isn’t comprehensive and items like HK audio, Adaptive Suspension etc are now payable single options which you may miss when searching as they came by default back in the day.
Echo the comments above, I’d be crazy to buy an EV with my own money given the tech changing frequently which is impacting residuals. You’d want some come back if you chose that route eg lease or PCP where you can hand it back at and agreed price. I love the 440i noise too.
I am swaying between m440i GC vs convertible as my kids are a little older, I just can’t bring myself to swallow c. £68k on an optioned new convertible vs the £38k I dropped on my 440iGC albeit in 2017.
There are plenty of low mileage m440i GC AUCs from 2024 for £55k-ish if you can stretch to that. Just be careful with the new LCI ones as you’ll see from the New Configurator that standard spec isn’t comprehensive and items like HK audio, Adaptive Suspension etc are now payable single options which you may miss when searching as they came by default back in the day.
Would you consider 2 cars...?
I sold my F90 M5 a few months back and picked up a Tesla for the daily stuff/commuting, and currently on the hunt for an older M car as a weekend toy - E92 M3, E46 M3, Z4M.
EV residual values seem to be pretty weak so I just PCP'd mine with minimal deposit - intending to hand it back at the end as I doubt there'll be any equity. Conversely a nice E92, Z4M etc should hold value if not increase. Gives you the best of both.
I sold my F90 M5 a few months back and picked up a Tesla for the daily stuff/commuting, and currently on the hunt for an older M car as a weekend toy - E92 M3, E46 M3, Z4M.
EV residual values seem to be pretty weak so I just PCP'd mine with minimal deposit - intending to hand it back at the end as I doubt there'll be any equity. Conversely a nice E92, Z4M etc should hold value if not increase. Gives you the best of both.
Thanks for replies, all appreciated.
I'm lining up test drives of both to see the difference in the real world. As it's my own hard earned the residuals on the EV make me very nervous and that's confirmed by the comments above.
I'd love a G series M3/4 but they are some way ahead of my £45k budget unfortunately. The F80 M3 Comp is nice but my intention is to get into something a bit more modern.
Having two cars is something I've thought about at length and I have a garage to accommodate a second car. The issue is, with two young kids (0 & 3), how much time I'd have to get out and drive the second car. It'd likely just sit there with little use.
First world problems I know!
I'm lining up test drives of both to see the difference in the real world. As it's my own hard earned the residuals on the EV make me very nervous and that's confirmed by the comments above.
I'd love a G series M3/4 but they are some way ahead of my £45k budget unfortunately. The F80 M3 Comp is nice but my intention is to get into something a bit more modern.
Having two cars is something I've thought about at length and I have a garage to accommodate a second car. The issue is, with two young kids (0 & 3), how much time I'd have to get out and drive the second car. It'd likely just sit there with little use.
First world problems I know!
Currently in an M340 and my wife has an i4 M50
Both with the new iDrive and big screens.
As you know the i4 accelerates like crazy. It won’t do much more than 200 miles to a 90% charge or go around corners very well, but it is very quiet and smooth.
The m340 is great but in a different way.
Depreciation is the problem with the i4 if buying privately and potentially reliability (ours was off the road for 2 weeks with some voltage issue).
Both with the new iDrive and big screens.
As you know the i4 accelerates like crazy. It won’t do much more than 200 miles to a 90% charge or go around corners very well, but it is very quiet and smooth.
The m340 is great but in a different way.
Depreciation is the problem with the i4 if buying privately and potentially reliability (ours was off the road for 2 weeks with some voltage issue).
I think currently EVs are valued similarly to the equivalent petrol model in many cases. It's not obvious to me why this would change in future, so I would expect further depreciation to be similar in both cases.
Eg in this case both cars mentioned, M440i GC and i4 M50, are very similar prices at 2yo and up to 30k miles starting from £40k or so.
It's hard to predict the future, but I don't see a reason to expect values to diverge going forwards particularly, now that they've found their 'fair market value' in the used market.
Depreciation aside, personally I love my EV but I wouldn't want even a Taycan as my only car. So if I were you I'd either get the M440i, or perhaps a lower-powered i4 plus something fun (MX-5? MR-2?) to enjoy really driving.
I’d go with the I4. If you’re into spreadsheets do one and compare the costs including projected depreciation based on PCP quotes (guaranteed future value) and the cost of tax, charging at home, servicing etc.
EV’s are boring but as an ownership proposition, assuming you can charge the thing at home on a dedicated EV tariff, they’re cheap as chips. Mine costs 7p per KWH.
EV’s are boring but as an ownership proposition, assuming you can charge the thing at home on a dedicated EV tariff, they’re cheap as chips. Mine costs 7p per KWH.
I’d go with the I4. If you’re into spreadsheets do one and compare the costs including projected depreciation based on PCP quotes (guaranteed future value) and the cost of tax, charging at home, servicing etc.
EV’s are boring but as an ownership proposition, assuming you can charge the thing at home on a dedicated EV tariff, they’re cheap as chips. Mine costs 7p per KWH.
EV’s are boring but as an ownership proposition, assuming you can charge the thing at home on a dedicated EV tariff, they’re cheap as chips. Mine costs 7p per KWH.
JohnBRG said:
I'd keep your current car. New cars are awful. Lane 'assist', random braking, speed limit bonging - no thanks. F series far nicer than G series anyway.
G series does none of that in an annoying way. The worst it ever does is give the wheel a small tug when it mis-reads a country lane, but not in any way that impacts control of the car. I guess it would drive people a bit crazy if they’re the “indicators are for the weak” type.That’s based on my nine month old i4, maybe the very latest cars are more intrusive.
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