BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe M440i xDrive MHT 5dr Step Auto Owner Review

Odd that I should be so pleased with a car with so many irritating flaws. I took great care choosing what to buy - this is my 30th consecutive, but last, as I'm now retired. This has to be a keeper, and I only do a few miles these days. I had many requirements, and the M440i GC was the only car that met every one.

The Pros first. It's not brilliantly packaged. The rear is a bit tight, not helped by the rear seat being way too close to the floor. One has to sit knees up, like most electric cars, with no under thigh support. I only occasionally have rear passengers, so it's not a deal breaker, but the Arteon I had was miles larger. The tech is overdone, and I wish it had iDrive 7, as in the test car I drove. 8 is too complicated and not very intuitive. I wish they'd kept more buttons. There are also annoying safety feature that reset every time one sets off, even when turned off in settings. The rear camera has no wash, and needs one. As does the rear window. The auto park works only sometimes and I don't trust it. The seatbelts are not adjustable, and I find mine too high and near my throat (and I'm average height). The sound insulation is also compromised by the frameless windows, and I notice noise (wet motorway in particular) intruding which makes me check to see if there's a window slightly open.

The cons are greater. The dynamics of the car are superb. The 6 cylinder engine is as sweet as sugar, and the mild hybrid element seamlessly engineered. It will waft around and down motorways in comfort mode, but put it in Sport and it's very fast. Seriously. I actually scared an old friend of mine who's a seasoned and "brisk" driver! The x-drive gets the power down, and there is very few cars around that will beat this off the line. The grunt is instant and available at any time.

I love the ride (though some passengers have said it's a bit too firm). It's fairly taut even in "comfort", but perfectly damped, and just does not crash even over the sharpest surfaces (I stuck with 19" for this purpose). It's a great mile-eater. I drove Bath - Whitstable last week and it delivered 43.6mpg which I consider exceptional. The driver assist tech is fantastic. I've had previous cars with lane assist and ACC, but BMW have nailed it. On the motorway it drives itself, solid as a rock. It's a doddle to park, with the amazing cameras.

The Bugs Bunny front which I hated, has grown on me greatly. Still splits opinion.

I'm super pleased with the car, which is good now changing every 18 months has to stop!!

(Ext Aventurine red. Int Tacoma red/Black Packs: Comfort+, Tech+, Elec sunroof)