BMW M440I vs Audi R8

What's the difference?

BMW has once again delivered a supremely enjoyable sports car with its new 2021 4 Series.

Sure, it might have love-it or hate-it styling, but those that dismiss the 4 Series based solely on looks are missing out on a wonderful driving experience.

With the base 420i offering all the style in a relatively affordable pricetag, while the all-wheel-drive grip of the M440i adds extra assurance at a more premium price, BMW's new 4 Series should cater to anyone looking for a premium sports coupe.

The Audi R8 V10 RWD and V10 Performance Quattro have their own personalities. I'm a big fan of the lower-powered rear-wheel drive car, but the Performance is the ultimate here with better brakes and that 330km/h top speed. Either way the R8 is a true supercar, but one that doesn't have to be driven gingerly as though something may break off.

Let’s get this out of the way. The 2021 BMW 4 Series is not an ugly car, despite what you may think from the press photos found online.

Is it to everyone’s tastes? Of course not, but I find the gaudy, in-your-face gold-on-black that is Versace’s signature styling a little gross … so your milage will definitely vary on the 4 Series like mine does with high-end fashion.

In person, that grille is nowhere near as overwhelming as pictures may have led you to believe, and blends in very nicely with the aggressive and muscular front end of the 4 Series.

In profile, the high shoulder line and slim glasshouse add to the sportiness, as does the sloping roofline and butch rear haunches.

The rear though, is arguably the 4 Series best exterior angle, as the pinched bumper, wraparound tail-lights, large exhaust outlets and subtle rear diffuser combine well for a properly sporty and premium look.

All Australian-spec cars come with the M Sport package, meaning a full bodykit, and 19-inch wheels to make even the boggo 420i look aggressive on the road.

Does it work? Well if it wasn’t wearing a BMW badge then it might not get away with this ostentatious styling, but being a big premium player, we think the 4 Series gets away with being as brash and in-your-face as it is.

We actually love that BMW has taken a risk with the 4 Series’ aesthetics and is willing to push the envelope because, after all, it could have just looked like the 3 Series sans-two doors, and that’s just a bit too safe, isn’t it?

Inside, the 4 Series is familiar BMW territory, which means a thick-rimmed steering wheel, glossy shifter and brushed metal accents, as well as high-quality materials throughout.

The dashboard-integrated multimedia system is a particularly nice touch, as are the metal accents that separate the lower and upper halves of the cabin.

So, is there anything interesting about the design? Absolutely. It’s got the internet talking more than usual and will no doubt draw the eye of those wanting to stand out from the often-samey crowd of German sports cars.

Lamborghini styling can look over the top, McLarens can sometimes appear delicate and fragile, and Ferraris seem to be everywhere, and even for me, begin to blend into one.

The R8, though, looks exactly how an Audi supercar should look – understated, tough and serious. Have you seen that Audi advert with the R8 on a dyno not wearing any pants? That sounds ridiculous but Google it because it sums up what the R8 is – a real car with a raw race car underneath, that's meant to be driven comfortably on the road and hard on a race track and the styling indicates that intent with little in the way of fanfare.

Well, there is that big window at the back which shows off the engine and the 'side blades' that surround the large vents carved into the side of the car to cool the engine.

The latest update has taken the design from the second-gen car which arrived in 2016 and added a new grille, front bumper, door sills and vents in the rear bumper. It's a more angular, sharper, and busier design with more vents and winglets than ever.

The R8 V10 RWD and R8 V10 Performance are close to identical in their styling. You can pick the Performance by its gloss carbon front spoiler, side sills, mirror caps and rear diffuser. The RWD has gloss black elements instead.

Which looks best: the Coupe or Spyder? That's a personal thing, but I reckon race cars need to have a hardtop roof, so it's the coupe for me, please.

Built using the 'Audi Space Frame' which weighs only 200kg, the R8 is 4426mm long and just 1240mm tall, but at 1940mm across it has a wide, planted stance.

Measuring 4768mm long, 1842mm wide, 1383mm tall and with a 2851mm wheelbase, the 2021 BMW 4 Series certainly looks commanding on the road, and the generous proportions do well for interior space too.

Of note though, the M440i is slightly longer (4770mm), wider (1852mm) and taller (1393mm) than the 420i and 430i, but the slight variance doesn’t translate to any perceivable difference in practicality.

Up front, there is plenty of space for driver and passenger, with a wide array of seat adjustability offering nearly the perfect position for nearly everyone regardless of shape or size.

Storage options include a generous door pocket with separate bottle holder, large central storage cubby, generous glove box, and two cupholders sited between the shifter and climate controls.

We love that the wireless smartphone charger is tucked well away just ahead of the cupholders, meaning you don’t have to worry about keys or loose change scratching up your screen, and it doesn’t eat into any of the other storage options around the cabin.

Being a coupe, you wouldn’t expect heaps of room in the second row, and the BMW 4 Series certainly doesn’t defy expectations in this regard.

Adult passengers can get in the back easy enough, thanks to auto-folding front seats, but once there, head- and shoulder-room can be a bit tight, while legroom is dependent on the height of front passengers.

We’ve certainly been in worse back seats though, and the deeply recessed seats help alleviate some of the headroom issues, but its not a space for the claustrophobic.

Open the boot and the 4 Series will swallow up to 440 litres of volume and, thanks to the wide space, can easily accommodate a set of golf clubs or weekend luggage for two.

The second row is divided 40:20:40, so you can fold down the middle to transport skis (or timber from Bunnings) while still ferrying four.

Folding the rear seats down will increase your cargo volume, but the aperture between the boot and cabin is quite small, so you might want to keep that in mind before heading to Ikea.

The R8 is a two-seater supercar and practicality isn't high on its 'to do' list with limited cabin storage in the form door pockets almost as small as my jeans pockets, two cupholders hiding under a trapdoor in the centre armrest, a hidey hole in front of the shifter containing a wireless charger and two USB ports and the glove box.

As for the boot – there are two: one in the nose with a 112-litre cargo capacity and another behind the mid-mounted engine with 226 litres.

Room for people, well you and a friend, is excellent. I'm 191cm (6'3") tall with a 2.0m wingspan and found the footwell deep and spacious, while head and shoulder room is also good.

The entry level R8 RWD Coupe lists for $295,000, while the Spyder version is $316,500. The R8 V10 Performance Coupe is $395,000 and the Spyder is $416,500.

It's in my view the best value supercar on the market. The Lamborghini Huracán Evo shares the same 5.2-litre V10, the transmission and the chassis (like Audi it's part of the Volkswagen family) and starts at $460K.

A Ferrari 488 Pista is pushing $600K, but the McLaren 570S is closer in price at $395,000 – although I find the R8 much less stressful and completely different to drive – read about that below.

Let's talk features. Coming standard on the R8 RWD Coupe and Spyder are laser LED headlights (new to the R8 for this update), 20-inch cast aluminum wheels (also new), a full leather interior (new) with heated and power adjustable RS sports seats, 12.3-inch instrument cluster, Bang & Olufsen 13-speaker stereo (new, too), sat nav, digital radio, proximity key and wireless device charging (new).

The R8 V10 Performance Coupe gets all of the features above but swaps the wheels for lighter, milled alloy rims, ditches the steel brakes for ceramic (pricey to replace, though), and adds other mechanical extras over the entry car such as Audi's magnetic dampers, plus a carbon-fibre reinforced polymer front swaybar.

What's missing? A central media screen would be good so your passenger can pick the music or follow the sat nav. Audi calls it a 'driver-focused cabin', but the Huracán has a media screen in the centre console.

I think there's a bit of advanced safety equipment missing, too – but that's in the section down further.

Both the entry-level and mid-tier 4 Series variants (420i and 430i respectively) are powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

Under the bonnet of the 420i, the engine produces 135kW/300Nm, while the 430i ups the ante to 190kW/400Nm.

The flagship (at launch) M440i meanwhile, scores a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol inline six delivering 285kW/500Nm.

All three engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with no manual option available on any grade.

The 420i and 430i send drive to the rear wheels, resulting in a zero to 100km/h sprint time of 7.5 and 5.8 seconds respectively, while the all-wheel-drive M440i needs just 4.5s.

Stacked up against its German rivals, the 4 Series offers a decent engine line-up, but doesn’t excel at any level compared to the Audi A5 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe.

There are two grades in the Audi R8 range – the entry-point R8 V10 RWD which has rear-wheel drive (RWD), and the R8 V10 Performance Quattro which has all-wheel drive (AWD).

Both obviously have V10 engines, it's a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre petrol unit (so no turbos here), but the RWD makes less power and torque at 397kW and 540Nm, while the Performance produces 449kW and 560Nm.

The V10 is mounted behind the driver's seat but ahead of the rear axle making it mid-engined car. The engine even has its own window and you can see it in there with its face pressed up against the glass.

There are two body styles as well – the Coupe and Spyder (convertible, roadster, just another word for a retractable soft roof). We'll get to the prices in the next section, but let's talk about the more interesting numbers such as top speeds.

The V10 RWD in coupe form can reach 324km/h and the Spyder can hit 322km/h while the V10 Performance Coupe and Spyder are both a smidge quicker at 330km/h.

Those are all go-straight-to-jail speeds in Australia, so if you're tempted to fact check my numbers then do it on a racetrack. Audi holds excellent track days – I've done them and you'll not only get to drive the R8 as fast as you can, the instructors will help you improve your advanced driving skills, too. Do it, it could save your life.

Acceleration from 0-100km/h is rapid – 3.7 seconds and 3.8 seconds for the V10 RWD Coupe and Spyder respectively, while the V10 Performance Coupe and Spyder can nail it in 3.2 seconds and 3.3 seconds.

The V10 engine has a cylinder-on-demand feature which can shut down five of the cylinders while cruising on a motorway, say at 110km/h. It's a fuel-saving system, but keep in mind this V10 loves petrol and lots of it – I've hidden that all the way down the bottom of this review.

Shifting gears in all R8s is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Officially, the 420i will sip 6.4 litres per 100km, while the 430i is slightly thirstier at 6.6L/100km.

Both aforementioned 4 Series variants will need 95 RON at the bowser.

The heavier and more potent M440i needs 7.8L/100km, while also using the more expensive 98 RON fuel.

We only drove through Melbourne country roads in our brief time with all three grades of the 4 Series and could not ascertain a reliable fuel economy figure.

Our driving did not cover an extended freeway journey or any inner-city driving, so check back to see if the quoted figures hold up to scrutiny once we get more time with the car.

That's like asking how many calories are in this pavlova that I'm about to push into my mouth? Seriously if you're asking then you shouldn't be eating it – or driving the R8.

But just for the record, according to Audi the RWD R8 uses 12.0L/100km in Coupe form and 12.2L/100km in Spyder guise after a combination of urban and open roads, while the AWD R8 of course will use more at 13.4L/100km for both Coupe and Spyder.

Anything wearing a BMW badge promises a fun and engaging drive, after all the brand’s tagline used to be the ‘ultimate driving machine’, which is exacerbated in a sporty two-door.

Luckily then, the 4 Series delivers the goods and is a thoroughly enjoyable drive in all three grades.

Taking the already brilliant new-generation 3 Series as a base, BMW has made the 4 Series lower, and added additional stiffening in the front and rear for a taught and agile handling machine.

The rear track is also increased, while the front wheels have more negative camber to help with mid-corner grip.

Though the 420i and 430i might not draw any headlines, they 2.0-litre turbo-petrol pair are fun to steer and precise with their inputs.

The 420i especially doesn’t have the punch to match its aggressive looks, but is perfectly capable at slower speeds and still a delight to tip in a corner.

The 430i meanwhile, delivers more thrills thanks to its more potent engine, but it can get a bit trashy higher in the rev range.

However, the pick of the bunch for us the M440i, not only for its extra spicy engine, but also the assurance of all-wheel drive.

Now it might be sacrilege to some to not have a rear-drive BMW, but the rear-biased xDrive system in the M440i is wonderfully tuned to deliver the same sort of natural driving characteristic of a two-wheel-drive model.

Undoubtedly the near-perfect weight distribution helps with this, while the wonderfully low driving position means the whole car feels like it pivots around the driver when turning the wheel.

The M Sport differential in the rear is also great at propelling out you out of the bends, while the adaptive suspension also has great variability between comfort and sport settings.

If we had any criticism with the driving experience? We’d have liked a bit more aural theatre, but BMW have to save the louder pops and crackles for the full-fat M4, right?

A big caveat here though is that we have yet to experience the new 4 Series in a suburban setting, with our launch route taking us directly to some twisty country roads.

We also never got to drive the 4 Series in a freeway setting, meaning all of the driving was done in twisty country roads where you would expect a BMW to excel.

A race circuit is the best place to test the performance of an Audi R8. I've been lucky enough to have done this in the past, but for this update of the R8 the Australian launch was held on public roads and included a convoy of RS models such as the RS 6 Avant, RS 7, RS Q3 and TT RS.

Even then I think I was 'stitched up' because I began the day in the R8 V10 Performance Coupe but spent almost the entirety of my allocated time in roadworks at 40km/h before swapping to an RS Q3.

So, while I can't honesty comment about the dynamics on this updated R8 V10 Performance Coupe I can tell you that having driven every iteration of the R8 since 2012 that it's a weapon, with helicopter-like visibility out of that large front window.

If, like me, you think turbos are 'cheating' (superchargers are fine), then you'll love the linear power delivery of the R8's naturally aspirated V10, and while I love front-engined sportscars, nothing beats a mid-engined car for the feeling of balance and lightness in the nose while having the sound of thousands of explosions going off just behind your back.

Having AWD is not just great for acceleration and perfect traction from Audi's quattro system, I think it's a good safety feature in a supercar, and while only your judgements can stop things going pear shaped, the system will be there to help on slippery roads.

The following day was different. I was in the R8 V10 RWD, the country roads were superb and while it wasn't a racetrack it was enough to get a hint of the capabilities of the RWD R8.

While the R8 V10 RWD feels the same to sit in with the same great view, it feels different to drive than its faster sibling, in a good way. First there's the noticeable power difference – more than 50kW and 20Nm less – but also the lack of AWD makes the front end feel more pointable, and the car feel more like a traditional sportscar that pushes from behind rather than pulling from the front. Less power, but more fun.

The RS cars in our test convoy were all awesome machines, but stepping out of even the RS6 Avant and slipping down into the R8 cockpit was like getting into a UFO – it's so far ahead dynamically of any other Audi that all I could do was laugh like an idiot. Corners which were making an RS 7 really struggle, were handled effortlessly by the R8. And in a straight line it's a bullet in a barrel.

The Performance has the better brakes: 380mm ceramic discs with six piston calipers up front and 356mm discs with four piston calipers at the rear. The RWD has steel discs – 365mm with eight piston calipers up front and 356mm discs with four piston calipers in the rear.

Keep in mind if you are planning on track days, you'll find the ceramic discs costly to replace, and beside the stopping power of the steel ones is excellent.

And yet, on pot holed course bitumen the ride is a lot more comfortable than you might think and having driven the Performance in traffic it's a much nicer place to sit than the claustrophobic cabin of a McLaren 570S. You could honestly use the R8 daily.

ANCAP has not tested the Audi R8 so there's no star rating available. What we can tell you is that the R8 has a low level of advanced safety technology – there's no AEB, no adaptive cruise control, no rear cross traffic alert, nor blind spot warning, nor lane keeping assistance. That's the reason why the score is so low here.

The R8 does have electronic stability control and ABS, and active roll over protection, plus six airbags, although the Spyder doesn't have curtain airbags.

Like all new BMW models, the 4 Series comes with a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

However, the benchmark for premium brands belongs to Mercedes-Benz, who offer a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, while Genesis matches the time period but limits travel to 100,000km.

Scheduled servicing for the 4 Series occurs every 12 months or 16,000km.

At the time of purchase, BMW offers a five-year/80,000 ‘basic’ service package that covers scheduled changing engine oil, filter, spark plugs and brake fluids.

This package costs $1650, which works out to be a very reasonable $330 per service.

A more thorough ‘plus’ plan is also available for $4500 that also covers brake pads/discs, clutch and windscreen wiper replacements over the same five-year/80,000km period.

The R8 is covered by Audi's three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty which not only falls behind in duration compared to mainstream brands but also its direct rival Mercedes-Benz which now has five-year, unlimited kilometre coverage.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km but unlike other Audi models there isn't a three-year or five-year plan available.