derBayerische September/October 2021 - 17

T H E
The past two decades have
highlighted the actual impact of the
auto critic. In short, people do not
purchase a vehicle because it was
deemed by some auto-critic publication,
or by some auto-critic group to
be " vehicle of the year " or on a " Best
List. " Those who follow auto-critic
websites have noticed that those
behind these sites continually use
the same hackneyed phrases and
bombastic pronouncements to gain
attention. These auto critic websites,
once hailed as " voices of inconvenient
truths " , have all transformed to
the contrarian, irrelevant rants of
bitter old reviewers.
One eventually comes to the
realization that these sites are nothing
more than thinly veiled extortion
threats to the auto industry - " hire us
as high-priced consultants or we'll
write terrible things about you. "
This wonderful soliloquy from
the Disney/Pixar movie, Ratatouille,
voiced by the late great actor Peter
O'Toole, best summed up the worth
of a critic:
" In many ways, the work of a
critic is easy. We risk very little yet
enjoy a position over those who offer
up their work and their selves to our
judgment. We thrive on negative
criticism, which is fun to write and to
read. But the bitter truth we critics
must face, is that in the grand
scheme of things, the average piece
(Top) Used to it yet? (Above) The rear design details were appreciated by all.
of junk is probably more meaningful
than our criticism designating it so. "
It was in that vein that I
approached our new M440i coupe
evaluation vehicle. To say that the
(Below) The side profile makes one forget about the front-end design.
front design has created an allergic
reaction within the world of auto
critics would be an understatement.
The last time such a BMW design
evoked such a reaction was with the
2 0 2 1
B M W M 4 4 0 i
E65 7 Series. Derided as the " Bangle
butt " , this vehicle became the bestselling
7 Series. And to the disgust
of the auto critics, several of the
luxury vehicle manufacturers incorporated
their version of the " Bangle
butt " in their premium luxury vehicle
re-designs.
That being said, my initial reactions
to our M440i evaluation vehicle
is best summed up through the
continuation of the aforementioned
soliloquy:
" But there are times when a
critic truly risks something, and that
is in the discovery and defense of the
new. The world is often unkind to
new talent, new creations, and the
newneeds friends. "
To the new 2021 BMW M440i -
I'm your friend.
The BMW 4 Series occupies a
curious North American market
segment. Once called " personal luxury
vehicle " , during the mid-1970s
heydays it was a highly competitive
market segment with the Cadillac El
Dorado and Lincoln Continental battling
in the high end of that market,
the Chrysler Cordoba, Pontiac Grand
Prix, Mercury Cougar, Oldsmobile
Toronado, and Buick Riviera competition
in the mid-price subsegment,
and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford
Thunderbird, Dodge Charger, AMC
Matador, and Plymouth Satellite
competing at the lower end.
September I October
17
derBayerische September/October 2021

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