Which Cars Had A BMW M44 Engine Under The Hood?

The current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard calls for a yearly two-percent increase in fuel economy from 2027 forward, requiring a fleet average of around 50 mpg by 2031. From light trucks to sports cars, forced-induction four cylinders have replaced the inherently less-efficient V6 and V8 engines as the standard in an industry-wide effort to stay in compliance with the government mandate. But while a small displacement engine still feels a bit strange as the standard in a luxury vehicle today, there was a time in the not-too-distant past when purchasing a non-turbo four-pot from the folks behind The Ultimate Driving Machine wasn't that uncommon.

Throughout the 1980s, BMW offered a four cylinder in quite a few models in their lineup, including the legendary E30 M3. First appearing in the 1987 318i offered in Europe, the M40-series of engines continued development through several iterations, ending with the penultimate DOHC 1.9-liter M44 that reached American shores in 1996 making 138 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 133 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm. Here are the BMW vehicles that were powered by the M44 four-cylinder in the United States.

[Image by Jcranston79 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

It's hard to argue that the words roadster and BMW together do not sound like an exciting combination. However, prior to the introduction of the Z3 in 1996, the last BMW-badged roadster that made it to the shores of the United States was the 507 in 1957. Thankfully, BMW saw fit to rectify that with a new ragtop whose styling hearkened back to the elegant BMW 507, and underpinnings cribbed from two different generations of the 3 Series.

At its 1996 introduction, the Z3 was a James Bond car and powered by a standard M44 four-cylinder which offered comparable performance to its contemporary, the MX-5 Miata. The next year, the Z3 could be optioned with a 2.8-liter inline-six cylinder producing a more substantial 190 horsepower which also added a wider rear track to the chassis, bringing it closer in performance and price to its Teutonic competitor – the Porsche Boxster. The M44 would soldier on in the Z3 until it was replaced by a more powerful 2.5-liter straight six as the base engine in 1999.

It wouldn't be at all surprising to go through life without ever seeing the E36 BMW 318ti. The Munich-based automaker first brought the model to the U.S. in 1995 for the 1996 model year. Unlike the rest of its 3 Series brethren in the States, the 318ti was a hatchback, a body style which did not resonate well with the traditional BMW customer here in North America. Despite its entry price of less than $20,000, sales of the model were slow. Of the approximately 375,000 3-Series sales worldwide, only around 25,000 of the 318ti were sold in the United States before it was summarily discontinued in 1999.

Despite its poor reception here when new, the M44 as a 138 horsepower four-cylinder was perhaps a better match for the 318ti than the Z3, given its affordable pricing as the entry point to the BMW lineup. Today, the 318ti and its M44 engine stand out as an inexpensive way to call yourself a BMW owner, as a 1998 example with 77,000 miles recently sold on BringATrailer for only $3,800.