BMW M44
BMW M44 (1996-1999): specifications, reliability, common problems and every car that has it.
- Displacement
- 1.9 L
- Layout
- Inline-4 NA petrol
- Power range
- 138 hp
- Produced
- 1996–1999
The M44 is the 1.9-litre four-cylinder that replaced the M42 for
1996. In the United States it powered the 318i, the 318ti hatchback and the first Z3 roadster
— the car that put it in front of more people than any BMW four-cylinder of the decade.
What the M44 is
A 1.9-litre inline-four with two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, enlarged
from the 1.8-litre M42 by a longer stroke. The layout is unchanged; the displacement is the
difference, and it is the difference that lets you identify one.
Our archive holds no United States brochure from these years, and certification records
carrying rated power begin in 1998 — at the very end of this engine’s life, and not for
the cars it went into. So no horsepower figure appears here. EPA fuel economy data supplies the
rest.
Where it appears in our records
| Model | US model years | Displacement | Combined mpg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 318i, 318is, 318i Convertible | 1996–1998 | 1,900 cc | 22–24 |
| 318ti | 1996–1999 | 1,900 cc | 23–24 |
| Z3 Roadster 1.9 | 1996–1998 | 1,900 cc | 23–24 |
Eight specification pages, all 1,900 cc, and 22 to 24 mpg combined
— the best economy of any BMW in our records until the diesel
M57 arrived a decade later.
The Z3 engine
The Z3 launched in 1996 with this engine, and for the first two years it was the only one
offered in the United States. The six-cylinder Z3 2.8 arrived in 1997 and the
M Roadster after that, but the car that appeared in the James Bond
film and sold on that publicity was a four-cylinder with 1.9 litres.
That is worth knowing if you are shopping: an early Z3 is very likely an M44 car, and the
badge on the boot says 1.9 rather than hiding it. BMW’s habit of decoupling the badge from the
engine came later.
1.9 or 1.8: telling it from the M42
| Engine | Displacement | US model years |
|---|---|---|
| M42 | 1.8 L | 1991–1995 |
| M44 | 1.9 L | 1996–1999 |
The 318i badge covers both. The model year separates them cleanly in our records, with no
overlap, and the displacement confirms it.
What we do not publish
No reliability rating. The NHTSA complaint database records faults against a
vehicle, not an engine, and a 1997 3 Series in it may be a 318i or a six-cylinder 328i.
For the Z3 the model is at least unambiguous in those years, but a complaint count for one
low-volume car is not a durability measurement, and we are not going to present it as one.
Common questions
Which BMWs have the M44?
In the United States: the 318i, 318is and 318i Convertible of 1996–1998, the 318ti of
1996–1999, and the Z3 Roadster 1.9 of 1996–1998.
How much horsepower does the M44 have?
We do not publish a figure. Certification records carrying rated power begin in 1998 and do
not cover these cars, and we hold no brochure of the period. Displacement is 1,900 cc in all of
them.
Is the Z3 1.9 an M44?
In the United States, yes, for 1996 to 1998. The EPA records list it at four cylinders and
1.9 litres for those years.
What is the difference between the M42 and the M44?
Displacement and date: 1.8 litres to 1995, 1.9 litres from 1996. The architecture is the
same twin-cam sixteen-valve four.
What replaced the M44?
Nothing directly, in the United States. Our records hold no four-cylinder BMW at all for the
model years 2000 through 2011 — twelve years without one — and the next is the
turbocharged N20 in 2012. The M44 is the last of the old
four-cylinders here.
Sources
Cylinder counts, displacements, model years and fuel economy from EPA fuel economy data, with
the source named on every specification page. No brochure from this period
is held in the archive.