i4 M50 test drive

[rodhx]

I got to be the first person to test drive my local BMW dealer's new i4 M50 demo this morning. Car had 8 miles on it and we had to remove the plastic covers from the seats before taking off. Quiet and composed on the highway made it significantly more comfortable than our Mach E. The MME "bounciness" was REALLY evident once we got back in our car to leave, even though it doesn't normally get my attention.

Dynamically the i4 is everything a BMW should be. Huge speed potential and sharp handling. 3.7s to 60 and 536hp. I was able to run it "vigorously" up the entry to Barber Motorsports Park and it's really impressive through the curves and dips. Adjustable suspension means the drive modes are much more significant than throttle & steering mapping.

Purchase includes two years EA charging. Tests show it charges a bit faster than the MME but slower than the 800V Hyundai/Kia. 282 mile range as configured.

Cons? not much beyond personal preference issues. It looks like a normal 4 series Gran Coupe so you won't have as many parking lot discussions as with the MME...you should be invisible as far as EVs are concerned. No frunk (but with an early car Ford still doesn't really want me to use mine ). Tighter on interior space but its a car versus a station wagon. Per BMW standard procedure you have to tack on lots of options to get standard equipment on other vehicles but apples-to-apples it isn't much more than the GTPE which is what best competes with it. The dealers are not clear on when deliveries will begin. Fall 22 at best, likely into 23.

Biggest cons? The big fake grilles and the demo is BMW's Brooklyn Gray ?. I am not a fan of the "glossy primer gray" trend Scion thrust upon us ~15 years ago. Here's one pic I got next to my iconic silver MME. Wanted to get a better comparison pic put the next appointment was waiting.

Now I'm conflicted on how much I actually want an EV truck because the new German temptress might be too hard to refuse.

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[rodhx]

BTW, I can’t speak to interior tech. I didn’t have time to play with the myriad of options and, frankly, a lot of that stuff is much less important to me than driving dynamics and comfort. The drives modes have physical buttons on the center console. Other controls are standard BMW. Seats are the traditional fantastic BMW sports seats.

 

[Psalm139]

I haven't driven one of these but I sat in one. The backseat is SUPER tight. I have a 2014 Volvo S60 an I felt the i4 was much tighter. Near coupe levels

 

[rodhx]

I haven't driven one of these but I sat in one. The backseat is SUPER tight. I have a 2014 Volvo S60 an I felt the i4 was much tighter. Near coupe levels

Yes, the traditional sunroof and this being their “Gran Coupe” body means lower roofline & less headroom. Much tighter legroom in the back than the MME, etc segment. That’s what I was trying to say with my “car vs station wagon” comment ?

It’s tight but I am 6’2” and fit in the back behind the driver seat set to my preference.

 

[Psalm139]

Throttle House has an interesting review of it and they even give the Mach-E a shout out at minute 9.
Both they and the Straight Pipes have noticed some interesting range adjustments. It will be interesting to see how this does real world

 

[scoopman]

That BMW is so ugly.

 

[Blue highway]

I sat in one and it seemed nice…. But why the beaver teeef?

 

[rodhx]

Some say our wagons have misplaced ponies; BMWs have buck teeth. Marketing is weird ?

 

[Peaceowl]

Hope they change the front grill, it’s sort of gaudy. i agree, it’s not noticeably e-car style, but comfort is a good thing.

 

[Ming]

I went to a BMW i4/iX event at local dealership. they had both of them in the showroom, but only presented/promoted the iX. no test drive though.

I sat in i4, as Psalm139 mentioned above, back seats are really tight, with transmission tunnel in the middle taking a lot of space. they are even tighter than my 2-door 430i back seats.

I almost placed order on the i4 a while back, but decided to wait and see. I'm glad I waited and decided not to order one.

and I'm not impressed by the iX either.

 

[rodhx]

I went to a BMW i4/iX event at local dealership. they had both of them in the showroom, but only presented/promoted the iX. no test drive though.

I sat in i4, as Psalm139 mentioned above, back seats are really tight, with transmission tunnel in the middle taking a lot of space. they are even tighter than my 2-door 430i back seats.

I almost placed order on the i4 a while back, but decided to wait and see. I'm glad I waited and decided not to order one.

and I'm not impressed by the iX either.

I went to the Birmingham version of that event several weeks ago. Disappointing that the crew putting it on were only there to talk about the iX and knew literally nothing about the i4 they had except it was electric and blue. They were a bit crushed when I said I was not interested in the iX at all. ? But that did mean I had the i4 all to myself.

 

[Polar]

Does the i4 feature that same bizarre crystal selector choice they made for the iX?

 

[rodhx]

Does the i4 feature that same bizarre crystal selector choice they made for the iX?

No, thank goodness. The i4 is pretty much standard BMW except for the displays.

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