After an early start with the i3 and i8, BMW thought that it could win the competition with Tesla with its fantastic PHEVs. The company learned otherwise, and after a few conversion jobs, like the iX3, it now has clean-sheet BEV designs. The i4 and iX are the first results of this new approach. The iX is a BEV-only design and the i4 is part of the new 4 Series multi-powertrain platform.
BMW i4 eDrive35, courtesy of BMW.
- Battery: 67 kWh, with about 249 miles of range.
- Battery: 80.7 kWh, with about 292 miles of range.
- Motor: 210 kW and 400 Nm of torque, rear-wheel drive.
- Motor: 250 kW and 430 Nm of torque, rear-wheel drive.
- Motor: 400 kW and 795 Nm of torque, all-wheel drive.
- Charging: 180 kW DC and 11 kW AC.
- Euro NCAP: ***** (5 stars)
- Length * Width * Height: 188.3” * 72.9” * 57.0”
- Prices from €58,000 to €76,000 (including sales tax and delivery costs)
BMW i4. Fabian Kirchbauer Photography. Courtesy of BMW.
BMW i4 trunk, courtesy of BMW.
Driving Machine
The slogan of the BMW brand has been “Freude im Fahren,” freely translated as “kick-ass driving.” That is what this brand offers its customers. To experience it with the i4, you have to visit at least the stretches of the German Autobahn without a speed limit, but preferably the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Even better would be the crossing of the Sankt Gotthard Pass, conquering the Devil’s Bridges along the way. I did it once and it is not on my bucket list to do it again.
I absolutely believe the BMW engineers succeeded in doing this, making the i4 an exhilarating pleasure for those attracted to it.
BMW i4 eDrive40, courtesy of BMW.
Usability
For more on usability and a test drive review, the Fully Charged show is always worth watching and it has a BMW i4 review. And this is what BMW itself has to say about its i4 model. CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan also recently drove one and may write a 1st impressions review for us.
BMW i4 dashboard, courtesy of BMW.
BMW i4 M50, courtesy of BMW.
BMW i4 infotainment, courtesy of BMW.
BMW i4 front seats, courtesy of BMW.
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