OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
HOLY CRAP.
So, the reviews we've watched on this car? I'd say they are all quite accurate. it feels/drives just like an M-Sport 4 or 3-series; drives just like a normal car. It even creeps when you let off the brake like a normal car. You can change the regen to feel like normal brakes too, if you don't like the one-pedal driving feeling, which is how my wife liked it, I preferred the more aggressive regen.
I was too excited and didn't grab any interior pics, but I'll share these, which are from basically the same car, but a 40, not the M50 (poached from AutoTrader):
First off, this thing is just nuts. Instant full power, if you are going from a slight roll, it is VIOLENT. If you stuff it from a stop, there's some roll-in so the car doesn't blow the tires off, but it does not do that when you are rolling, it dances, and that's where the comments about the steering getting light seem to stem from, because it does. When you stuff it, you can feel it weight transfer and the front end clearly comes up, and when it does, the steering gets quite light and the front tires start pawing for traction, which yields a bit of torque steer. They should probably dial this back a bit, adjust the balance, because it's quite a handful.
That said, this doesn't at all take away from the fun factor, but if you've never driven this car before and don't know what to expect? It catches you a bit off-guard.
How today panned out:
My wife and my daughter went up to Oshawa today and I told her to stop-in and test drive this car. Well, she stopped in, but she ended up test driving the iX, not the i4. So, she gets home and tells me she loved it and it wasn't much different height-wise from the X5 and alarm bells started going off and I asked her which one she drove, and she just said "the electric BMW, it had a really weird square wheel" and so I showed her some pictures and we quickly concluded she had driven the iX not the i4, but, unlike the e-tron, she really liked the iX, regardless of how hideous it looks
So, I figured we'd go back up as a couple now that she was clearly interested. So, we took out the i4 first, then the iX. Then I had her test drive an X5 (she wouldn't drive in Thornhill the last time we went out). Her preference was the X5, and she wants to go the PHEV route, BUT, she really enjoyed the i4 and iX. She prefers the ride height of the SUV and thought the i4 would be a bit cramped, as the back seats are small (which they are, and all three of our kids are still at home). She thinks a PHEV would be more practical than straight EV if we were to go this route, but she acknowledged the significant fun factor of this car.
Back to the review:
Interior:
So, the ones they have in stock don't have extended leather or anything super fancy (these demos from BMW). Interior is nice, but typical 3/4 series calibre. Soft touch, classy look, quality feel. You can get the upgraded interior however, which makes it more luxurious, and it doesn't add a lot to the sticker.
This unit had, in addition to the standard features:
- HK sound system, which was similar to what's in my Jeep
- Heated/cooled cup holders
- Wireless CarPlay
- Wireless Charging
- HUD (I think this is standard)
One of the complaints about the BMW induction charging is that it gets pretty warm. I can confirm this is the case, the wireless charging pad does get quite warm in use, and made my otterbox surprisingly warm when I removed my phone from it.
As pictured, the centre console is what you'd expect in a normal BMW. Cup holders in the normal spot, same with the shifter, drive mode select...etc.
BMW equips their EV's with blue accents on certain surfaces, so the roundel on the hood, has a blue surround, the shifter has blue highlights, the on/off button is blue.
The comments about the interior feeling small (for an EV) are on-point. It feels like a normal BMW sedan, which, if that's what you are expecting, is fine. If you are expecting something more open and spacious like a Tesla, you'd be better served looking at the iX, which has that open interior, flat floor and more "EV" feel to it.
Chassis:
Steering feel when you aren't deep into the pedal is very nice and very responsive when you are in Sport. The suspension is fantastic, it rides better than the Model S and much better than the Model 3. You can tell the car is heavy, but it doesn't drive heavy? It doesn't feel ponderous like the e-tron, it drives a lot like an M5 due to the weight, even though it is M3/M4 size.
The brakes/regen integration is seamless and pedal feel is excellent. BMW always has a perfect dead pedal sizing and location and this car, being basically a 4-series in size, retains that.
The car feels planted and drives like the saloon that it is. It comes rolling on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, which, even though today wasn't super warm (14C) performed very well.
Infotainment:
The upgraded iDrive 8 is extremely responsive. Navigation works well (though I'd probably use maps on my phone using CarPlay) and the menus are reasonably intuitive. The Home menu is a bit busy, they might have considered breaking it up a bit more.
HVAC controls are always accessible on the bottom of the screen, which is nice, because there are no physical HVAC controls, which some might prefer.
The cluster is reasonably neat, not much different from any other recent BMW. The HUD is excellent, showing you not only your speed and the speed limit, but navigation information as well. This is configurable. This really adds to the driving experience with the car, as you never need to take your eyes off the road, all the information is right there in front of you.
Seat controls are where you'd expect them to be, along with wheel heat. Cruise and other functions are all typical to the brand in operation and location.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for an EV that drives like a regular BMW? This is it. It's like somebody electrified an M4 but made it drive more like an M5. It feels completely familiar and there's really no learning curve.
If you are looking for something more futuristic that feels like an "EV" (like a Tesla)? This isn't it. You'd be better served looked at the iX, which is squarely aimed at that audience with its weird interior, tech, flat floor and open design. The iX also uses carbon fibre in its construction, this is the door jamb:
So, the reviews we've watched on this car? I'd say they are all quite accurate. it feels/drives just like an M-Sport 4 or 3-series; drives just like a normal car. It even creeps when you let off the brake like a normal car. You can change the regen to feel like normal brakes too, if you don't like the one-pedal driving feeling, which is how my wife liked it, I preferred the more aggressive regen.
I was too excited and didn't grab any interior pics, but I'll share these, which are from basically the same car, but a 40, not the M50 (poached from AutoTrader):
First off, this thing is just nuts. Instant full power, if you are going from a slight roll, it is VIOLENT. If you stuff it from a stop, there's some roll-in so the car doesn't blow the tires off, but it does not do that when you are rolling, it dances, and that's where the comments about the steering getting light seem to stem from, because it does. When you stuff it, you can feel it weight transfer and the front end clearly comes up, and when it does, the steering gets quite light and the front tires start pawing for traction, which yields a bit of torque steer. They should probably dial this back a bit, adjust the balance, because it's quite a handful.
That said, this doesn't at all take away from the fun factor, but if you've never driven this car before and don't know what to expect? It catches you a bit off-guard.
How today panned out:
My wife and my daughter went up to Oshawa today and I told her to stop-in and test drive this car. Well, she stopped in, but she ended up test driving the iX, not the i4. So, she gets home and tells me she loved it and it wasn't much different height-wise from the X5 and alarm bells started going off and I asked her which one she drove, and she just said "the electric BMW, it had a really weird square wheel" and so I showed her some pictures and we quickly concluded she had driven the iX not the i4, but, unlike the e-tron, she really liked the iX, regardless of how hideous it looks
So, I figured we'd go back up as a couple now that she was clearly interested. So, we took out the i4 first, then the iX. Then I had her test drive an X5 (she wouldn't drive in Thornhill the last time we went out). Her preference was the X5, and she wants to go the PHEV route, BUT, she really enjoyed the i4 and iX. She prefers the ride height of the SUV and thought the i4 would be a bit cramped, as the back seats are small (which they are, and all three of our kids are still at home). She thinks a PHEV would be more practical than straight EV if we were to go this route, but she acknowledged the significant fun factor of this car.
Back to the review:
Interior:
So, the ones they have in stock don't have extended leather or anything super fancy (these demos from BMW). Interior is nice, but typical 3/4 series calibre. Soft touch, classy look, quality feel. You can get the upgraded interior however, which makes it more luxurious, and it doesn't add a lot to the sticker.
This unit had, in addition to the standard features:
- HK sound system, which was similar to what's in my Jeep
- Heated/cooled cup holders
- Wireless CarPlay
- Wireless Charging
- HUD (I think this is standard)
One of the complaints about the BMW induction charging is that it gets pretty warm. I can confirm this is the case, the wireless charging pad does get quite warm in use, and made my otterbox surprisingly warm when I removed my phone from it.
As pictured, the centre console is what you'd expect in a normal BMW. Cup holders in the normal spot, same with the shifter, drive mode select...etc.
BMW equips their EV's with blue accents on certain surfaces, so the roundel on the hood, has a blue surround, the shifter has blue highlights, the on/off button is blue.
The comments about the interior feeling small (for an EV) are on-point. It feels like a normal BMW sedan, which, if that's what you are expecting, is fine. If you are expecting something more open and spacious like a Tesla, you'd be better served looking at the iX, which has that open interior, flat floor and more "EV" feel to it.
Chassis:
Steering feel when you aren't deep into the pedal is very nice and very responsive when you are in Sport. The suspension is fantastic, it rides better than the Model S and much better than the Model 3. You can tell the car is heavy, but it doesn't drive heavy? It doesn't feel ponderous like the e-tron, it drives a lot like an M5 due to the weight, even though it is M3/M4 size.
The brakes/regen integration is seamless and pedal feel is excellent. BMW always has a perfect dead pedal sizing and location and this car, being basically a 4-series in size, retains that.
The car feels planted and drives like the saloon that it is. It comes rolling on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, which, even though today wasn't super warm (14C) performed very well.
Infotainment:
The upgraded iDrive 8 is extremely responsive. Navigation works well (though I'd probably use maps on my phone using CarPlay) and the menus are reasonably intuitive. The Home menu is a bit busy, they might have considered breaking it up a bit more.
HVAC controls are always accessible on the bottom of the screen, which is nice, because there are no physical HVAC controls, which some might prefer.
The cluster is reasonably neat, not much different from any other recent BMW. The HUD is excellent, showing you not only your speed and the speed limit, but navigation information as well. This is configurable. This really adds to the driving experience with the car, as you never need to take your eyes off the road, all the information is right there in front of you.
Seat controls are where you'd expect them to be, along with wheel heat. Cruise and other functions are all typical to the brand in operation and location.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for an EV that drives like a regular BMW? This is it. It's like somebody electrified an M4 but made it drive more like an M5. It feels completely familiar and there's really no learning curve.
If you are looking for something more futuristic that feels like an "EV" (like a Tesla)? This isn't it. You'd be better served looked at the iX, which is squarely aimed at that audience with its weird interior, tech, flat floor and open design. The iX also uses carbon fibre in its construction, this is the door jamb:
