BMW i4 2022 Review

Last updated on January 19th, 2022 at 03:35 pm

Intro, Price, Options and Verdict

Introduction

BMW was one of the pioneers of the EV revolution. The i3 has been one of the most successful electric cars yet, helping build a cooler and less “worthy” image for electrification. But since then, BMW has taken its attention away from pure-BEVs under its own brand, with just the Mini Electric launched, which has been a clear success too. Until now. The i4 arrives alongside the iX SUV. It’s a saloon in what BMW calls the “gran coupe” genre, so it’s bigger than the 3-series. But it’s more than just a large tourer. The i4 is a sign of BMW regaining its performance saloon mojo in the electric era.

Price and Options

The BMW i4 enters an electric market that isn’t very crowded with saloon options just yet. The most obvious competitors are the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2. It’s little longer than either, but otherwise similar in size, and similarly aimed at the executive four-door market.

There are two main versions of the i4 – the eDrive40 and the M50. The former is rear-wheel-drive with 340hp and the latter all-wheel-drive with 544hp. However, both have an 83.9kWh gross (80.7kWh net) battery. The eDrive40 comes in Sport and M Sport trim variants, making three basic options. The eDrive40 Sport starts at £51,905, whereas the M Sport variant is £2,500 more at £53,405 and the M50 is £10,500 more than that at £63,905.

The Sport starts with 17in alloys (but 18in are a free upgrade), LED headlights and taillights, powered tailgate, reversing camera, and even a heat pump. Upgrading to the M Sport switches to the 18in alloy wheels by default, adds Alcantara/Sensatec seats, includes lots of styling additions, and offers the IconicSounds engine noise system as well as a number of connected features. The M50 switches the basic colour from white to black, upgrades the wheels to 19in, adds M Sport adaptive suspension and brakes, and variable sport steering. You also get Vernasca leather seats.

The basic eDrive40 colour is white, but black, white, orange, blue, green and light grey metallics are £695. Dark grey metallic, a special blue and red are £1,750. The M50 comes with metallic paints at no cost, the dark grey, special blue and red are just £1,100, and there’s a matte blue for £2,985, which was what our test car came with. There are multiple interior colouring choices, with prices and options varying with trim level. You can also specify wheels up to 20in as optional extras. Our test car had the latter, which are an additional £1,350 on the M50.

Then, of course, there are lots of option packs to choose from, including M Sport Pro for £2,500, a lights package for £1,500, Tech pack including HUD and wireless charging for £1,900, and £3,800 for extra driving assistance via the Technology Plus Pack. However, the M50 only needs £1,900 for this as it has the Tech pack already as standard. There’s a Comfort pack including a heated steering wheel for £990, and if you have this with memory seats it’s £1,950, although the price drops to £1,200 with the M50 because it already has some of the features.

This is a typical scenario for a German car. The base price of the i4 eDrive40 Sport is only slightly more than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range, although the Polestar 2 Long range Dual motor is £5,000 cheaper. The i4 M50 is a few grand more than a Tesla Model 3 Performance. Add in a few option packs, however, and the BMWs get quite a bit more expensive than their competitors, although you might be willing to pay this for the quality and brand. Either way, the i4 is no electric BMW 320d alternative, and it’s a shame that there is no version to go up against the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (now just called the Model 3).

Design, Comfort and Storage

Exterior Design

BMW has not made any tremendously radical departures for the exterior look of the i4. This still looks like a BMW, with the signature kidney grille, although it’s clearly not intended to allow airflow over a radiator. In fact, it hosts sensors including radar for the ADAS. While we understand that the kidney grille is part of the BMW branding, its increasing size is more questionable. This iteration isn’t as divisive as the one on the iX SUV, which is reminiscent of beaver teeth. But if you look at the more subtle implementations on the i3 and i8, the size on the i4 still seems excessive.

Otherwise, BMW has kept the i4’s appearance very much in line with the most recent fossil fuel-powered 4-series gran coupe. It’s about 9cm longer than a Tesla Model 3, but unlike the latter is actually a hatchback, although you won’t be able to tell until you open the boot. BMW signals the electric nature of the i4 with some subtle stylistic additions like the blue flash under the doors that is supposed to represent where the battery is. The door handles are also flush with the doors.

Overall, if you like current BMW styling, including the massive kidney grille, you’ll like the way the i4 looks. For those who don’t want their EV to scream difference as Teslas and VW ID. cars do, for example, it’s an attractive exterior appearance. Yet the i4 is still surprisingly aerodynamic, with a Cd airflow value of 0.24, which is only slightly higher than the Tesla Model 3’s incredible 0.23.

Interior Comfort

The interior is another reason why lovers of German cars are so enamoured. This is also likely to be a major reason why purchases choose the i4 over a Tesla. While BMW has simplified the controls and media displays with its new EVs (of which more in a later section), otherwise the interior has the same sense of luxury and quality as non-electric BMWs.

The M50 we drove had supremely comfortable black Vernasca leather seats with blue stitching, which is standard on this car but a £1,500 option on the Sport and £1,300 on the M Sport. Otherwise, the Sport has artificial Sensatec and cloth, and the M Sport Alcantara with Sensatec. It’s possible to choose different interior trims to go with the seat coverings, for an individual combination, although some of these options cost £500 extra.

There is a cubby under the central armrest, a couple of cupholders the other side of the gearstick, and in front of that a space for a smartphone wireless charging pad. This is standard on the M50 but part of the £1,900 Tech pack for the xDrive40. You can add an electric glass sunroof for £1,050, which isn’t standard on any of the trim levels, and wasn’t included on our car.

Rear passenger space is decent if not up with some of the electric SUVs we have reviewed. The two outer seats are very comfortable and have adequate legroom for tall adults, although the headroom is curtailed by the sloping rear glass. The central seat is reasonably wide but raised so not as comfortable as it could be. It also has a hump in the floor in front of it – a bit inexplicable as there is no driveshaft to accommodate here. If you don’t have a middle rear passenger you can pull down the seat back to make an armrest with integrated cupholders, although these are underneath twin flaps that add quite a bit of bulk when open.

The two outer seats have ISOfix points integrated for child restraints. Rear passengers also benefit from their own vents and temperature control for the air conditioning, as this is tri-zone on all trim levels. There are also twin USB C ports for rear passengers to charge their devices.

Storage and Load Carrying

Although the i4 looks like a four-door saloon, it’s actually a hatchback. BMW has performed similar magic as the Polestar 2 by making a car that hides the fact it has a proper hatch on the rear, and this makes load carrying more practical. All versions of the i4 have a powered boot release as well. The basic capacity is a decent 470 litres, which is more than a Tesla Model 3 or Polestar 2.

BMW has also added flexibility by giving the rear seats a 40/20/40 split, so you can drop down the middle section on its own for longer items and still have two rear passengers. If you drop all three rear sections forward, however, you get a very decent 1,290 litres, which is not far off an estate car and more than the Tesla Model 3 or Polestar 2. The i4 can also tow 750kg unbraked and 1,600kg braked. The towbar is a £1,000 optional extra.

The i4 doesn’t have a frunk, and the space under the boot floor is smaller too, taken up mostly by the subwoofer in the M50, with just enough room for a charging cable. But it’s still an extremely practical car for load lugging. There is even a handy shopping bag hook and 12V car power supply in the boot.

In-Car Entertainment and Controls

BMW has made significant changes to the i4 controls compared to the petrol 4-series. The dashboard is dominated by what looks like a single ultra-wide LCD panel but is in fact two displays placed adjacently. Behind the steering wheel is a 12.3in panel, which doesn’t make much of an attempt to mimic conventional analog dials. There’s numerical current speed in the middle, with a level indicator on the left. The right shows power and regeneration. Smaller icons along the bottom show things like remaining charge as percentage and distance, plus current speed limit.

Our test drive M50 came with the HUD, which is part of the £1,900 Tech pack for the eDrive40. Alongside your speed, this shows current speed limit and the next limit you will reach along your route, which is useful so you can slow down in preparation. There is next turn information if you are navigating, and some ADAS information.

BMW has simplified the array of buttons compared to its usual cockpit. The central console includes a gearstick for selecting reverse, neutral and drive, with a flick right for B mode with extra regeneration. A button on this stick selects park. There is a separate switch for the parking brake, although you can get away without bothering to engage this if you want. There are discrete buttons to enable Auto Hold and the three drive power modes – Sport, Comfort and Eco Pro. A large round button turns the system on. The air conditioning has some discrete buttons, but only for key screen demisting functions.

To the left of the gearstick is a rotating knob and buttons to control the infotainment system, which brings us to the other display next to the 12.3in dashboard instrumentation. This is a 14.9in curved screen for media, entertainment, and settings. It’s a touchscreen, but you can also use the aforementioned knob and buttons to operate it. We found the satnav a little quirky for entering addresses, and we’ve never liked the colour scheme used by BMW’s maps which look too busy, but it is connected and includes live traffic.

You will also need to use the touchscreen for most of the climate control operations. There is support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. One of the slickest aspects is how you use a QR code to set up with the smartphone app (not unique, as even MG uses this), but this can also allow you to import settings from a pre-existing BMW account. This will be handy for fleet owners, so employees can get going in a new car from the pool as quickly as possible. The i4 comes with Over The Air software updating capability as standard too.

Performance, Running Costs, Range, and Safety

Performance and Driving

Most BMW buyers purchase their cars because they like driving, and the i4 caters well for that customer. With over 200hp between the eDrive40 and M50, unsurprisingly performance is very different. The eDrive40 can hit 62mph in 5.7 seconds, which makes it quicker than the current Tesla Model 3 but quite a bit slower than the Long Range. The M50, on the other hand, can reach 62mph in 3.9 seconds, which is slower than the Tesla Model 3 Performance. You also need to engage the Sport Boost function to enable the fastest acceleration. The eDrive40 is limited to 118mph, where the M50 can reach 140mph.

Although the M50 will lose off the lights to a Tesla Model 3 Performance, and its 2,215kg weight means it should be less nimble around corners too, in practice the M50’s suspension and steering are excellent. This is one of the most engaging EV drives out there. The M50’s all-wheel-drive and huge power make it an absolute joy on twisty UK A roads, and it’s extremely well poised at motorway speeds as well. You feel the bulk on bends, but never get the sense that the grip will let you down.

We haven’t driven the eDrive40, which doesn’t have the adaptive suspension, M Sport brakes or anywhere near as much power. But the solid BMW build will still be there and it’s not exactly a slow car by general standards, even if there quite a few quicker EVs in a straight line. The i4’s centre of gravity is lower than a 3-series BMW – 34mm for the M50, and 53mm for the eDrive40 – which helps manage the extra weight around corners. The M50 ride quality is also surprisingly decent considering the relatively firm setup.

Range and Charging

The i4’s performance may be excellent, but the range is where BMW has clearly thought this car through particularly well. You may even be willing to sacrifice the speed of the M50 for the eDrive’s WLTP range of 365 miles, because the extra power and weight of the M50 reduce this to 315 miles. In other words, the eDrive40 may be slower than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range, but its range is a little better. The M50’s range is quite a bit less than Tesla Model 3 Performance, though.

BMW gives i4 owners the additional benefit of excellent charging abilities. There’s 11kW AC and DC charging all the way up to 200kW. With 11kW AC, the car will take 8.5 hours to recharge to 100% from empty but expect this to be 50% longer with a 7kW home AC supply. With a sufficiently fast DC supply, you can get to 80% from 10% in just 31 minutes.

To help with this, BMW’s charge card gives access to 170,000 charge points across the UK and EU, including IONITY’s. The latter’s 350kW units will enable fast enough DC supply. It’s also worth reiterating that all i4s have a heat pump so shouldn’t lose so much range in cold weather as some EVs, either. However, BMW can’t compete with Tesla’s Supercharger network for ubiquity and reliability.

Running Costs

Assuming a 14p per kW supply (more likely 19-20p per kW these days, but we use this figure for backwards comparison), the eDrive40 costs 3.1p per mile, whereas the M5 is considerably more expensive at 3.6p per mile, although neither are huge compared to most SUV-format EVs.

Insurance groups range from 35 for the basic eDrive40 Sport, to 36 for the M Sport, and 43 for the M50. These are notably lower than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range or Performance, so this car will be cheaper to insure.

The basic guarantee is for three years. Paintwork also has a separate three-year warranty, but there’s a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty on top of this. BMW “i” cars have the typical eight years / 100,000 miles battery warranty, too, although this stipulates you keep to the service and inspection schedule.

Safety

BMW includes a reversing camera in all cars. There’s an orange triangle that appears on the wing mirror to provide blind spot detection warnings. There’s some form of cruise control on all cars, but you need the Technology Plus pack (£3,800 on eDrive40 and £1,900 on the M50) for adaptive cruise control. This is part of the Driving Assistant Professional system, which also includes lane keep assistance, lane departure warnings, and collision reduction including cross-traffic. The Technology Plus pack also adds a panoramic, 360 or 3D view to the parking camera, plus parking automation. It turns the car’s cameras into dashcams for the Drive Recorder system, too. In other words, it’s an expensive but valuable upgrade. High beam assistance is part of the Visibility Pack (£1,500 on the Sport).

Key Specifications

*based on electricity costs of 14p per kWh