1. Intro / Design and Appearance 
2. Interior and Features / Space and Practicality 
3. Driving Experience / Competition, Pricing / Conclusion

Driving Experience

In conventional ICE car terms, a light, rear-wheel drive sedan has potential to be a good driver’s car. The i4 is, relatively speaking, all of those things: It’s a low-slung sedan with a rear-wheel drive layout, and less massive than an electric SUV of similar size. 

No surprise that it’s the best driving EV in its price range/size right now, at least in terms of how it sails around corners.

Like many EVs, it’s easy to drive and a peaceful experience at regular speed, but even at those speeds, the balance and drivability of the car come through. Similar to its brother, the iX3, the i4 has an eager, accurate nose and feelsome steering that make it more enjoyable to drive than some all-wheel drive EVs. 

As mentioned, the driving position is low enough that you don’t feel like you’re sitting on a flying mattress/battery pack, and the i4’s balance is particularly good, so much so that you feel the car react around and with you. BMW’s Hans Zimmer-composed synthetic sound isn’t a match for a purring inline six, but it is accurately pegged to your right foot for an additional point of feedback. 

Braking doesn’t feel like an afterthought, with good pedal feel and overall stopping power – contrast some particularly heavy EV SUVs which are wonderful at gaining speed, but shedding it is borderline scary. 

Those looking to trump others at stoplights should look elsewhere, since the i4 has a modest power output. But its 340hp and not-so-aggro 430Nm of torque actually add to the ease of driving this car quickly, since the power delivery isn’t so abrupt that it throws you off the line when you want to ride the lightning.

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And when you do, the i4 doesn’t give up the electric ghost, but stays admirably composed. It’s still not a light car, and like all EVs, you definitely shouldn’t take too many liberties with it, but it’s good and engaging enough that it delivers driving satisfaction to a higher level.

The old adage of “any fool can go fast in a straight line” still holds, but with that said, it’s in corners where the i4’s personality really asserts itself. Like other EVs, it has that feeling of a low centre of gravity with plenty of grip, so you can bomb through bends limited only by prudence and bravery.

But the i4 is also uniquely adjustable with your right foot. Head in fast, turn the wheel, and trim your line by easing up on the accelerator or widen it by feeding some power in – it’s engaging, exciting and yes, electrifying.

Hit the Sport mode and an artificial whirr starts to pipe up.  Silence may add to the novelty of the EV experience, but the i4 reminds you that a pleasant noise that rises in pitch and intensity is one of the sensations we associate with driving fast, and it adds a lot to the BMW’s appeal.

The icing on the lithium cake is that the i4 pairs fun driving with impressive efficiency. After 299km with the i4, it had sipped electrons at 17.6kWh/100km – all the more impressive since Jackrabbit Ju-Len drove most of that distance.

Short A-road runs saw the car run as low as 15kWh/100km. That gives our own range-per-charge at nearly 460km, making it one of the most efficient EVs we’ve tested to date, and easily equal or better to a Tesla Model 3. Matter of fact, we returned the car with 30 percent left in the battery and 136km of range, according to the trip computer. 

All we’ve said about BMW’s fifth-gen electric drive tech being very efficient – like in the iX and iX3 – still holds true, and even more so in a properly aerodynamic fastback bodystyle.  

Competition and Pricing

The Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 are of a similar size and also have fastback body styles, and are also less expensive. While Polestar has just launched its entry-level model Standard Range Single Motor at S$211k with COE, the comparable model is the Long Range Single Motor at S$227k with COE, and the high-performance Long Range Dual Motor at S$253k with COE. Tesla’s Model 3 Performance rings in at S$160k without COE, or around S$250k with COE, while its mid-tier model the Model 3 Standard Range Plus rings in at just over S$200k with COE. 

But these cars aren’t, to our eyes, direct competitors: They occupy a premium space, but not a luxury one in the way say, a BMW 3 Series is in direct competition with a Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

For now, there is no other German electric executive sedan – but when we look at the 4 Series GC range itself, the i4 is just like the iX3: Relatively speaking, it’s a bargain and an extremely cost-effective car. It’s priced closer to the 420i GC (S$300k) and but gives you straightline performance comparable to the 430i GC (S$350k). While it’s not like the iX3 which was the cheapest X3 at launch, it’s certainly worth the money if you compare it to its brethren, as well as other luxury EVs on the market.  

Conclusion 

BMW’s first electric sedan is everything we expected it to be: It looks good, delivers an involving driving experience, is packed full of tech, and is extremely efficient. The real convincing factor is its cost: In an age where a BMW 320i already costs S$300k with COE, the i4 makes an extremely strong case for itself. In short, it’s something drivers who want more charge should go for. 

BMW i4 eDrive40

Drivetrain type	Full electric
Electric Motor / layout	Single / Rear
Motor power / torque	340hp / 430Nm
Battery type /net capacity	Lithium ion, 80.7kWh
Normal Charge Type / Time	11kW AC wallbox / 8.5 hours
Max Fast Charge Type / Time	200kW DC / 20 mins 10 to 80 percent
Electric Range*	424km average
0-100km/h	5.7 seconds
Top Speed	190km/h
Efficiency*	19.8 kWh/100km
VES Band	A1/ -S$25,000
Agent	Performance Motors Limited
Price	S$312,888  with COE and VES
Availability	Now
Verdict	BMW’s first electric sedan is brilliant: nice to drive, tech packed, useful, and very efficient

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