BMW I4 prices and specs

[im85288]

Interesting to read people’s views on the new BMW i4. I must admit when I first seen it a few months back I wasn’t impressed at all, the grill doesn’t bother me but the blue accents really grated on my nerves! Prior to getting my M3 performance almost two years ago I used to drive a BMW 435 X Drive. After the initial feelings of wow this thing is a rocket (when I got the Tesla) for the last 6 months at least I have been counting down the days until my two year lease on it is over.

I just find the Tesla looks super ugly (especially from the front where many people have said it looks like a duck!), and it’s handling is the worst car I’ve had in the last 6 years (previous car before the bmw was Jaguar XF ). It feels so light in the steering with cornering etc akin to driving a milk float. There are some things I like..the autopilot is great and of course it’s party trick of being able to beat anyone in a straight line launch from traffic lights always brings a smile to the face.

For me at least the model 3 has become too mainstream, two years ago it was like wow there’s a Tesla..now it’s like boring there goes another model 3.. and all this crap from Mr musk and his pipe dream promises of FSD etc makes me realise the Tesla really is IMHO a one trick pony that in its day was groundbreaking but now the big boys have joined the EV game it’s time for me to move on.

I test drove a Porsche Taycan and (yes it costs twice as much etc) it brought back all the memories of what the German manufacturers bring to the game. It really does feel like it’s glued to the corners..put a massive smile on my face the whole drive..and it was slower than my M3P but build quality and driving feedback is what I desire again.

Anyway I have put a deposit down on the Taycan but will definitely test drive the i4 M50 when it comes out as if it handles like my old 435 XDrive it could well be the “sensible” option to go for rather than Porsche with their crazy prices.

For all those who love their M3 don’t take offence, this is just my opinion after ownership of almost two years…

 

[UrbanSplash]

Neighbour has a Taycan now. Sat in it and was blown away compared to my M3. Makes the M3 look like a toy car inside. Yes it’s far more expensive, but you can see why. There is more to life than first off the line. It’s certainly a head turner. Also, agreed as some have previously said, the M3 is a yawn fest now. So many around. Mainly in white. I’ve enjoyed it for a coming up 2 years this winter but I will be getting rid soon as residuals are strong. May look at a Taycan or Audi. Model Y looks further away than ever and the similar interior to the 3 is going to look a bit meh when it does finally arrive.

 

[Llama.]

I agree the grill is ugly. How does the BMW i4 compare with the M3 in terms of FSD and Autopilot etc?

 

[Kandiru]

Usually lower end brands feature huge logos and badges, too bad that BMW botched the fake grille so badly when they could have done something refined fit for educated individuals ready to shell out that kind of dough.

 

[Peter 224]

It looks horrible from the front,
It is expensive,
Even the M50 barely competes with the M3 LR AWD
I wonder how it rides?
One big reason I departed from the AMG world was the harsh ride.

 

[curmudgeon]

Neighbour has a Taycan now. Sat in it and was blown away compared to my M3. Makes the M3 look like a toy car inside. Yes it’s far more expensive, but you can see why. There is more to life than first off the line. It’s certainly a head turner.

Don't buy a Porsche. In 2012 I issued legal proceedings against Porsche GB for lying about a number of things including cheating various emissions tests. That was three years before the EPA exposed the VW scandal. Porsche eventually paid me 36k to stop the case being heard at the High Court, but if you could see what I saw during those proceedings, you would never do business with that organisation. Really unpleasant and devious people.

 

[jabloomf1230]

It takes a lot for the majority of car buyers to declare that a car is ugly. But BMW managed to do so with the M4 and i4. It is not just the bucktoothed front grille. The entire exterior design isn't cohesive either. I was planning on trading in my BMW 530e hybrid for an i4 until I saw an i4 in person. It is easily BMW's ugliest car ever. At least Tesla owes its exterior design to aerodynamics.

 

[HenryT]

I thought BMW reached a low point in grille design with the 'sliced-off' version in 2005 (I had one and grew to hate it), but it looks like they have plumbed new depths with the latest abomination.

 

[Jason71]

I suppose we should not be surprised that a grille modelled on a kidney turned out to be offal.

bah dum. I'm here all week.

 

[MrBadger]

Moderator comment - can we keep to the topic of prices and specs and not personal taste.

 

[pdk42]

Whatever we think of the styling, the comparison of the i4 to the Model 3 in terms of specs and prices isn’t favourable for the BMW. The base model at £52k is basically similar to the SR+ which is £10k cheaper. I’m sure the Beemer will have a nicer interior and probably better overall fit and finish, but paying £10k for that and having to deal with the inferior public charging network is more than questionable in my view.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Don't buy a Porsche. In 2012 I issued legal proceedings against Porsche GB for lying about a number of things including cheating various emissions tests. That was three years before the EPA exposed the VW scandal. Porsche eventually paid me 36k to stop the case being heard at the High Court, but if you could see what I saw during those proceedings, you would never do business with that organisation. Really unpleasant and devious people.

On that basis I think you'd be foolish to buy a Tesla too. There are no end of dodgy practices going on including the way they express performance, batterygate, chargegate, the whole MCU debarcle and now refusing top pay claims for work they did for customers, the list goes on. I'm sure you had a bad experience but I doubt there is a single large organisation that doesn;t have issues like you experienced in some form or another..

Back on topic. the grill is personal taste and based on the M4s I've seen in BMW dealerships its very influenced by colour choices and can look quite imposing. The technology in the BMW is also much better than you might imagine based on my wifes car, which is being superceeded in th i4. Things like carplay and android auto have been standard, but now even Alexa is built in, plus the driver assistance stuff is really clever and much more plesant to use than the Tesla offering, and zero phantom braking events. Having shifted to a Model 3 myself from a Model S the noise is what disappoints me. The BMW will almost certainly be whisper quite in comparison. There's more to a car than 0-60 times.

 

[Ben177]

Whatever we think of the styling, the comparison of the i4 to the Model 3 in terms of specs and prices isn’t favourable for the BMW. The base model at £52k is basically similar to the SR+ which is £10k cheaper. I’m sure the Beemer will have a nicer interior and probably better overall fit and finish, but paying £10k for that and having to deal with the inferior public charging network is more than questionable in my view.

The thing is, nobody ever pays list price for a BMW whereas everyone does for a Tesla. I’d expect the actual price paid, or the lease cost to be very similar.

 

[Artiste]

1. The thing is, nobody ever pays list price for a BMW whereas everyone does for a Tesla. I’d expect the actual price paid, or the lease cost to be very similar.

This. Prices might be maintained while the car is new, but I’d be surprised if heavy discounting isn’t available sooner rather than later. I’d expect see as much as 20% off list price through an online broker, and that would make it much more appealing.

Looks are not my top priority when I’m buying a car, which is just as well because if that was the case I would never have bought an M3.

 

[ACarneiro]

even Alexa is built in

This is definitely on the “minus” column.
So now Amazon can spy on me even in the car…

 

[Gatsojon]

The thing is, nobody ever pays list price for a BMW whereas everyone does for a Tesla. I’d expect the actual price paid, or the lease cost to be very similar.

This is very true. I got 17% off my M4 and there were better deals to be had later over 20%. Those won’t be available at launch but once the fuss dies down. I’ll certainly be taking one for a drive as I liked my BMWs but I’m in no rush to put myself into the stealer network. I much prefer the hands off younger approach of Tesla.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

This is definitely on the “minus” column.
So now Amazon can spy on me even in the car…

Not if you don't log in.

Tesla track every twitch of your steering wheel, Apple built a geoloaction database of wifi hotspots using your mobile phone plus plenty of other things behiond the scenes. google mine every word you type in but just having Alexa is a bad thing.

 

[ACarneiro]

Not if you don't log in.

Tesla track every twitch of your steering wheel, Apple built a geoloaction database of wifi hotspots using your mobile phone plus plenty of other things behiond the scenes. google mine every word you type in but just having Alexa is a bad thing.

Tesla I can’t avoid, Google and its products I don’t bloody touch with a barge pole and Apple seem to at least have a business model that doesn’t rely on your personal data and seem to be on the side of privacy (_seem_).
I can only do what I can do. Alexa is a no, thanks.

 

[SpareHeadOne]

"The i4 M50 comes with dual-electric motors – one under the bonnet driving the front wheels and another at the back driving the rear wheels."

Weird! Why haven't they gone with the more traditional layout of one over the bonnet and one under the passenger seat?

 

[Peter 224]

Back in May 2021 I said "I wonder how it rides" as I'd left the German world because of the harsh ride and road noise.

Well, today I took a BMW i4-40 M Sport (single rear engine) out for a test drive today, 45 mins on roads I know very well. It had the Tech + pack, Comfort + pack and M Sport Pro pack, plus glass sliding roof.

First impressions: it is a BMW, everything about it is like every modern BMW. Seats, instruments, controls, etc., it even has a “gear lever”!

Main Points:

Ride: slightly more refined than the M3, quieter, less tyre noise. The best ride in a BMW I’ve experienced
Seats: more enveloping, very comfortable, leather.
Steering: a lot more feel, faster.
Brakes: not as good, but with regenerative braking who needs them?
Controls: excellent HUD, there is a touch screen, but the main controller is the BMW iDrive wheel.
Sound System: good enough, possibly not as good as the M3 AWD.
Performance: rear motor only, yet surprisingly quick, faster than I expected.
Overall feel: BMW – no surprise.

Negatives:
Range: with 88% battery it had a range quoted of 235 miles, so a bit less than the M3: BMW quote 346 WTLP miles, so possibly 300 miles.
Price: the car I drove has a list price of £62,000, vs £50,000 for the M3 AWD.
Delivery: order today for December delivery..really?
Image: it is a BMW…and the front grill is still ugly.

I'm going to take it out again, but so far my Tesla experience, especially the faults and the ever changing "GUI' have jaded my experience.
Is it worth £10k more?
Yes, because it feels like a luxury car, not an Ikea showroom...
I'm really uncertain.