BMW I4 M50 test drive

[Mr.Smith]

Drove the BMW i4 M50.
What Fun & exhilarating experience.
So much torque that it was hard to keep traction on launch & while driving. It makes a rumbling/growling noise on launch control.

It comes alive over 70mph, definitely made for the Autobahn.

Fun factor is off the charts. Its smaller than the Taycan so it increases the fun factor, easier to Toss around.
Not as low and easier to get in and out of than the Taycan.
No room in the rear. IMO it would have been coupe.
It feels faster than a Taycan 4s

It feels in between It's Taycan & the Mini SE EV for handling, performance.
Nimble, fast, handles well till you hit over 70mpg on curves, then you feel the weight/understeer.
Steering doesn't have the feedback of Taycan which is the gold standard, although it's still good. It's a BMW after all.
Takes bumps really well, smooth yet sporty.

This didn't have all the options so no nappa leather, it has some sandpaper pleather. It had a $62k window after $7500 for FIT credit.
Screen is very sharp, snappy, you don't need more than that. It's a driver's car!

It was smoother than the 850 on the uneven roads which was the last BMW I drove
I took bumps & train tracks fast, it took it well. Very impressive!
I always get nauseous in BMWs, I can't stand how they drive. I will not be a passenger in a BMW, but this car was different.

No Regen to brake transition feel, 1 pedal was on point

Doing 100 on the streets all day, hard to know how fast you're going. It's more than a 0-60 car. Very linear power delivery

My opinion of the best handling - fun EVs
Taycan
Mini EV
BMW i4 M50
RS E-Tron GT

If you don't want to spend the money on Taycan, the BMW I4 M50 is the next best performance EV. $75k with most options.
I can't help but feel violated when optioning a Porche.

In the US no $7500 federal tax cap reduction for leases, same goes for iX SUV, but you can get the $7500 on your tax return.

Order now, December to February delivery.

There is very little overlap of cars in the EV world now. There is something for everyone.
This BMW is another performance option, at the right price point.

Sits very high compared to the ICE version. Wheel gap needs to go

Yes you hate the grill

UI was very intuitive

Back seats are pretty useless

 

[John89]

The most important question - what is the REAL range ??

 

[Mr.Smith]

The most important question - what is the REAL range ??

I ended up looking at it before leavings the car and it had 219 Miles of range with 94% SOC. I was full throttle the entire time.

Range/efficiency is not something I usually focus on.

 

[ciaranob]

Thx for sharing. That grill again a non-starter for me but OK, let's park that.

The thing I find TBH just odd about this car is that it feels dare I say it dated? Listen, I've had various BMW (M's) over 20 years so was quite the fan, but when I look at this my gut reaction is more 'old' std. ICE design (mostly referencing interior but somewhat exterior too) with a couple of welded iPad screens planted on the dash.

When I look inside the Taycan I see a really fresh design logic that uses multiple screens in new, interesting and yet 'comfortable' (integrated/sophisticated) ways that still speak to a driver's car vs certain competitor's looking like a computer with wheels. The BMW sans the new screens looks again almost identical to previous ICE equivalents which to me feels like a missed opportunity. Suspect getting into this to me would feel like stepping back in time !

Not surprised re its performance and handling - it's not trying to be a Porsche but no tin can either, they make excellent cars but, if I had to sum it up, I just don't get very emotional looking at this car!

Do agree re good to see solid additional options but this won't bring me back to BMW.

PS: Agree re the Mini - hoping to buy the next gen (2024) out of China and hoping more that it retains all it's go-cart qualities!

 

[Mike in CA]

Interesting to hear your subjective impressions. Well done and nice pics, thanks.

Some numbers from Car and Driver's tests of both cars in case anyone is interested:

Taycan 4S, BMW i4 M50

0-60, 3.4 , 3.3
0-100, 8.1, 8.0
1/4 Mile, 11.7@120, 11.7@120
Top Speed, 155, 127
Skidpad, 1.3G, .97G
70-0, 147ft, 154ft
Curb Weight, 5128, 5063
Base Price, $105,150, $66,895

Pretty close spec wise and the BMW is a relative bargain. No comparison on the looks, though. IMO the BMW has nowhere near the presence of the Porsche and the BMW front end is just Fugly.

 

[smohr33]

Interesting to hear your subjective impressions. Well done and nice pics, thanks.

Some numbers from Car and Driver's tests of both cars in case anyone is interested:

Taycan 4S, BMW i4 M50

0-60, 3.4 , 3.3
0-100, 8.1, 8.0
1/4 Mile, 11.7@120, 11.7@120
Top Speed, 155, 127
Skidpad, 1.3G, .97G
70-0, 147ft, 154ft
Curb Weight, 5128, 5063
Base Price, $105,150, $66,895

Pretty close spec wise and the BMW is a relative bargain. No comparison on the looks, though. IMO the BMW has nowhere near the presence of the Porsche and the BMW front end is just Fugly.

Agree that it’s a relative bargain.

Performance wise it’s right on par with a 4S. Idrive is world’s better than PCM. Tons of tech and comfort features.

It’s ICE roots are showing though, that high ride height to hide the battery pack, no frunk, small back seat, etc. I can’t imagine it rides as well as a Taycan (almost nothing does), and then there’s the grill.

Still a pretty compelling package for the price. I look forward to seeing an iX in person as a potential replacement for my wife’s X5.

 

[Mr.Smith]

Thx for sharing. That grill again a non-starter for me but OK, let's park that.

The thing I find TBH just odd about this car is that it feels dare I say it dated? Listen, I've had various BMW (M's) over 20 years so was quite the fan, but when I look at this my gut reaction is more 'old' std. ICE design (mostly referencing interior but somewhat exterior too) with a couple of welded iPad screens planted on the dash.

When I look inside the Taycan I see a really fresh design logic that uses multiple screens in new, interesting and yet 'comfortable' (integrated/sophisticated) ways that still speak to a driver's car vs certain competitor's looking like a computer with wheels. The BMW sans the new screens looks again almost identical to previous ICE equivalents which to me feels like a missed opportunity. Suspect getting into this to me would feel like stepping back in time !

Not surprised re its performance and handling - it's not trying to be a Porsche but no tin can either, they make excellent cars but, if I had to sum it up, I just don't get very emotional looking at this car!

Do agree re good to see solid additional options but this won't bring me back to BMW.

PS: Agree re the Mini - hoping to buy the next gen (2024) out of China and hoping more that it retains all it's go-cart qualities!

Yes I didn't even think of the aesthetics of the BMW. It's such a boring and dated look as you say. I focus on driving dynamics, build quality, fit and finish.

It's better looking than a Tesla 3P and a far superior interior. Granted the Tesla is faster, but the suspension of the BMW is not comparable.
I'm not a fan of floating ipad screens that are made to distract from cheap interiors.
Taycan did it right with the integrated infotainment screen, so did the E-Tron GT.

Yes I love the Mini. It's the perfect little companion to the Taycan

Interesting to hear your subjective impressions. Well done and nice pics, thanks.

Some numbers from Car and Drivers tests of both cars in case anyone is interested:

Taycan 4S, BMW i4 M50

0-60, 3.4 , 3.3
0-100, 8.1, 8.0
1/4 Mile, 11.7@120, 11.7@120
Top Speed, 155, 127
Skidpad, 1.3G, .97G
70-0, 147ft, 154ft
Curb Weight, 5128, 5063
Base Price, $105,150, $66,895

Pretty close spec wise and the BMW is a relative bargain. No comparison on the looks, though. IMO the BMW has nowhere near the presence of the Porsche and the BMW front end is just Fugly.

Thank you for the compliment.

The price is a little deceptive with Porsche. The charges for essential options add up fast.

The Taycan is sexy, BMW is definitely a snooze fest, but IMO much better than a Tesla 3P

I find it interesting the BMW has the same 1/4 mile without the 2 speed transmission. I'm sure after the 1/4mile the Taycan will eat the BMW

 

[Mr.Smith]

Agree that it’s a relative bargain.

Performance wise it’s right on par with a 4S. Idrive is world’s better than PCM. Tons of tech and comfort features.

It’s ICE roots are showing though, that high ride height to hide the battery pack, no frunk, small back seat, etc. I can’t imagine it rides as well as a Taycan (almost nothing does), and then there’s the grill.

Still a pretty compelling package for the price. I look forward to seeing an iX in person as a potential replacement for my wife’s X5.

Agreed on the ICE roots. I strongly prefer a pure BEV platform over BMWs method of 1 platform for all propulsion systems.

To me the J1 was such a revolution in auto manufacturering

I drove the iX yesterday. I really liked it and was very aroused by the carbon fiber.

It's an extremely spacious interior, perfect for the families.
Surprisingly I loved the steering wheel

I'm fine with this grill and the headlights.

I love the tail lights

 

[Vercingetorix]

The I4 platform was designed from the ground up to accommodate both internal combustion and electric drivetrains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_CLAR_platform

 

[ardevd]

I test drove the i4 M50 the other day and had a very different experience. Firstly, it’s not built on a dedicated EV platform and it shows. No trunk and a huge transmission tunnel are obvious trade offs.

Next, I found the interior rather bland and the infotainment, while responsive was full of useless graphics and from a UX standpoint I’d say poorly optimized. The climate controls were especially bad imo.

The drive was fine though. Plenty of power but not much in terms of steering feel. Brake pedal was a low point, especially the transition from regen to physical braking was very noticeable.

And I hate the front grille. The iX is much worse though but at least that car has a much more interesting interior.

The i4 would be much more compelling if it was made into a proper M-car! If I had to pick I’d probably go for a Tesla Model 3 Performance or even a Polestar 2.

 

[f1eng]

Agreed on the ICE roots. I strongly prefer a pure BEV platform over BMWs method of 1 platform for all propulsion systems.

To me the J1 was such a revolution in auto manufacturering

I drove the iX yesterday. I really liked it and was very aroused by the carbon fiber.

It's an extremely spacious interior, perfect for the families.
Surprisingly I loved the steering wheel

I'm fine with this grill and the headlights.

I love the tail lights

Nice to see carbon fibre where it should be and not as shiny bits of trim.

 

[f1eng]

I find it interesting the BMW has the same 1/4 mile without the 2 speed transmission.

The 2-speed gearbox is to give it legs on the autobahn without losing low speed acceleration, which is such an advertising statistic in the US.
The BMW has nowhere near the top speed even though it has similar power.
Won’t matter at all in a lot of markets, of course.

 

[Bill33525]

BMW i4 takes Tesla M3P in 1/4 mile in this race.

 

[Swede-ish]

Where did you find this? We are in the LA area and have an i4 M50 on order...

 

[Mr.Smith]

Where did you find this? We are in the LA area and have an i4 M50 on order...

Most dealers in socal should have the iX and the I4 as demos
This was Penske in OC

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