BMW i4 review: better than expected

The BMW i4 eDrive40 is similar to any other 4 Series. The four-door sedan is one of the best-selling cars in the world. The EV version of the vehicle is the fruit of the automaker's desire to build a platform that can accept any type of engine. This is the best of the four series.

Some drivers don't want to sit above cars and haul all that extra weight around. The BMW sedan is not the only one competing for the market. All of these vehicles are appealing to the midlevel luxury buyer who is looking for something a bit more sporty than an SUV.

The i4 doesn't telegraph its electric underpinning on the road. It is just another 4 Series without a close up look at the badging. The front of the car has a superfluous grille. The i4 looks magnificent and defies its own specifications once you get past that.

Evolving platforms

The i4 and iX electric SUVs are part of the second generation of BMW EV. BMW promised an architecture that would accept multiple powertrains for a long time. There is a tendency to think that the i4 is a compromised EV, but that is not the case. The i4 is very efficient and drives like a BMW. They did all this in a package that could have been used at the factory.

The next stage of the EV evolution is being planned. The third phase is referred to as the "nisse". The first vehicle of the platform is expected to arrive in the year 2025. The 5 Series and X1 compact SUV will be the first fully electric vehicles in the world.

Specs be damned touring EV

The i4 looks like a grand tourer on the road. It has the range for most trips. The EPA says that the sedan will cover 301 miles before it depletes its battery. The EPA states that the larger 19-inch wheels bring the range down to 281 miles. A vehicle's range is reduced by larger wheels.

The i4 delivered a range of over 300 miles in my test, which included 50 miles of highway driving and 50 miles of backroad and suburban driving. The EPA estimates the range at 21 miles.

The battery pack's capacity gross and capacity that the vehicle can use on a daily basis are 81.9kWh and 81.2kWh, respectively.

BMW says that the vehicle can accept up to 200 kilowatts of power via fast charging. The i4 beat that number in our test, charging at over 200 kilowatts.

It takes a bit more time to replenish its battery than the Model 3. The Polestar 2 has a charge rate of 170 kilowatts and the Mercedes EQE has a rate of 155 kilowatts. The i4 is in the middle of the pack, but it does combine better than anticipated range and charge rates that should quell any road trip anxiety.

Level 2 AC charging at up to 11 kilowatts is supported by the onboard charge. It will take 8.25 hours for the i4 to be ready to go in the morning, according to BMW.

Smart sports sedan

BMW is a brand that puts the experience of drivers front and center. Even as an EV, BMW wants you to be engaged, and the i4 proves that. I chose the i4 eDrive40 over the i4 M50 because it was the first M- branded EV from the manufacturer.

I have driven the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive M50 and it definitely lives up to the M name with 536hp and a zero to 60 time of 3.8 seconds. For most people, the eDrive40 delivers a great driving experience.

The rear-wheel-drive i4 has 335 horsepower and can get up to 60 miles per hour in 5.5 seconds, which is enough to handle 95 percent of driving scenarios. The M50 variant starts at $65,900, while the eDrive40 starts at $55, 400.

The i4 eDrive40 has the power of the M50, but it is a blast to drive on the backroads. If the traction control has been turned off, the rear-wheel-drive setup offers up oversteer. The steering is tight and focused. BMW engineers have done a great job of reducing the effect of the battery pack on handling.

The ride on the highway and in the city is better suited for day-to- day driving. It does remind the driver that this is a midlevel luxury sports sedan, even though it isn't as smooth as the Mercedes EQE.

I like the noises created by Hans Zimmer. It is a mix of a spaceship and a V8 car. Drivers can enjoy the quiet that they can only get from an EV if they turn it off.

Most of the time, braking is a hit. Even after a number of high-speed stops, the i4 never experienced brake fade. The Mercedes EQS has feedback that is weird, but the brake feel is good. The entire time you are on the pedal, it is feedback. The system will help with that over 300 mile range by slowing down and recovering up to 116 kilowatts back to the battery.

There's a weird thing called the "adaptive energy recuperation." A new system has been introduced by BMW. The level of recuperative braking is determined by what happens on the road.

The recuperative braking is set to one of its light to medium settings if you drive alone on a road. If you're behind another vehicle, you'll get a bigger boost in recuperation. The navigation data is used to adjust the braking so that tighter turns result in more recuperation. It seems like a smart way to have on-the-fly changes to the brakes. It was not predictable in reality.

Sometimes it would increase the braking power behind vehicles by turning a corner in a tight residential area where a vehicle was parked. It was difficult to figure out how much braking would be applied. I switched to regular regenerative braking after a short time.

As the software matures, it might be a great system, but for now, it just creates a sense of uncertainty behind the wheel that never felt dangerous.

BMW's driver assistance suite is impressing on the highway. The lane-keeping assistant kept the vehicle centered while handling right-lane driving next to off- ramps. The i4's adaptive cruise control kept it on track. When another car cut into the lane, the BMW slowed down, and if the tracked vehicle pulled into the next lane, the i4 sped up to set speed in relation to the traffic around it. It didn't try to get back up to the speed limit

GM's Super Cruise function is similar to the hands-free Traffic Jam assistant function. The BMW system allows hands-free driving up to speeds of 40 mph. An in-car monitoring system tracks the person behind the wheel to make sure they are looking at the road. If you think you can take this time to play with the system, you'll be reprimanded by the vehicle.

Same on the inside

There isn't much to indicate that the vehicle is electric. This has to do with BMW. The car could have been powered by gas. There are signs that the platform is still present. The transmission and driveshaft would usually be located there. It is still there in an EV.

BMW didn't try to integrate technology for the sake of technology because they didn't have any special EV design flourishes. When features work as expected, it is best. There is an extra button on the Volkswagen ID4 that has to be pushed to control the rear windows.

The center of the screen is the iDrive 8 system from BMW. There have been some changes to the interface. Swiping left and right didn't take long. Everything got off to a great start.

The voice assistant of BMW has been upgraded for those who prefer not to use it. The majority of the queries were met with the correct information. The system took care of directions, launching features, adjusting the climate controls, and navigating to radio stations with less errors than other systems. If you don't want to say "BMW" every time you plug in an address, you can change the wake word to something else.

There is good news for those who prefer to use their phones. Apple CarPlay is supported by BMW as well as theANDROID auto. It has been left out of the insturment system of the car, but now it is ready to accept your living ways. Both phone platforms support wireless connections.

Apple Maps will show charging stations if the destination is beyond the capacity of the battery. If you use the native navigation system on your phone, you'll see the directions in the vehicle's displays as if they were turn-by-turn instructions.

The materials for the rest of the interior are what you would expect from BMW, top-notch but not garish. The seats were easy to sit in. The front seats have side bolsters to help keep you in your chair during aggressive driving. It shouldn't be a problem for people sitting up front. taller passengers will have a harder time getting comfortable in the back.

The trunk of the car has a hatch for it. The larger hatch makes it easier to carry large items into the vehicle. The trunk has a lot of room. The Model 3 and Polestar 2 have more space for cargo. It is sufficient for a long weekend for two to three people or a weekly trip to the grocery store. Those looking for more space are also looking at SUVs.

Better than expected

People love a surprise. People like a surprise. The i3 was a fun little vehicle, but it was more about getting a proof of concept on the road than it was about being a driving machine. Others hated it.

I was expecting BMW to improve upon its EV. It impressed and blew my expectations out of the water as a sports car. The i4 charged quicker than advertised and exceeded its range estimates.

The midlevel EV version of the ultimate driving machine beats the gas-powered 4 Series. The i4 is a great example of the future of BMW.

Roberto Baldwin is a photographer.