What the BMW 3 Series and 4 Series is to the combustion engine and plug-in hybrids, the BMW i4 is to the electric cars from Munich. Now they have announced all the information about the current sedan and emphasize one thing in particular: driving dynamics. As a result, the i4 will also be available as a particularly sporty M model. Unfortunately we have to wait longer for the market launch in Austria than our German neighbors.
“Premium characteristics”, “Maturity level of its drive and chassis technology”, “Uncompromising quality of materials and workmanship” – in the press release you always think you read between the lines “We are better than Tesla”. Whether these are just big words or whether they were actually written about a great car remains to be seen. But what we are learning is absolutely promising.
Slightly higher Gran Coupé
In a sense, it is a slightly taller electric 4-series Gran Coupé, length and width (4.78 meters long, 1.85 meters wide) practically correspond to the current 4-series Coupé, but with a height of 1.45 meters, the i4 towers over the Coupé by seven centimeters. The substructure comes from the combustion colleagues, but was not converted to electric, but was intended for it from the start. The space advantages of a pure e-architecture such as B. But we have to do without a trunk under the front hood.
Thanks to the battery housed in the vehicle floor, the i4’s center of gravity is a full 53 millimeters lower than that of the 3-series sedan, which is also good because the additional weight in terms of driving dynamics is not so significant. Depending on the engine, the i4 (without driver) weighs 2050 or 2215 kilograms.
Two drives to choose from
In the BMW i4 eDrive40, a single electric motor is used on the rear axle, which delivers 250 kW / 340 hp or 430 Nm and accelerates the two-ton truck to 100 km / h in 5.7 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 190 km / h.
The BMW i4 M50 is the first car to have the M in its name. It combines two current-excited synchronous machines (which do without rare earths) to a system output of 544 hp and a system torque of 795 Nm. There is a motor on each axle, which means that the M50 basically has all-wheel drive. It cracks the 100 after 3.9 seconds and is only limited in its propulsion at 225 km / h.
The battery capacity is basically 80.7 kWh net, which is enough for a WLTP range of 590 kilometers for the i4 40 and 510 kilometers for the M50. The standard heat pump supports the real range.
At direct current quick charging stations, charging is carried out with an output of up to 210 kW; it takes 31 minutes from 10 to 80 percent charge level. In other words, the BMW i4 eDrive40 has a range of 164 km and the BMW i4 M50 140 km in ten minutes. With three-phase AC charging with 11 kW, an empty battery is fully charged in less than eight and a half hours.
Curved display dominates the interior
The huge curved screen is particularly noticeable in the interior. This curved screen connects the 12.3-inch speedometer display and the 14.9-inch central touchscreen behind a glass surface. With the BMW i4 comes the new generation of the legendary iDrive operating system, which is now based on the new BMW Operating System 8. The practical turn-push control is retained.
The standard 3-zone automatic air conditioning in the BMW i4 includes a nanofiber filter for air purification and a new type of control via the touch display. The temperature is controlled via an intelligently coordinated activation of air flow, seat and steering wheel heating.
Air suspension as standard
The elaborate i4 chassis consists of a double-joint strut front axle and a five-link rear axle with stroke-dependent shock absorbers and rear-axle air suspension. The M50 is also equipped with an adaptive M suspension, variable sports steering and the M sports brake system.
The whole appearance of the M50 is sportier, there is also an optional carbon exterior package. On the other hand, the i4 is also very sensible: 470 to 1290 liters fit in the trunk and with the optional electrically foldable trailer coupling you can pull trailers weighing up to 1600 kg.
The BMW i4 can be ordered immediately. The eDrive40 is available in Austria from 57,900 euros (minus 5400 euros funding), the M50 costs at least 69,800 euros. in Germany it will be delivered from November, in Austria, however, not until April 9, 2022.