Tag Archives: i4

BMW i4 EPA Range: eDrive40 301 miles and M50 270 miles

The U.S. EPA rating for the BMW i4 electric gran coupe is now in. According to a press release, the BMW i4 eDrive40 has an EPA range of 301 miles when equipped with 18-inch wheels and 282 miles when equipped with 19-inch wheels. The more powerful and M-tuned BMW i4 M50 is rated on the EPA range at 270 miles when equipped with 19-inch wheels and 227 miles when equipped with 20-inch wheels. The MSRP is $55,400 for eDrive40 and $65,900 for M50. Plus $995 Destination. U.S. market launch is expected in Q1 of 2022.

Despite having different prices, power, and motor count, both the BMW i4 eDrive40 and i4 M50 have the same battery pack, a 83.9 kWh gross battery, with 81.5 kWh  net. The less powerful BMW i4 40, with its single rear-mounted electric motor, makes 335 horsepower. If you opt for the more powerful BMW i4 M50, you get two electric motors, one at each axle, and 536 horsepower. Both cars have a max charging speed of 200 kW, which allows the BMW i4 40 to add another 102 miles of range to its battery in just ten minutes. As for the i4 M50, ten minutes gets you 87 miles.

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BMW i4 will be offered with the following color options: Alpine White, Mineral White, Black, Black Sapphire, BMW Individual Dravit Grey, Skyscraper Grey, Sunset Orange, Tanzanite Blue, San Remo Green, Aventurine Red, Brooklyn Grey and Frozen Portimao Blue. Some of those colors are specific to a model line – i440 vs. M50 – or even distributed by “accents”.

Inside things are a bit more diversified. You can order from a wide range of leather and Sensatec options, like the Vernasca Tacora Red, Black, Mocha, Oyster and Cognac, or the Sensatec Canberra Beige and Black, and perforated Tacora Red. The interior trims are a combination of fine-wood trim or aluminum. The wheel choices are equally exciting with no less than nine options, ranging from 17 to 20 inch. You can either get your typical BMW wheel design or the more aero-oriented look. Of course, not all wheels are available in all markets, so check with your local BMW dealership.

BMW USA has also opened the ordering bank for the 2022 BMW i4. A $1,500 fully refundable deposit is required and deliveries are expected to be by June 30, 2022. If you buy the car outright rather than leasing, then you may quality for a $7,500 federal rebate since BMW has not hit the 200,000 limit of electric vehicles sold in the United States.

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536 hp BMW i4 M50 presented in Frozen Portimao Blue

2022 is shaping up to be an important year for BMW’s electrification efforts. Nearly a decade later after their first electric vehicle, BMW is ready to introduce several new models. Two of them are the BMW i4 Gran Coupe and the BMW iX electric crossover. The i4 will take over from the i3 as the entry-level BMW EV – until the iX1 launches – while the iX will offer a premium EV alternative in the competitive and ever growing SUV segment.

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BMW USA has also opened the ordering bank for the 2022 BMW i4. A $1,500 fully refundable deposit is required and deliveries are expected to be by June 30, 2022. If you buy the car outright rather than leasing, then you may quality for a $7,500 federal rebate since BMW has not hit the 200,000 limit of electric vehicles sold in the United States.

So if you’re on the fence about your i4 color, this article might help. Courtesy of the BMW Group Brand Experience Center in Switzerland we bring you a new set of photos showing the top model BMW i4 M50 in the stunning Frozen Portimao Blue color. Several markets have opened up the online configurator for the new 2022 BMW i4. BMW USA, BMW UK and BMW Canada are just some of them, so you can head over to see some of the i4 configurations, packages and options.

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In Canada, the BMW i4 will be offered with the following color options: Alpine White, Mineral White, Black, Black Sapphire, BMW Individual Dravit Grey, Skyscraper Grey, Sunset Orange, Tanzanite Blue, San Remo Green, Aventurine Red, Brooklyn Grey and Frozen Portimao Blue. Some of those colors are specific to a model line – i440 vs. M50 – or even distributed by “accents”.

Inside things are even more diversified. You can order from a wide range of leather and Sensatec options, like the Vernasca Tacora Red, Black, Mocha, Oyster and Cognac, or the Sensatec Canberra Beige and Black, and perforated Tacora Red. The interior trims are a combination of fine-wood trim or aluminum. The wheel choices are equally exciting with no less than nine options, ranging from 17 to 19 inch. You can either get your typical BMW wheel design or the more aero-oriented look.

As you can see in the photo gallery below, the Frozen Portimao Blue is arguably one of the best colors you can order, for any new BMW. So if you’re looking for your i4 to stand out even more, look no further!

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Which to Buy: BMW i4 M50 or BMW M3 Competition?

These are strange times for BMW customers. Now, for the first time ever, the Bavarian brand offers two incredible powerful sport sedans for around the same price but with different powertrains: the BMW M3 Competition and BMW i4 M50. When customers head into BMW showrooms, they’re going to be able to cross-shop those two cars and will genuinely have a difficult decision to make. So let’s take a look at which to buy.

Let me preface this by saying that typical M3 customers won’t cross-shop the i4 M50 and typical EV buyers won’t cross-shop the M3 Competition. However, they both should. True car enthusiasts go into any purchase with an open mind and any open-minded enthusiasts will look at the fact that both cars are priced incredibly similarly, have very similar power figures, similar performance metrics, the same amount of doors and seats, closer overall ranges than you might thing, and handling dynamics that aren’t too far off each other’s. So while customers likely won’t cross-shop the two, they absolutely should.

Power and Performance

First up is the last of the old guard, the M3 Comp. Without hyperbole, the BMW M3 Competition is one of the very best M cars ever made. Forget its heinous looks, it drives with a precision that few other M cars in history have ever had. In fact, there may never have been an M car before it with such incredible precision. Even the glorious M2 CS (which is admittedly more fun) can’t attack corners like the new M3 Comp. It’s a brilliant thing.

Under the hood lies a fantastic 3.0 liter twin-turbo I6 with 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed auto and sends power to just the rear wheels. According to BMW, 0-60 mph happens in 3.8 seconds, but its probably a few tenths quicker than that. It’s monstrously quick, in any gear, at any rpm. Its eight-speed auto also shifts rapidly and smoothly, making it a joy to use. The exhaust noise isn’t brilliant, though, it’s only just okay.

Where as the BMW i4 M50 is an all-electric, all-wheel drive monster. It uses two electric motors, powered by an 81.5 kWh battery pack, to make 536 horsepower and 586 lb-ft of torque. It’s quite a bit heavier than the M3 Competition, so BMW claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds, which is a tenth slower than the M3, despite being more powerful and all-wheel drive. However, when Horatiu drove the i4 M50, he reckoned it was faster than the M3.

Also, due to its all-wheel drive grip, it’s even more tenacious through corners and usable in bad weather. So while the M3 might be a bit quicker in tighter corners, due to less weight and rear-wheel drive (for now), the BMW i4 M50 is going to be just as fast in most real-world situations.

Winner: M3 Comp — They’re both just as fast but the M3 will be the more engaging sports car. 

Range and Charging/Refueling

The main argument against the BMW i4 M50 will be its range. With only around 245 miles of range, the i4 M50 can’t drive as far as many internal combustion engine cars on a single charge. However, the BMW M3 Competition isn’t exactly a long-distance cruiser, either. It guzzles gas like an ’80s Bronco and will struggle to get 300 miles out of a tank. Plus, fuel is expensive and I spent more money than I’d have liked to on fuel during my week with it.

While the BMW i4 M50 doesn’t exactly have the best range, it’s still far more than enough. Few people drive 245 miles in a single day on a regular basis. Plus, it can charge at 200 kW, so it will recharge rather quickly. That said, it will never charge as quickly as the M3 Competition can refuel. Just a few minutes and the M3’s empty tank is full again and ready to roll. At best, you’re looking at forty minutes for the i4 M50.

Winner: Tie — the i4 M50 is cheaper to charge and can be charged at home but the M3 can be refueled much quicker, anywhere.

Looks, Interior, and Practicality

Both the BMW M3 Competition and BMW i4 M50 share a similar grille design, though it’s been made more aggressive for the M3. Plus, the M3’s is actually a functional grille, whereas the i4 M50’s is just a plastic panel that houses certain sensors.

The i4’s overall shape and design are a bit more attractive, as the M3 really doesn’t look like a proper M car from any angle. Its flared wheel arches are cool but it lacks any sort of real M3 design cue; overly sized kidney grilles, horizontal grille slats, no Hofmeister kink, and taillights that could be from a Lexus. The i4 M50 isn’t exactly a classic BMW, either, but its “Gran Coupe” design actually does feel more like a BMW than the M3’s design. After all, BMW is the brand that invented that very design language.

The i4 M50 is also more practical. Its hatchback trunk provides more luggage space and easier loading of said luggage. That said, both cars have very similar looking interiors, aside from the luggage space. The BMW M3 gets cooler seat options but the i4 M50 has better technology.

Winner: BMW i4 M50 — Its Gran Coupe design is sexier than the M3’s shape, it’s far more practical, and has better tech.

Price

While BMW may be late to the game, in terms of actually developing an EV like the i4 M50, it came ready to fight with an incredibly attractive price tag. The BMW i4 M50 starts at just over $65,000, which makes it around $7,000 cheaper than the M3 Competition. Which means you can get an i4 M50 with a few really nice options for less than the $72,800 starting price of the M3 Comp. Despite being cheaper, the BMW i4 M50 has more power, a lot more torque, all-wheel drive, more practicality, and better interior technology.

Winner: BMW i4 M50 — It’s not only cheaper, it’s more powerful, all-wheel drive, more high-tech, and comes with big tax incentives.

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BMW i4: Two models at launch time, around 80 kWh battery, 300 miles range

Late last week I found myself in the beautiful and sunny State of California for some much needed R&R. But for some reason, I just can’t escape cars. So to my surprise I “ran” into BMW who was testing a very special prototype. Covered in the typical BMW camo, this particular prototype was a quiet one, yet it had the looks and shape of a sleek sedan. It turns out that I was looking at the upcoming BMW i4 (Gran Coupe) electric vehicle which will be unveiled on June 1st, 2021.

Granted, I couldn’t pass on this opportunity so I spent some time with BMW reps and engineers talking about the new i4. There are still plenty of tech specs that are under embargo until launch date, including a ride with the car, but some things could be revealed today.

Two Models To Start With

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On June 1st, we can report that BMW will reveal two variants of the i4 electric car. There will be different power outputs, yet the same battery pack. After pulling some teeth, we learned from the development engineer that the net battery capacity is somewhere around 80 kWh. That’s certainly more than the i3 (rated at 42.2 kWh) and the iX3 (74 kWh). Final figures on the electric range will be soon finalized and revealed, but we do expect around 300 miles for one of the two models.

The power output is still somewhat of a secret – even though we reported on it before – but we learned that the 500+ horsepower figure is fairly accurate. BMW was also quite secretive about the rear-wheel drive versus all-wheel drive models, but we believe that the top model – which could bear the i4 M50 badge – could have a dual-motor configuration. More on those specs on June 1st.

Performance Tires And Brakes, Large Wheels

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At a first glance, this BMW i4 prototype was equipped like it was ready to tackle the most challenging tracks in the world. It sits on large 20-inch tires with some good looking wheels hiding a performance brake system behind them. The wheels were wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero performance tires which certainly help with cornering and grip. Couldn’t get the front tire size, but the rear one was massive – 285/30. And that was perfect size to match the wide hips of the i4. More on that below.

Brake Regeneration On Steroids

Brake-regen is one area where we will spend a lot of time when the i4 is finally unveiled. All I can share for now is that it is far more advanced than the one in the i3 or MINI Cooper SE (as expected) and likely a bit different than what you see on the iX3. It’s certainly an engineering feat that the BMW development team is proud of.

iDrive 8 Standard

This isn’t much of a secret – the new iX and i4 will be the first models to feature the new iDrive 8. It is by far the most advanced infotainment system ever designed in Munich and in some areas, it is quite tailored to electric vehicles. The interior of the car was fully masked up, but we can reveal that you will see the largest LCD screens ever in a BMW. Stay tuned for our Youtube demo since it will be absolutely worth it!

Sleek Looking

The exterior design of the new i4 is not a secret anymore. BMW has already revealed the car several times before, and in several design packages. It is based on the upcoming BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe which, arguably, could become the best looking BMW today. The i4 features the typical four-door coupe design, with a sleek roofline and a raised up, yet attractive read-end with a liftback design. It is quite wide from the back also and, based on my eye-measurement – it sits closer to the ground than a 3 Series sedan. Hopefully that turns out to be true because the stance is great from any angle.

The elephant in the room – the large kidney grille from the 4 Series is there. But it features a different inner design, specific to electric cars. As we’ve seen in recent photos, it fits the character of the car a bit more than a “regular” 4 Series. It has that high-tech look that you’d expect from an EV. Just like the 4 Series or M3/M4: you either love it or hate it, but it will certainly make you talk about it.

In the end, BMW says that their customers should experience a smooth transition from a gasoline-powered 4 Series to the electric version. And that idea is heavily embedded in both the interior and exterior design of the i4.

That’s all for now from the Californian beaches and before I hop back onto the surfboard, I’ll see you on June 1st. You won’t wanna miss that coverage!