3 WORST And 7 BEST Things About The 2023 BMW i4

BMW i4 or Tesla Model 3?
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0:00 - Intro

BAD:

0:23 - The platform

This point isnt so much bad as it is just an inefficiency

The i4 is built on the same chassis as the gas 4 series - adn the gas 4 series has a great chassis so it’s good starting place. BUT then you adapt a gas chassis to an EV you inherently leave some wasted space
Like under the hood there’s no frunk so additional storage
The center console area is maybe more cramped than it otherwise would be
And the rear seats have the drivetrain tunner hump in the floor for a drivetrain that doesn’t exist

Does it really affect the drivability or usability of the car? No not at all - but just something to understand

1:07 - Range

This is something that I’m not personally upset about, but something that has to go on this side of the video due to some other offerings

The i4 here has a single motor for RWD
This isn’t uncommon for the base or long-range version of an EV
But range here is rated at 301 miles
Again, not bad on the face of it
HOWEVER, the Tesla Model 3 long range gets 333 miles of range and that DOES have AWD
The Hyundai Ioniq 6? 361 miles of range in RWD form

So again, 301 miles isn’t BAD but it’s not the best you can get…and then if you get the bigger, better looking 20 in wheels your range goes down from there…that said those two mentioned arent exactly BMW competitors

2:00 - Rear seats

This is another product of the adaptation of a gas chassis car

But when they put the batteries in they put them in the floor which raises the floor and makes the rear seats a little less spacious than they already were
HOWEVER they’re still reasonably practical for myself at 6’1
They can be heated
And They have climate zone and vents

Not perfect, but not bad! Let’s talk good stuff

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GOOD:

2:36 - The trunk

All i4s are built off the Gran Coupe body style which means they’re all liftbacks

Which means max practicality
And it is, cuz the cargo space here is pretty big
Weirdly you cant drop the rear seats from the trunk
AND you get an emergency release despite this being a hatch because the privacy cover is hard

Gotta love the hatch practicality

3:07 - The Drive

With the single motor and RWD here this i4 is packing 335 hp

Easy and familiar driving experience

A little zippier than the Audi etrons
but just as smooth

Great damping

Good cabin isolation

I think the power makes sense for the price
non M people don’t need access to more power

Can do drifts with traction off
but grip is really good with the added weight
Could certainly drive this in the winter with the right tires

It’s fun, it feels spunky and smooth!

4:28 - Tech

And just like ou’d expect, this thing is loaded with great tech features

iDrive 8
Totally new dash design
Curved screen
Interestingly the gas 4 series has the old screen setup
ACP & AA
360 camera
Widgets
360 cameras
Reverse assist
Full digital cluster

Not to mention the robust driver assist suite which is pretty great

5:06 - Logos

This is a small thing but i kinda like the unique nature of the blue logos here

Like toyota, BMW identifies their electrified stuff with blue on logos
BUT this is a full EV
Front and back
wheels
Shifter
Start button
Steering wheel

A smaller detail but pretty neat

5:32 - Luxuries

This may not be the most expensive BMW, but it’s still a BMW and it’s still plenty lux

The built is super solid
The materials are nice and some are even recycled
Your seats have lumbar adjustments
They’re heated
They’re cooled
The steering wheel is heated
The rear seats can be heated
You’ve got a big sunroof

AND it’s just really smooth behind the wheel

5:55 - Sounds

This is another smaller thing but something that I think kinda makes the experience

This has the iconic sounds composed by Hans Zimmer
From when you start the car and turn it off it makes cool sounds
On power it makes cool sounds

I mean I know people have feelings about sounds in EVs but if you’re gunna have them you might as well get the guy that did interstellar to compose them

6:42 - Price

This one is kinda hard to talk about because there aren’t a lot of true competitors out there for this thing

Mercedes has their EQE but that’s bigger and way more expensive
We’re not pretending the Teslas are luxury cars
They ioniq 6 is not in the same segment

So all the sudden the 56k starting price and 61k as tested price seem fairly reasonable…and with that lets get into the final thoughts

7:11 - Outro

[scottwinton-pynd]

I bought a i4 edrive 40i, i love the car, ive had several other bmw"s and I've been extremely happily made the decision to go all electric

[BrettMorin]

3:28 I love this review so far and this part by spades. I have an I4 Edrive 40 rear wheel only. The most common thing when people are driving in my car is saying: "How fast do you think I am going?" Generally speaking the car feels smoother than ANY CAR I HAVE EVER DRIVEN at high speeds. I will be driving 80 or 90 on a highway and people will think I am going 60.

[tomasher]

Very good review. I might add that BMW is known to be conservative on their range. My edrive35 actually gets a 300mi range when charged to 100%.

[JustMe]

One nitpick - the seats in that model aren't cooled... unfortunately you can only get cooled seats with the black interior. Not sure why they did that.

[jhedin]

I have 340 miles in range in mine in the summer. But I drive smooth and keep speed limits.

[Dreadpirateflappy]

You'rs is best review of the backseat imo. so many other shorter youtubers put the seat all way back and claim even kids can't sit back there it's nonsense.

i'm 5'8 and during a test drive the rear seats were nowhere near as bad as I expected. I had plenty of leg room behind my driving position and while 6 footers would suffer kids and people of my height would be absolutely fine. my childseat fit back there with plenty of room.

in short it will be absolutely fine for a family car.

[BogeyTheBear]

5:10 And unlike Toyota, the electrified blue elements of the BMW roundel actually match the Bavarian blue in the emblem proper.

[MarcelloTheBandit]

After getting one as a surprise rental because "No one wants an electric car" in Alabama, I have saved a build with one. Recharging primarily at a Tesla Supercharger station near me, I've spent about $125 to drive 1400 miles. I gotta say, everything about the sensation of driving it is wild. My example is an xDrive 40 so I get the 396hp dual-motor setup. When I got it (with 607 miles) it said it was getting on average 2.5 mi/kWh. I've been getting about 3.6-3.8mi/kWh so I can only imagine how the previous people drove it. One thing I noticed: You can't get the cognac leather like what you have with the rear heated seats in the xDrive 40. They only come as black then. Would I get one? Absolutely. Do I have 9 people wanting to rent it right after me? You know it. Will they? Maybe.

[hjlee]

We purchased one two days ago, right before the christmas for my son. Love it!

[ThePeepGameShow]

I think the Wisconsin winter weather could be a challenge to the range and handling with the rear wheel drive set up.

[craighermle]

For basically a 1st gen BMW electric, BMW did a great job. I had an i4 m50 for awhile, iftwas a rocket, but a rocket that had a hard time finding "fuel" as BMW was an is just using CCS.

[bullit]

I'd say the Polestar 2 is a direct competitor in this class of EV in the U.S. It even has the similar hatch style cargo area.

[bshah]

Frunk is available from a third party. The Ioniq 6 range is not realistic from actual tests. With 18 inch wheels the i4 consistently can achieve its range. The quality of the i4 way better than the Tesla options. With M Sport suspension the handling is amazing.

[calbackk]

The steering wheel looks enormous. I hope there is an optional sport-wheel available?

[trinireader]

This car shatters petrol cars its just a fantastic automobile.

[kennycasillas]

The range. I have edrive40 with M Sport package and 19 inch wheels. I get 4.1mi/kWh. Doing the math with total usable battery we are looking at 330 mi range. BMW understated here with the i4. Go on the forums and youll see other i4 owners get a lot more. You're example there had very limited options. Spec'd out my edrive40 hit $72k.

[GTI_CHHA]

Excellent review! The beamer is a very complete package.

[Brruuhhh]

The range section I feel isn’t fully reliable. We have 23 model y long range and it barely gets to 300 with conservative use

[pullrich]

How is it that you get the full 7, 500 credit, but Tesla you get up to 7, 500 depending on your tax return? Also, I dig your hat! Where can I get one?

[MaxxKoggen]

I thought this was a 2025 model coz the front looks different to the models we have available. Ours has the front from the M50.