In my [previous post](https://www.reddit.com/r/electricvehicles/comments/15f69xd/after_a_bunch_of_shopping_around_i_just_leased_a/) I discussed the decision making process that led to me leasing a BMW i4 eDrive35 as the replacement for my Model 3 Performance being my daily driver. So now I’ve officially owned the car for 2 weeks, here is what I think of it so far.
*Disclaimer*: This entire “review” is mostly based on my *personal* preferences and I evaluate the pros/cons based how it fits my current needs. Different people like different things so your milage may vary (pun intended).
**Exterior**: It’s not the prettiest car on the road, but I do like how it looks for the side and the rear and even the front has grown on me a bit to no longer be offensive. I thought the [silver color](https://imgur.com/a/DIJIu2c) was boring at first but I now really like it since it looks quite sleek and my Porsche is already [flashy enough](https://i.imgur.com/NUIh557.jpg). The build quality is excellent and feels much more premium than the F30 BMW 335i I owned. Paint quality is fantastic and is in a different class than my old Model 3. Also I love silly details like the [light carpet](https://i.imgur.com/Wugz6WB.jpg).
**Powertrain – Performance**: First of all, this car is *a lot* slower than my Model 3. Now with that out of the way, just how slow is the slowest EV BMW sells at the moment? The answer is it’s actually quite decent. BMW’s official numbers are 282hp/295lb-ft/5.8s 0-60. In typical BMW fashion I suspect all those numbers are generously underrated and the car feels properly fast at speed up to 50mph. Launching at 0mph actually doesn’t feel as fast as stomping the throttle at 30mph (which is fast enough to scare unsuspected passengers). My guess is it’s related to RWD/traction control. At 50-80mph it’s about as quick as an ICE BMW 330i/430i, but feels quicker due to the instant throttle response and silky sooth power delivery. At 80mph+ it’s no longer quick and merely becomes *adequate*. All in all it won’t impress anyone who’s owned faster EVs but it’s still faster than most things on the road, especially given how effortless and responsive it is. Perfect for my daily driving needs.
**Powertrain – Efficiency**: EPA rates this car at 260 miles range. At around 75mph I am able to average around 3.8-4.3 mi/kWh with AC on, which translates to 260+ miles range at highway speed with AC on. Which means it has about the same highway range, if not slightly longer as my Model 3, which was rated at 310 mi EPA. However during local driving efficiency is noticeably worse than my M3P, I suspect constant change of speed really penalizes the extra weight of the i4. Efficiency hits low 3mi/kWh for local driving, which translates to about ~200 mi actual range. But at the end of the day, I didn’t care too much since I charge at home and the longest “roadtrip” I do is less than 150 miles north to Vancouver or 180 miles south to Portland. FWIW I got 2 years free charging with Electrify America and I tried it a couple times just for fun and each time it worked very well. Maybe they are well maintained around my area.
**Handling** : The plus side of the eDrive35 being the shortest range i4 is that it’s also the lightest. It’s 500lbs lighter than the M50i and the weight loss is quite welcome, especially since all of it comes from the front end. Steering is very much comparable to that of an ICE 3/4 series. The car is heavier than its ICE counterpart by a lot but the low CoG offsets that enough so you don’t notice it much during regular daily driving. All-in-all a very competent and sporty sedan, but by no means comparable to the best ICE sports sedans like the M340i or Giulia.
**Interior – tech** – Now this is the main reason I chose the i4 over its competitors. BMW’s interior tech is fantastic (provided if you get all the options like I did). iDrive 8 is the best system out of all German OEMs and it’s not even close, and BMW’s Heads-up-display game is in a league of its own in terms of quality and functionality. BMW’s driver assist tech is comparable to Enhanced Auto Pilot. Lane keeping isn’t quite as smooth as the Model 3 when the highway has sharper turns but I also didn’t experience phantom brake even once, which is at least 1-2 times a week in my Model 3. Self-lane-changing worked as well as EAP. The best part is at 40mph and under Traffic Jam Assist kicks in and the system becomes truly handsfree via attention monitoring. It crushes PNW traffic.
**Interior – quality** – Interior material is just adequate (not a big fan of SensaTec) but build quality is excellent. However the *best part* of this car’s interior is the sound insulation. While not as sensory-deprivation-chamber-quiet like the iX, it’s still amongst the quietest cars I’ve driven/ridden in, and it includes my parents’ 2016 S-class (the 18″ wheels help). This alone sets the i4 apart from the Model 3, and [3rd party test](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V6ucyFGKWuSQzvI8lMzvvWJHrBS82echMVJH37kwgjE/edit#gid=2069101638) shows it’s about 4-6 dB quieter (which is very significant since dB is logrithmic) at highway speed. In reality it translates to a truly premium experience on the highway that my M3P was just not able to provide and was my least favorite thing about the Model 3. In my Model 3 I often turn up the music to hear it better but in my i4 I have turned *on* the music just to not fall asleep.
**Overall** – Given the combination of its EV powertrain, fantastic cabin tech and premium interior, I think it’s one of the best daily options on the market if you share similar priorities as I do. Many other EVs do many things better and some even do so at a significant discount. But for what *I* was looking for I’m quite happy with my early ownership experience.
Again, thanks for attending my TED talk and please let me know if you have any questions.
by cookingboy
2 Comments
Having driven both cars for an extended period, I think this is a great comparison.
What I’d like to add is that the i4 has a slightly odd throttle mapping. It isn’t as well-calibrated as the Model 3 or Polestar 2. You always have a slight vagueness to the pedal input, and the smoothing they’re doing is a bit too much for my taste. That being said, it’s more forgiving than the more direct mapping on the Model 3. If pedal feel is important to you, the Polestar 2 takes it imo.
I find it hard to believe that an EV is more efficient at highway speeds than city speeds. I suspect you just looked at the efficiency at a time when you had outliers.
While I agree that Ford and BMW are catching Tesla up for driver assist at this moment, I still would argue Tesla has a huge lead. Tesla is shipping HW4 now but not using it yet on the software side. On top of that the beta version of autopilot and EAP is leagues above their 4 year old system you are comparing it to. I took a 2000 mile road trip with beta and it is truest next level.
There is zero understanding how this will all roll out so I get how that muddies the situation. However, a tesla purchased today has driver assist as good as anyone else and will be 10x any car purchases today at some point soon.