hello everyone and welcome to the bmw i4 this rather cool customer is one of bmw's latest
fully electric cars and if you can see past that striking grill you'll find there's an awful lot
to like the bmw i4 is the natural rival to some seriously accomplished opposition including the
pulse r2 and the tesla model 3 but it manages to stand out from the crowd not by being crazy and
but by being reassuringly conventional and a doddle to live with
so if you'd like to go electric but you don't fancy dealing with wacky bodywork or gimmicky tech
then the i4 might be the car for you in this video we'll go through what makes this bmw so good from
the charging times to the range what it's like to drive and which version is best for you i'm hope
ellen and this is another parker's cars review before i get started don't forget to subscribe to
the channel and turn your notifications on so you get a reminder every time we publish a new video
at the time of filming there are two versions of the bmw i4 to choose from one is called the
e drive 40 and the other the m50 it's a straight trade off the e drive 40 has a longer range with
up to 367 miles available between charges but the m50 has four wheel drive and more performance
the interior of the i4 will feel familiar if you spend any time in a modern bmw the layouts vary
driver focus and everything feels pretty high quality the dashboard is dominated by these two
huge displays which might look intimidating but are actually really easy to navigate whether
you're doing that through the touch screen or this useful click wheel down here on the center console
it feels much more traditional in here than a tesla model 3 or a pole star 2 which could be
seen as a good or a bad thing depending on your personal preference the i-4 sits quite
low to the ground and the driving position is low too great when you're feeling sporty
not so reassuring in town the front seats have loads of adjustment including neat touches like
this adjustable seat squab which is great for drivers with longer legs parking is easy too this
car is equipped with parking assistant plus which gives you a really cool 360 degree camera setup
you can even view the feed on your smartphone if you're worried someone's going to scratch your car
when you're not looking the i4 is available in three levels of trim there's the e drive 40
available as either a sport or an m sport model or the standalone m50 standard equipment generous
whichever model you go for and every car has led headlights keyless entry climate control cruise
control and wireless smartphone connectivity courtesy of apple carplay and android auto the
bmw i4 comes with these two massive screens as standard you get the dials and the gauges on this
12.3 inch screen while the infotainment gets this huge 14.9 inch screen but under this one sheet of
glass they look and act like one super wide screen display you can operate it in a few ways gesture
control and voice control are available but the touch screen works well and so does this scroll
wheel perfect if you need to make adjustments while on the move you can also use apple carplay
and android auto which feel totally seamless unlike some rivals they're properly integrated
into the infotainment system instead of running in a little window so it feels like your phone
is properly mirrored on the screen the only real shame here is that bmw's move the climate controls
to the touch screen too they're not exactly hard to use but we always prefer a dedicated panel of
buttons for this the other thing is that the sheer number of options on the display may mean you'll
probably have to spend some time getting used to it before you know exactly where everything is
as for storage space open this center cubby up and you'll find cup holders and a wireless charging
pad which keeps your phone out of sight and helps you to avoid the temptation to look at it there's
also some space under this center armrest door bins big enough for a bottle of water and a decent
sized glove box what we also like is that bmw offers the upholstery in different colours so you
don't have to have a totally black interior if you don't want to depending on the model you can have
cream tan or even red leather if you're feeling spicy rear seat space in here isn't amazing first
of all you have to get in through these doors which are pretty small and once you're back here
head room and leg room is really only okay rather than generous and if you want to go somewhere
with three passengers back here bear in mind the central passenger unusually for an electric car
has to deal with this large central tunnel robbing them of foot space tall passengers will find the
sloping roof line impacts headroom too the i4 has a full hatchback tailgate unlike the tesla model
3's saloon opening and that should make it easier to carry large items overall capacity is good too
there's 470 liters of space here the seats fold down in a 40 20 40 split as well which means you
can carry long thin items like skis or some flat pack furniture and still have two seats available
before we take the sexy bmw i4 out on the road we've got a quick usability test as per usual
in the form of hope's car olympics so against the clock i've got to fold down the rear seats so
they're flat tuning the radio to absolute fm and set the sat nav to take me to buckingham palace
do you think i can do it thank you for the vote of confidence let's go so first of all gonna fold
down the rear seats i'm gonna just come in one side it's just a handle here nice and easy good
for usability ah i'm stuck on my dress this one's very good as well there we go fold down
jump in here get on that massive infotainment system uh i'm gonna use the voice control
actually um set the sat nav to take me to buckingham palace please it's gotta be polite
i found several destiny thank you lady
i love that haptic feedback let's press that and we're off we're starting the route one hour for
five minutes now we're gonna go to radio press media i'm gonna use a really handy scroll wheel
go up absolutely absolutely there's so many absolutes there we go proof
proof is in the pudding now you could see how quick and easy that was
this scroll wheel is so handy especially when you're driving somewhere it was so quick to
scroll through i love that the voice control there was no problems with that i mean i haven't been
in this car very long and it already knows my voice and responded really well and correctly
that was the easiest way to find buckingham palace
i can't actually fault that process it was really simple great usability i loved it
today we're driving the entry-level i4 which is called the e drive 40 and let me tell you it
doesn't feel entry level it's incredibly quiet and smooth but put your foot down and it really gets
going this edrive 40 can get from zero to 62 miles per hour in just 5.7 seconds but real speed freaks
can opt for the m50 model which does the same sprint in an amazing 3.9 seconds if you're keeping
score that's not quite as fast as tesla model 3 performance but there's not a lot in it there's
more than enough power in reserve to make motorway cruising feel absolutely effortless and it's still
so controlled you can just as easily bimble around town or enjoy yourself on a twisting back road
more importantly both models have a really long range bmw claims up to 367 miles and 315 miles for
the e drive 40 and m50 respectively during our testing we found these figures to be more like
320 miles and 280 miles in the real world if you can find a rapid dc charger the bmw i4 will charge
up at a rate of 210 kilowatts that equates to an 80 charge in as little as half an hour use
a 50 kilowatt charger which is much more common in the uk and that same charge takes 83 minutes
charge at home using a 7 kilowatt charger and you're looking at a 13 hour charge time but
only if you're going from totally empty to totally full bmw's always been known for making cars that
are great to drive and the i4 is no exception it's brilliant fun in the corners but doesn't sacrifice
comfort in the process it's much more satisfying to drive than the tesla model 3 or the polestar 2.
the control weights and the precise quick steering gives you loads of confidence
and it stays controlled but firm over bumps the m50 has a stiffer suspension setup but
even that's not too bad over potholes you can choose from several driving modes comfort
is the best for everyday use but sport really amps everything up and even gives you an artificial
soundtrack to help make up for not having a petrol engine roaring away under the bonnet
so if you're considering treating yourself to the bmw i4 but you're scratching your noggin
thinking ah which version do i go for here's my top three recommendations that should help you out
for the cheapest version of the bmw i4 you'll want the e drive 40 in sport trim that's the same
version i'd recommend if you are a company car user okay it costs significantly less but you're
not going to feel shortchanged at all finally if you are a speed demon and you want to hear it whiz
then i'd recommend the incredibly powerful m50 model the bmw i4 is a truly brilliant electric car
its conventional feel will be a great selling point to many but you can be reassured that
underneath that familiar body and interior lies properly cutting edge electric vehicle tech
the i4 has a great range and quick charging times it's practical enough for most people with its
hatchback boots and i just love that the interior is so slick well built and comfortable if you'd
rather your electric car feel more futuristic then the tesla model 3 or pole star 2 offer this
but neither are as good to drive as the bmw if i were in the market for one this e drive 40 really
does offer everything not to mention it handles better than the m50 and costs significantly less
oh