Here’s a stat: BMW sold 83,000 i4s globally in 2023, which represents a third of the 250,000 i3s that found homes across its almost decade-long life. Proof that people still want EVs, then, just with a conventional silhouette that gently takes their hand rather than violently hauling them into the future. Not that the i4 doesn’t look smart, a notion underscored by its exceedingly minor mid-life facelift. Or Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) in BMW parlance…
New laser lights and fresh exterior colours lift an already handsome exterior. Assuming, like me, you’re long over the grilles. Whether this vintage of BMW ages as well as early-'00s Bangle cars, who’s to say? But among a bewildering number of SUVs this remains a welcome slice of class on the configurator.
Other LCI changes include new steering wheel designs, ‘contemporary seat coverings’ and the latest operating system on its lengthy curved digital display, which utilises augmented reality directions if you’ve opted for the iDrive sat nav over shortcutting straight to CarPlay. It looks impressive, passengers will coo, but you’ll still probably prefer whichever maps app sits prettiest on your phone.
Beyond that, the i4 is precisely as before. The range kicks off at a whisker over £50k for a 286hp, 6.0-to-62mph eDrive35. A mite under £60k secures you an eDrive40 with 340hp, a 0.4 second-swifter sprint and a larger 81.3kWh battery for up to 370 miles of range. But the car you see here is the £70k range-topper, and the only car with dual motors, AWD and a tricoloured M on the back. The M50 pops a 255hp motor on the front axle and 308hp at the rear, though their combined peaks are quoted as 544hp and 586lb ft. Enough for a 3.9-second sprint to 62 which lagged the quickest Tesla Model 3 in 2021, never mind now.
Yet I’m here to argue it doesn’t matter. Oh, it will to some people, but as a dear reader of an enthusiast site like this, I hope you’ll agree that the race to the bottom of acceleration times is great for inspiring engineers of the future but rather less useful for those of us who want a driveable saloon car in the grimy, gridlocked reality of the everyday. Hitting sixty in twice the time of the quickest Tesla is still quite a vicious experience. This is a dramatically quick car at full throttle, which is fun once or twice, but increasingly unpleasant with repeated goes. Luckily the right pedal is easy to modulate and more often than not you’ll achieve adequate thrust with little over half its travel.
‘Even in its softest modes the accelerator packs too much response into the top of its travel,’ reported Mike Duff back in 2021, concluding ‘a Taycan feels much more progressive.’ Perhaps that’s been worked on in the background – many carmakers sneak in subtle evolution between their facelifts or beneath the headlines in response to customer feedback. Or I’m just lighter of foot…
He also lamented the lack of shift paddles to adjust the regenerative braking, something BMW certainly hasn’t amended in the last three years. You still have to dive into a touchscreen menu to toggle the stock D mode between three levels of ferocity or a default Adaptive mode. It’ll drop you down to a 4mph crawl in traffic so if you want a one-pedal car – like the i3 pioneered all those years ago – you must flick the gear selector into B. This drops you quickly yet serenely to a standstill in traffic and ought to relieve a fair amount of stress on the commutes up and down the country these are likely to face.
Beyond the latent thrills of its acceleration, this isn’t a wildly engaging M car, but it continues to drive with typical BMW panache; its balance is led from the rear and a swift, satisfying flow is always there for the taking. Just not one brimming with feel or feedback. For most drivers, most of the time, the i4 handles as smartly as a purely plug-in saloon needs to. Its xDrive is clearly studious in managing the instantly available torque; even with the stability reins slackened, forward propulsion remains its utmost priority.
The damping is a touch heavy-handed, but no more so than other 2.2-tonne EVs and certainly a world apart from the abrupt responses of taut electric crossovers. That said, I think it’s very rare that you’ll favour its Sport suspension setting over Comfort. Indeed for all its configuration opportunities, this car feels happiest on a British B road left with everything in Comfort. It even brings a subtler interpretation of the Hans Zimmer-orchestrated ‘Iconic Sounds’, making them a soft background artist rather than an intrusive soloist. You can turn them off too, of course, but at an appropriate volume I quite like the faux involvement they add. At least it’s something.
The digital dial setup is nicely presented, too, but one cloying question remains: why can’t you configure it? Much as we all love analogue gauges, the move to screens offers the potential for making the readout suit you. And sound the inevitability klaxon, but too much functionality lives within the touchscreen. The materials are tip-top, though.
Head to the back row and you’ll find reasonable room for most adults – who can tuck their feet neatly under the front seats – and a big ol’ boot: 470 litres with the seats up, 1,290 with them flipped down. In short, it’s a classic BMW saloon car carved out for a new era. It plays a straight bat compared to the i3, but those sales figures vindicate BMW’s shift in focus. Let’s hope the upcoming Neue Klasse cars aren’t a misstep from here. Because the i4 does a bloody good job of being a gratifying car to drive at most speeds, managing its copious mass well without pummelling you over potholes – even if it lacks ultimate engagement and encourages you to just briskly potter about in Comfort on all but the most special stretches of road.
Which does rather encourage the question of whether you should just save ten grand with the lighter, rangier eDrive40, purer rear-drive chassis an’ all. It’s what half of British i4 buyers do, with just 15 per cent going for an M50. But for a taster of electrified M3s and their ilk, an M-badged i4 offers a useful and broadly promising gaze into the crystal ball. The LCI does little to alter that, though its surface-deep makeover might justifiably send non-business buyers looking for a half-price hero in the classifieds, where a good handful of still-warrantied, sub-£40k M50s await.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 BMW i4 M50 LCI
Engine: twin AC synchronous electric motors
Transmission: Single-speed, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 544 (total system, Boost mode)
Torque (lb ft): 586 (total system, Boost mode)
0-62mph: 3.9sec
Top speed: 140mph (limited)
Weight: 2,290kg
Battery: 400V lithium-ion, 81.3kWh capacity (net), 83.9kWh (gross)
Range: 318 miles (WLTP)
Max DC charging: 205kW; 10-80% charge in 30mins
Price: £69,995 (£82,270 as tested, including Technology Pack at £2,100, Adaptive LED Headlights at £1,525, Electric Glass Sunroof at £1,075, £900 apiece for M Sport package Pro and Comfort Pack plus £100 for ‘Galvanic Controls’), BIK 2%
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